Page 25 of Claimed

Instead of changing directions to come to me or stopping and waiting for me to get to her, she runs. Or she tries, because as she moves, she’s clumsily pulling clothing off and stuffing it into her bag as she goes.

I growl at what’s happening, watching her shift to her wolf form before she steps out of her shoes, so she trips on them and kicks them off her hind legs while grabbing a strap on her backpack with her teeth, leaving the shoes behind, tossing the t-shirt I gave her. She trips on the backpack just as I get to her. She’s trying to scamper to her feet when I bark once, loud.

She startles, ears pinning back, tail between her legs as she shrinks, but then takes off anyway, abandoning the bag and my t-shirt. My wolf quickly gets to hers, taking a nip at her ass. My mate’s little wolf yelps just as I slow-shift, commanding her to, “Shift!”

Immediately, she shifts to her human form and curls into a tight ball.

“What the fuck?” I shout despite my lungs being filled with the scent of her fear.

Big, brandy eyes are on me with terror in them. She tries to scamper away, falling as I lunge for her, pinning her to the ground.

She’s breathless as I glare down at her. Her tits are pressed against my chest. My cock rises, erectly pressing between her parted thighs. I could stake my claim here, now. But although I’m furious, we’re in the dirt and she’s terrified. So, no. Not for our first time together. Pissed, I knife off her.

“Get those clothes back on,” I snap. “I’m taking you back home.”

Her bottom lip quivers and it’s almost my undoing.

“Don’t…” I demand. “Don’t ever run from me, Stacy.”

“I have to,” she whispers brokenly.

And I can tell by the look on her face that she’s about to try it again so to make sure she can’t, I scoop her into my arms.

“No, you don’t have to,” I say, squatting to grab her bag and then carrying her back the way we came. “And you won’t after I’m done with you.”

“Done with me?” she breathes.

“You don’t run from me. You run; I chase. I chase and maybe even punish. The size of your wolf? Believe me, mate, I run faster and would catch you every time.”

I set her on her feet a few paces away by her shoes so I can squat, grab them and stuff them into the backpack. I lift her up again.

“Please, Greyson, I need to get home,” she protests.

“That’s where we’re going.”

“M-myhome.”

Before I’m able to calculate it, I growl at her and clip, “Should’ve stayed in that fuckin’ cell and claimed you there.” I squat and grab the discarded t-shirt.

She tries to shrink but I grip her tighter.

“We wouldn’t be dealing with this shit right now if you knew who you belonged to.”

I take a fortifying breath and glare into her frightened eyes.

“I’m pissed right now, but I will not hurt you. Don’t be afraid of me physically harming you, ever, because it won’t happen. It’ll be a different kind of punishment you get from me, though believe me it’ll count. Waking up and finding you gone is not on, babe. Gimme until we’re home to cool off and then we’ll work this out. But do this again and it’s a problem.”

I break into a run, moving fast despite being in human male form and carrying her.

I know she doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t understand the gravity of our connection despite being shifter, which is an indication of her old pack being fucked. But she’s about to understand. Because I’m about to take her home and do what I should’ve done within minutes of scenting her. Claim her and make her mine. Show her who I am, who she’s gonna be to me, and how she’ll be treated as my mate.

7

Stacy

It takes a while to get back to Greyson’s house, and the anger coming off his skin is practically visible as he moves quickly through the early morning fog.

He’s not speaking, just running, jaw tight, eyes flashing to and fro between brown and silver and glittering angrily. And I’m just holding on and willing my heart to slow down a little. It feels like it could leap straight out of my chest at any moment.

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