Page 42 of Claimed by the Pack

15

Ridge

“Get away from me! Go away!”

“Cheyenne, it's me. It's Ridge.” I left Cheyenne at her door half an hour earlier after our date. We shared a kiss that was so electric I swear the energy from it could have been used to light up a small city. I was almost to the compound when I realized I didn't just have the picnic basket on my arm, I also had her little sweater she had taken off earlier and I'd insisted on carrying for her. I debated just keeping it until the next time I saw her.

I liked the idea of having something with her scent on it.

But I also liked the idea of having an excuse to go back and see her again tonight...and maybe getting another kiss.

I was almost there when I smelled the wolves so I began picking up the pace.

I told myself it was probably just Gray. The stupid pup was still pretending to be her dog and I hadn't quite figured out what to do about that yet. But I had another gut feeling that something was really wrong. I was so connected to her on an emotional level that I could actually feel her angst. I almost shifted, but the last thing I wanted to do was scare her.

But I ended up doing that anyways when I met her running too.

I thought she saw me.

I didn't realize she didn't until she slammed into me and screamed. She was beating my chest with her fists and I realized she was crying.

“Baby, it's okay, it's me.”

She drew her leg back and kicked me in the shins.

“Ouch! What the hell?”

“Let go of me! Get away from me!” I smelled my two “friends” before I looked up and saw them coming around the back of the apartment building. Grayson was in human form and he and Chase both looked guilty...like they needed their asses kicked.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” I had hold of her wrists and was having to hold her back so that she couldn't kick me.

“I told her the truth,” Grayson said.

“You're all sick!” she yelled. “I'm sure you all had plenty of laughs at my expense. But, it's over now. Let go of me and go away or I swear to God I'm telling everyone on this island what you really are.” The rage in side of me was quick. It burned like acid and sliced at everything inside of me.

I let go of Cheyenne and without even checking to see if anyone was around, I shifted.

Chase saw it coming and he shifted too, jumping in front of me and Grayson as I lunged at him.

Gray was always a little slow on the uptake, even in the wild.

At that moment however, I was too angry to see him for who he was, a confused pup that I had raised. I saw a challenger, a wolf that was trying to take my mate, and trying to hurt her in the process. I hit Chase first and we rolled in the grass, claws ripping at fur and flesh and teeth gnashing. It was only seconds later before Gray joined us, obviously on Chase's “team” trying to subdue me. I was too angry to be subdued.

I had Cheyenne.

She was mine...

I felt it in her kiss, and in less than an hour they had ruined that and they were going to pay for it.

I could hear her screaming,but it was just background noise as I slashed and tore at my former friends. The anger blinded me and all I could smell was the scent of Chase and Gray's fear.

They thought I might kill them, and they may have been right...but then suddenly a burst of freezing water hit me right in the face.

In shock, I unclenched my jaws and let go of Gray's flesh. He rolled away and Chase started to come at me, but I saw the stream of water hit him too.

It wasn't enough to knock us back physically, but it was cold and shocking. I followed the water until I saw the source of it.

Cheyenne had gotten the hose from the side of the building and turned it on. It was one of those big hoses the island ordinances made every building have in case of fire, hooked directly to a main water line. She was holding onto it with two hands and the look on her face was pure determination.

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