Page 16 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

Doubt crept into my mind as I took the path to the right and broke into a sprint. How did I know Kylie was heading for the shore? Aside from the information I’d gathered about her since I got here, I didn’t knowfor surethat she was going to thebeach. Technically, she should have gone back to work given the time, but she wasn’t there.

Her scent led me this direction. I hauled gulps of the alluring rose scent into my lungs, the presence of it inspiring a feral desire to shift into my wolf form right this second. Adrenaline like I hadn’t felt in ages heated my limbs and encouraged me to move faster.

Yes,finally, the thrill I had been seeking for the past four years was right here. No wonder Kylie did so many activities—biking, hiking, running, swimming. It was a rush, and adding a little danger to the mix could really get the blood going. Black market transactions had initially given me that spring in my step, but only because they were illegal in both the human and supernatural worlds.

What used to be thrilling had become like an office job. But running after Kylie—knowing that I would be taking her right into the heart of danger soon—made my blood rush through my body like I was about to encounter the boss at the end of a long video game.

My heart thumped through my ears as I slowed my pace near the cornfields. From beyond the trees came the distant sound of waves, though with my superb hearing, I could have very well been standing right next to the ocean. I reduced my run to a jog and honed in on my hearing, adjusting the volume to a lower level so I could hear everything else in the area.

Years of training had taught me precisely how to handle my enhanced senses. Untrained soldiers had a hard time separating things like city noise from individual sounds. Because I had a mentor like Liam, I was able to develop my heightened senses to perform for me in the specific ways that I needed.

Most shifters could just hear everything at a louder volume. Though plenty could pluck distinct things out of a jumble of noises, it would take a while. And these days, most shifters didn’tneedto do that anymore. There weren’t any wars as far as we could tell, and our pack wasn’t under any kind of threat.

So long as nobody finds out about those poisonous bulbs…

I jogged up the miniature hill to the tree line and stepped over the threshold. Everything changed as soon as I entered the forest separating the pack from the ocean.

How was it that things could change so drastically from one moment to the next? Just moments ago, I’d been bickering with Kylie in the greenhouse. Now I was in hot pursuit of her scent to get her back to—

Shit, what was I about to do?Apologize?

Protecting her at all costs came with a cost on my damn pride, it seemed. It wasn’t like I had done anything wrong. I knew better than to hand her a caretaker job that she wouldn’t even be present to do, and besides, the plants needed round-the-clock care that was incredibly sensitive to fluctuations. How the hell was she going to balance her cushioned office job with the demands of a supernatural greenhouse?

Oceanic salt tinted the breeze along with a luscious explosion of roses. I closed my eyes and allowed my nose to lead the way, using skills I hadn’t touched for a good while. My body acted as a beacon that alerted me when a tree or debris was in the way of my path. I stepped around or over the obstacles. I shoved things aside. I stumbled out onto what felt like the resistant sensation of sand clutching my boots.

I opened my eyes, revealing the rich sapphire water winking with white strips of sunlight. Clay-brown, tan, and onyx-black specks made up the sand, as vast and expansive as the ocean. A few large boulders sat on the sandy waves, leading to the edge of the water where Kylie stood.

Her hair blew wildly around her head, lit aflame by the afternoon light. Her golden skin reflected a bronze sheen under the direct sun, drawing me to her like a bug to a zapper on a porch. Logically, I knew that taking Kylie into town would be one of the last big moves of the mission.

After our trip, I wouldn’t necessarily need to stick around if I didn’t want to.

I stared at her backside, noticing the amber halter top that she had pulled up to expose her midsection. White shorts hugged her curvy hips and accentuated her round bottom, stopping mid-thigh where her delicate skin resumed. As I approached, more of her profile came into view, and I noticed her shoulders bowed forward toward her hands that were clasped in a prayer position at her chest.

She was lost in thought. And something about the way she was staring at the ocean made me want to stand guard. There was a slight furrow to her brow, a worrisome crease to the corners of her mouth that were sloping toward her chin. That kind of deep frown didn’t come from arguing with me. No, it had to be more than that.

I had to find out what it was.

“Kylie,” I said—but the wind swallowed my voice. “Kylie!”

She whirled to face me, eyes round as moons with vibrant sea-like colors living inside the hazel brown. Her thousand-yard stare went on for a few minutes as her hair was whipped aroundher face by the ever-changing wind. Sea salt burned my eyes. Roses tickled my nostrils.

She squinted. The worry dissipated, but what I saw there didn’t exactly feel that much better. It was a kind of strange disappointment that came with rejection.

Withmyrejection.

Maybe turning her down in front of the pack hadn’t exactly been one of the smartest things to do.At all costsdidn’t include mating with her. And really, it contrasted the orders I was given. What the hell had Blake and Troy been thinking when they paired us?

A second later, Kylie stumbled toward me. Her chin tilted back as she approached so she could hold my gaze. I always forgot how short she was until she stood right in front of me. The uneven sand started to swallow my right boot.

“Come on,” I said over the breeze, “we’re going out.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I’m taking you into town.”

“Forwhat?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you like anything in town?”

---