Page 52 of Claimed By the Wolf
“This way,” Emeric’s Beta instructs me, waving me forward.
Frowning, I follow him as we move away from the house toward the stables, my eyes trailing over Brax’s SUV, senses on high alert. As we round the corner, my instincts flare.
Brax stands between Brynn and Emeric, their postures telling me everything I need to know. Without hesitating, I fly toward them, half-shifting to give myself momentum and knock my mate out of harm’s way to face off with Emeric.
Startled, Emeric squares his shoulders and bares his teeth, his fangs elongating. “What’s this?” he hisses. “Are you coming at me?”
“Why are you cornering her? Them?” I demand furiously. “Is this the way you treat members of my pack at your house?”
He scoffs, but I catch the look of confusion on his face as his eyes dart between Brynn and me. “No one was cornered.”
Emeric sniffs the air around us.
The hairs on my neck rise. “What are you doing?” I growl, glancing back at Brax and Brynn. The siblings offer me identical wide-eyed looks, and suddenly I understand.
He knows.
“I was explaining to Brynn that there are some rumors about you two.” He walks around us to study us closer.
I tense, willing myself to be calm. I have no idea how much longer the Golden Shade is going to last, but I need to get Brynn out of here before it wears off.
“I haven’t heard any rumors,” I lie. “But I don’t like your snap judgments.”
He stops between us, the suspicion in his face palpable. “I don’t trust you two,” he spits. “There’s something… I can feel it.” He turns and looks at his enforcers. “Isn’t there something?”
The others shuffle uncomfortably, but there’s an awkward murmur of consensus.
“I don’t see it,” a dark-eyed female declares from her place among the group. “Are you sure?”
Brynn’s head whips up, and Emeric gazes at her skeptically. “Really, Alessa?”
She shrugs. “You asked.”
The atmosphere is charged, and all eyes land on me. But I know what needs to be done now, what I should have done in the first place. I need to claim my mate, consequences be damned.
“This clearly isn’t going to work out.” I grab for Brynn’s hand. “You can’t be trusted to take care of my Beta’s sister.”
I pull her away from the group, a cold sweat forming on my brow.
“You can’t unilaterally decide that!” Emeric barks. “She belongs to me!”
“I just did,” I fire back without turning, but my senses are on high alert. I’m ready for him.
“How are you doing this?” Brynn whispers as I drag her toward the waiting SUV. “How come he can’t detect our bond?”
“Just keep moving,” I urge her, but as I speak, it happens. The burning desire to press her against me overcomes me in a torrent. The simple feel of her hand in mine sets me on fire.
The Golden Shade has run its course.
A low murmur erupts over the Willow Grove pack, and Emeric shouts for me to stop.
“I knew it!” the Alpha roars, his voice changing to a guttural growl.
Fuck.
“Get to the car,” I pant, tossing her the keys and spinning around to confront the massive bear bounding toward me.
Brax stops in his tracks to morph into his panther frame, and I waste no time shifting back into my wolf form.
