Page 42 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

Her eyes sparkled with mischief when I looked at her. It made me wonder what else she might have been referencing.

Agitated growls and barks erupted on the other side of the gnarled branches. Behind us were thick trees, a forest that sloped upward on what appeared to be a mountain. Cold rain dribbled through the canopy above—the rain was getting lighter. We had to make our way out of here using our senses, since the equipment was in my bag.

One last look at the whispering palms softened my heart. Something that meant so much to me was about to be left to its own devices here in the woods of North Carolina. Maybe someday I could come back for it. That day could be closer than I thought.

Or maybe it wouldn’t ever come at all.

With a thankful nod, I turned around and jogged between the regular trees, noticing how quiet it got the more distance we put between ourselves and the whispering palms. These normal leaves didn’t feel quite as comforting. I tipped my head back to sniff the air, noticing the way the mountain opened up to us like it had expected us to run this way.

Nature felt more welcoming than ever. It had been so long since I’d been out like this. If we hadn’t been chased out of that shed, I would have tried to stop and enjoy our surroundings. Years of being stuck inside an office had disconnected me from the beauty of this earth.

Kylie jogged quietly beside me for a while, making almost no other sound except the soft slush of her paws on wet leaves and the rhythmic pant of her breathing. She cast a long glance to the right and then bumped into me.

Did you see something?I asked her.Are you okay?

She slowed her pace and tilted her head back, sniffing furiously.I know it’s weird, but I think one of them might have followed.

A low growl vibrated in my throat. I slowed next to her, pressing my body against hers in a protective measure. If one of those wolves had gotten the lead, then at least it would only be one wolf to fight. The other two sounded like they had gotten caught in the plant.

Whispering palms weren’t exactly the forgiving type, so they would keep the enemy trapped for as long as possible. Some studies revealed that time could vary from a few hours to a few days. We had plenty of time to get away—but I was starting to worry about her receptive nose picking up another wolf.

Kylie, stay close, I warned.

She sniffed and then sneezed.I swear, it almost smells pungent like—

A snarl snapped my attention to the left, where a massive black wolf stood several feet away. Wet mutts always gave off a smell, but Kylie had been right about the pungency. That was what the skunk urine smelled like whenever it was sprayed around a doorway. Since it had sat in the Jeep under our noses the whole time, we’d gotten used to the smell.

And that had given this asshole the upper hand for a second.

His open jaws dripped saliva on the ground where his large paws dug into the muddy leaves. He was twice the size of an average wolf with a white scar running down the length of his snout. White clouds dusted from his nostrils with every exhalation.

Fuck, Kylie squeaked.He must have gotten into the Jeep.

And found the skunk piss, I added.

I crouched into a defensive position to protect Kylie.

She growled while ducking beneath my neck, a shield maneuver I recognized as a way to protect my throat from being torn out by the enemy. At first glance, it might have appeared that she was cowering under my thick fur. But her exposed canines and snarls couldn’t possibly be confused with cowardice.

She was trying to protect me.

She was guarding me like I was her.

The massive wolf took a menacing step forward, and then another. Kylie and I stepped to the left in synchronized movements, edging our way around the threatening animal. Ithuffed a few more times and bowed its head—which meant it was about ready to charge.

My ears flicked around, trying to pick up whether or not the wolf’s buddies had managed to escape the whispering palm. Without any twigs cracking or branches crunching, it didn’t sound like there were others around. But I couldn’t underestimate them. That wasn’t a mistake I wanted to make twice.

I pushed against Kylie, her firm body keeping me from launching forward without a proper plan. Not only was she guarding my neck, but she was also keeping me from reacting rashly. We had to come up with something, and we had to do it quickly.

We had already made it this far. We couldn’t fail now.

Chapter 14 - Kylie

I hadn’t seen him coming.

Because of the skunk urine that Fred had left in the Jeep, the wolf got smart on us. He probably rolled around in it to cover his scent. That was a great risk considering he wouldn’t be able to track us by scent alone. Which meant he had watched us get away. He’d followed us with his eyes and ears.

We weren’t just being followed. We were being hunted.

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