Page 75 of Mated To My Boss

“No!” I scream. “This isn't real! Wake up, Madeline! Wake up! Wake up!”

My eyes open and I throw up instantly. Bile and blood mix in my mouth, making me vomit even more. I look around as darkness and cold surround me. The only light I see comes directly from the moon.

I place a claw forward, realizing I'm stuck in wolf form due to my weakness. The bitter taste in my mouth is awful and I can't shake it.

Memories come with the headache. Now that my hallucinations are over, I'm confronted with the grim reality that I may be on the brink of death.

There's barely any strength left in me and from the look of things, I must've fallen into a ditch. I try to claw my way out, but I'm far too weak to save myself. Instead, I pull myself along the ditch, looking for a shallow place to crawl out from.

The air is cold, and I barely sense the moon above me, even though it seems close enough to touch.

My head continues battling against me, holding me down in the dirt. I feel my stomach starting to grumble from both hunger and the urge to retch again.

The smell of gasoline and gunpowder hits me. Maybe it's always been there, and I just didn't notice. It becomes so pungent I can almost touch it.

I hear heavy footsteps coming at me from the side. They don't sound like they're in a hurry, but I already know this isn't someone who'll help me.

I look up and see the face of Henry, my old friend. He dresses in layers of leather, holding a long-barreled rifle in his hand. The only part of his body that isn't covered is his head. He smiles at me, but there's no friendliness in that grin.

“Madeline, Madeline. How I've missed you.” He leans down, placing the gun beside him. “Have you missed me?”

I'm far too weak to utter words of response. All I can do is long for breath and lie helplessly waiting for my fate to be determined.

“Of course you haven't,” Henry answers. “You've been too busy running around with that boyfriend of yours. I don't see him anywhere around to save you.”

Nate, please … I need you.

“You shouldn't have eaten the rabbit,” my former friend says. “I loaded that thing with wolfsbane and let it hop around. I knew the wolf in you wouldn't be able to resist. Now, look at you. Too weak to even talk to me. You're pathetic; I’m disappointed.”

Henry gets up and cocks his gun. He swings it around, clearly enjoying himself. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry to kill me, but I know already that I won’t survive whatever he has in mind.

“To be honest, I had no idea we were hunting your pack all those years ago,” he explains. “I was young, you know? Just following the family business. My uncle was all I had, so of course I learned from him.”

Henry kicks dirt around before continuing his monologue. “When he told me about your kind, I was sick to my stomach. I happily took up this rifle when we came for you. But look where that brought me.”

He gestures broadly, like he's part of a show. “You animals killed my uncle!” he growls. “He died from his injuries, injuries you inflicted. You injured me too, by the way. I still have the scar.”

Henry lifts up his sleeve, revealing a bite mark. “Before I kill you I want you to see what you've done. No hard feelings, I was going to torture you until tomorrow and then kill you when the rest of your wolves arrive. It's clear this is where you all come to transform."

At least he doesn't know about the IronFangs land. They're safe, that's what matters.

“I'll handle your pack when they get here. You on the other hand ...” The hunter levels the gun at me. I already smell the silver loaded in the weapon. “Say a prayer, won’t you?”

Chapter 29

NATE

I throw myself with every bit of strength I have and barrel into him before he gets a chance to shoot Madeline. The gun fires, but the bullet skids along the ground forming a shallow trench.

The hunter recovers swiftly and aims the gun at me before either of us reacts. He shoots me in the leg, causing me to fly backward. I feel the silver piercing my skin.

“Ha! You're quite the savior aren't you?” Henry shouts.

I dig my claws into the wound, feeling slick bloody warmth. With a sharp tug, I extract the bullet, tearing through flesh as more blood oozes from the gaping wound. The moon shines on the small silver bullet while I shuffle away from it.

Henry aims at me again but I run back into the woods. The hunter wastes no time chasing me, completely forgetting about Madeline, which is exactly what I want.

I hide behind a clump of trees. No human eyes will be as sharp as mine in the darkness, but the bright moon isn't helping me tonight.

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