Page 220 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Y–yes, I’m at my place. Cole, I?—”

“I love you, Avery. I’ll be there soon, I promise.”

The call ended. All I could do was stare at my phone. What had happened between last night and now to make him act like that? What could have Cole so excited?

I glanced down at the tests. It could wait. Honestly, it would make me feel better if Cole was here for it.

That could wait, but my curiosity couldn’t. Maybe Porter had heard something? I was pretty sure I could cajole him to tell me what was up if he had.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I went outside.

Rushing around the hood, I called out, “Porter? What’s?—”

The words caught in my throat as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

The driver-side door was open. Blood smeared the door handle and the paint next to it. A faint splatter of crimson stood out against the light gray of the driveway’s concrete.

Backing away slowly, I glanced around like a trapped animal. This was not good. Not good at all. Then I remember the sound of the backfiring car. Had it been a car? Or had it been something else? Something worse?

Icy-cold fear drenched me, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on my head. I was exposed. I needed to get back inside. Now.

I turned to go back to my house, but froze mid-step. A young man stood on the porch, grinning at me. I didn’t recognize him, but from the way he held himself, I could tell he was bad news. The fact that he was cutting off access to my home turned my bowels to water.

He winked and made a seductive kissing motion with his lips. “Damn, woman, you’re hot. Bit old for me, but I’d still do ya. I’ve never had a good MILF. You older ladies are supposed to be good in the sack. Unfortunately, the boss says you come to him unharmed. No dick for you.” He looked me up and down. “Unless you ask real nice, that is.”

A hissing sound filled my skull, and it took a half-second for me to realize it was my breath bursting in and out of my nose as panic threatened to overtake me.

“Now, now, Chad,” a voice said from behind me. “Let’s not think with our dicks.”

I yelped, whirling around to find a new guy. Dark complexion, heavy muscles, hatchet face. I recognized him from one of the videos we’d watched. He’d been there in the warehouse when Kyle had turned that first man into a wolf. Cold eyes stared at me, the kind of eyes you’d see on a reptilian predator. An alligator or a snake.

“You won’t be touched,” he said to me. “The boss was real clear on that. Me and my friend here both enjoy living too much to go against that.”

“Wh–where’s Porter?” The question tumbled out, even though I had a good idea what had happened to him.

The dark-skinned man chuckled and nodded toward the truck. “Baldy’s taking a little nap in the cab. A nice, long nap. I’d be more worried about yourself if I were you, honey.”

I glanced at the truck, and my heart lurched. I didn’t want to believe it, but these weren’t the type of men to take prisoners. They were killers. Cold and callous. Tears threatened to spring to my eyes, but I needed to think, not mourn.

“Let’s get this over with, Jamal,” Chad called out. “Someone could drive by any second.

Jamal clawed at my arm, dragging me closer. He held a white cloth, and I caught the bitter, astringent scent of chemicals. If I didn’t do something now right now, I was as good as dead.

I kicked out, my foot connecting with Jamal’s balls. His face crumpled into a mask of agony. Behind me, Chad cursed. I ran for the woods behind my house, arms pumping, legs flexing. I hadn’t run this fast since I’d been on the middle school track team. That had been many years ago, and I was no longer as lithe and athletic as I’d been at twelve, yet knowing I was sprinting away from death and possibly worse gave me the burst of adrenaline I needed. Within seconds, I was in the forest, the two men behind me screaming curses at me, their voices growing closer.

I had to get to safety. There was no way I could outrun two shifters. No way in hell. Not even an Olympic athlete could do that. I tried to think, to get my bearings. I hadn’t been in the forest for a while, and I couldn’t quite remember the layout. The forest of Harbor Mills circled the whole town, even leached into it in the form of parks and recreation areas. Mine and Stormy’s houses were only a couple neighborhoods apart, bordered by the same stretch of forest. Stormy’s house was four miles away bycar, but closer through the forest. While I didn’t want to bring danger to her, it was my only option. I turned west.

I used the trees, bushes, and brambles to help separate me from my pursuers.

“That’s it!” Chad screamed behind me. “I’m gonna beat your ass, lady.”

My heart thundered as I zigzagged between the trees, jumped boulders, and nearly slipped in a pile of leaves. A wolf’s howl erupted from behind me, and I nearly pissed myself. I could imagine those pointed white teeth sinking into my body, and I picked up speed. The dull roar of my heartbeat nearly drowned out the sound of pursuit.

“He’s on you, bitch!” Chad called. To my dismay, he didn’t even sound winded. “Gonna catch that fine little ass.”

No,I thought. No, you fucking will not.

From the right, a blur of gray and black burst from the underbrush, saliva dripping from snapping jaws. Jamal lunged toward me, paws outstretched. Without thinking, I tucked and rolled, going down an embankment, and Jamal crashed into a tangle of limbs against the mossy ground.

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