Her hand stopped mid-stroke when she heard a twig snap behind her. She twisted on the rock she’d perched on, pausing in her painting. After taking a few pictures of the pond, she pulled out a small canvas and a set of paints. She wanted to get the perfect color blend to show the sun's reflection on the icy surface. Working from a digital image wouldn’t be the same, so despite the cold, she’d headed to the pond she and Drew had visited last night.
But now, as she stared into the forest, she realized a morning stroll by herself may not have been a good idea.
“Hello?”
No one answered, yet she knew she was no longer alone.
Slowly, she lowered the brush and pulled her phone from her pocket—a missed call from Drew. When they left to deal with Mitch that morning, she’d figured the problem was well in hand, and she’d be safe to venture out on her own. Apparently not.
Her thumb coasted over the screen so she could read his text messages.
Drew: It was a diversion. Mitch is still on the loose. I am heading to you now. Get back to the house.
He knew she wasn’t at the house. Hopefully, he knew exactly where she was. At least she’d had the sense to tell Fredrica. If she could stall Mitch just a little, Drew could get here. She glanced at the time stamp on his message before setting the phone next to the paintbrush on the wide, flat rock.
Standing, she turned in a circle, attempting to spot him.
“Where are you, Mitch?”
Stepping out from behind a tree trunk, he advanced. “Hey, Alyssa.”
Tired of his constant presence in her life, she clenched her fists. “What do you want?”
“What I’ve always wanted. You.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want you. And I’m tired of you following me.”
When he continued to step closer, she noticed what looked like a blindfold in one hand and a length of rope in the other. “If that guy hadn’t shown up, you would have wanted me. I would have made sure of it.”
He was deranged. “Nope. And speaking of that guy, you’re on his property and have overstayed your welcome. You need to leave.”
“Not without you. Not this time.”
“Well, I’m not leaving with you.”
“I never thought you’d go willingly, even before your boyfriend.”
“His name is Drew, he’s my mate, and he’s going to kick your ass when he gets here.”
“We’ll be long gone before then,” Mitch smirked. “He’s sold you on some bullshit, Alyssa, about being his mate.”
She backed up as he got closer. “Let me guess. You think you’re my mate?”
His laugh bounced off the trees. “Fuck, no. I don’t want a mate.”
She took another step backward, the heel of her boot slipping on a bit of ice. The boots, coat, and all the clothing would need to go. She would need to shift. Her best chance at surviving this encounter was on four legs. “Then what do you want from me?”
The look in his eyes wasn’t crazy as she’d expected. No, he looked dangerous, intent on the hunt. She always thought he just wanted sex and had been afraid he’d try to rape her, but now, seeing him and knowing his true nature, she wondered if her life was at risk as well.
“He’s filled your head with lies, Alyssa.” Mitch took another step. “If he’s promised you that you’ll live forever, never age, never get sick, all for the low price of him turning you, well, he’s lied to you. You are better off staying human rather than turning into a monster, a freak of nature like him. He’s not your mate. It’s a trick.”
Freak.
The word triggered something inside her. She’d never belonged before, but now she had a lover, a pack, and a chance at happiness. Mitch was not going to fuck that up.
“I think you’ve made a mistake. Several, actually.” She backed up, dropping her coat and stepping out of her boots. “And they started with you underestimating me.”
“He’s already changed you,” he said, grasping her intent as she dropped more and more clothing. “Come with me. I can help you.”
“You’re going to help me?” She laughed. “Is that why you came with rope?”
He glanced down at the items in his hands. “I figured you’d be like every other bitch that’s always told me no. But you’re right. I’m mistaken.” He released the items, letting them sink into the snow, as his hands went to the zipper of his coat. “Your surrender will be even sweeter this way.”
His clothing was off faster than hers. She was still shifting when his body hit her. They skidded onto the frozen pond, separating as they slid along the slick surface. She was closer to the bank and got her feet under her first, but she had barely made it back to the trees before Mitch was on top of her again.
The wolf’s body slammed into her again, knocking her off her feet.
This time when she got up, he didn’t lunge right away. His tail tucked between his legs, his body lowered, and teeth bared as he growled. The sound shook Alyssa. This was no stray dog, no herbivore she was hunting. This wolf was here to win.
Alyssa felt her teeth exposed to the cold elements as a rival snarl crawled from her throat.
She hadn’t found Drew just to be dragged away.
When he attacked, she charged him, aiming for his hindquarters, snapping her teeth, grazing his fur. They circled one another, each landing blows and bites.
Deciding to make one last run for it, Alyssa headed in the house's direction. She darted behind a tree, hoping to lose him. On the uneven ground, he lost his footing and seizing the opportunity to fight rather than flee, Alyssa lunged at him from behind, her teeth closing around his rear leg.
His paws went out from under him, and Alyssa dragged him along the ground as he kicked and squirmed in her hold. Her grip slipped when he twisted.
Freed, he curled his body upward, snapping those sharp teeth at her. Alyssa, using his position on the ground against him, pounded, her body trapping him as her jaw closed around his neck. Warm blood flooded her mouth as her teeth punctured his flesh. He whined, but rather than letting up, she gave a shake until he was quiet. He tried again to get free, but his struggle just made her clamp down harder.
No one threatened her.
And Mitch would never threaten anyone else again.
Driven by primal instincts, she was about to snap his neck when she heard the ATVs approaching—several of them, by the sounds of it.
With her distracted, Mitch flailed. His legs swept hers, and they both fell to the forest floor.
Mitch ran off as the ATVs came to a rumbling stop, disappearing between the trees. Alyssa was about to follow, but Drew called her.
Glancing over, she caught sight of Callum and Maddox as they half-stripped, half-exploded from their clothing, and landed in wolf form, taking off after the intruder. She didn’t bother watching as they disappeared over the hill, snow kicking up in their wake.
Drew approached her, his hand landing in her fur. “Sweetie, you’re bleeding.” His gaze roamed over her, looking for injuries.
No doubt she looked a mess. Feral, probably, with blood dripping down her neck, staining and sticking to her fur. But she felt alive. If they hadn’t interrupted, she would have killed Mitch, proving she was not only capable but had been safe all along. She stood proud and let loose a howl.
Pureblood or a mutt, it didn’t matter. She deserved Drew, she’d earned him, and she was keeping him.
As the howl faded, she shifted back, laying naked on her side, with Drew’s hand stroking her skin. He was still looking for wounds, his fingers finding one on her hip and another on her thigh, but they weren’t deep and would likely heal before they made it back to the house.
“I would have had him if you hadn’t interrupted.”
His laugh was shaky, and she realized he was close to tears. “Pardon me for trying to save you.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t need to be saved.”
“I saw that,” he told her, pride in his voice. “When Maddox and Callum drag him back here, you can have the honor of killing the bastard.”
Unsure how she’d feel about that, Alyssa pushed up from the hard ground. In the heat of battle was one thing, but looking into his eyes and snuffing out the light was different. “I want to be dressed before they come back.”
“I agree.”
Together, they found her clothing and collected her art supplies and Mitch’s discarded items. By the time they had everything loaded up on the ATV, Maddox, and Callum had returned empty-handed.
Alyssa averted her gaze when they shifted back to human form and found their clothing mostly shredded.
“What happened?” Drew asked, clearly unimpressed that they had come back without Mitch.
Each beta seated themselves on an ATV, neither bothering with modesty as they threw their ruined clothing over their laps.
“He got to the bypass over the highway before we could catch him.”
“Bastard got lucky,” Maddox continued. “A big rig came by, and he made a jump for it.”
“No way were we going to catch him after that.” Callum started up his machine, then took a moment to jot down the license plate number for the truck. “I’m sorry, Drew.”
They rode back to the house in silence. Alyssa wrapped around Drew as he led the way. When they arrived, Fredrica was pacing the living room but raced to Maddox and threw her arms around him. Alyssa, still not comfortable with the level of nakedness that the rest of the pack was accustomed to, kept her gaze averted until both Callum and Maddox had retrieved clothing from Drew’s front hall closet. Many pack members apparently kept extra clothing at Drew’s home and Wildlings in case of any emergency shifting.
“What happens now?” She glanced up from where her hands clasped Drew’s.
Gently, he tugged her with him toward where their friends gathered. Callum flopped onto the couch, and Maddox, still shirtless, had his arms wrapped around Fredrica. She lifted her head from her mate’s chest and looked at Alyssa. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have left you. What happened?”
“He got away.” Drew slipped his arm around Alyssa. “I’ll alert all the neighboring packs and those in New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces. We’ll catch this fucker. I want his head, and I don’t care who takes it off his shoulders.”
Alyssa placed a palm on his chest. His rage was palpable. She wondered if he’d ever been this worked up if the pack had ever faced a threat this big before.
“I want both of you,” Drew said, addressing Callum and Maddox, “to find him. Pack what you need and follow him. Drag his ass back here so we can take care of him.”
Pulling out his phone, Callum nodded. As he scrolled through his phone, he was up and out of his seat.
“I know you had plans to go,” Drew started, but Callum waved away his concern.
“I can make do. We’ll find this guy first, and then I’ll hop a bus and head north.”
Suddenly, Fredrica was out of Maddox's arms and frowning at her brother. “Where are you going?”
He shot Drew a frustrated look. Clearly, she and Fredrica were out of the loop.
“I’m going on a brief trip to visit Elliot.”
Fredrica gasped. “You most certainly are not.”
Callum laughed at her tone. “Okay, Mom.”
Unrelenting, Fredrica stalked across the room and snatched his phone away. “Does Mom know where you’re going, because there’s no way in hell she’ll be okay with it.”
Ignoring his sister, Callum glared at Drew. “Thanks.”
As though it didn’t matter, Drew shrugged. “She was going to find out eventually.”
The anger had leaked away, and in a shaky, concerned voice, she asked, “Why do you want to go there?”
Callum took a deep breath and considered her. Carefully, he retrieved his phone from where it hung limply in her grasp. “This is something I have to do, and I promise we’ll talk about it later, but with every second we waste right now, Mitch gets further away.” He nodded over her head to Maddox, who then started toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Maddox stopped once to kiss Fredrica goodbye. After his quick peck, she dragged him back down for a more thorough kiss that lasted until Callum opened the front door and shouted, “Lover-boy, get a move on!”
Once the door had closed behind them, Fredrica turned to Drew. “They’ll be okay?”
“They’ll be fine.” Drew’s tone left no room for question. Alyssa was pretty confident that they could find Mitch. While he might consider himself sly, Alyssa had faith in Callum and Maddox. “Hopefully, back before the end of the week.”
Alyssa wanted to believe that. She’d finally found a place where she belonged, but having Mitch’s dirty shadow haunting her was having her question her welcome. She’d brought this on the pack. She’d brought this to Drew’s door.
“I shouldn’t have left you.” Fredrica apologized. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Shuddering, Alyssa remembered the rope hanging from Mitch’s hand. “But I don’t think I’m the first woman he’s tried to abduct. He’s a predator and needs to be stopped.”
“I should have stayed with you. Can you forgive me?”
Before she could reply, Drew squeezed her. “Turns out there’s no reason to worry. My mate is fierce and can handle herself.” He glanced down at her. “She’s beautiful, creative, and strong. Perfect for our pack.” He leaned close and brushed his lips over hers. “Perfect for me.”
“Good,” Alyssa said with a smile. “Because you were made for me.”