Sadly, he hadn’t noticed how well she’d adjusted to the pack until today. His thoughts had been too clouded by pain and anger. When he’d woken earlier that morning the memories from the night before had hit him like a freight train, regret and shame rushing back to him. The harsh treatment he’d shown Sadie was unforgivable. Bitterness against the world caused it, resentment festering inside him like cancer.
It was time for that to change.
Finding your mate could do things like that to a male, taking him from one extreme to the other. Yes, he was still angry. Yes, he still wanted revenge. But more than that he wanted the female he’d held the night before. The woman he was determined to find regardless of her thoughts or protests about the matter.
A few more people entered the store, forcing him away from the wall. He stepped near the cash registers and looked down the aisles, searching for Ava. She didn’t have the answers to his questions but he was glad he’d tagged along to speak with her. That was something he didn’t realize he’d missed in the last few weeks—contact with another person, conversation that didn’t involve hate or rage.
A strange noise came from the back of the store, as though someone had dropped something. He lifted his head, scenting the air.
Then he heard Ava scream.
Instinct took over, the wolf within no longer asleep but fully awake. He shoved aside the people in his path, pushing through them like a battering ram. In seconds he was at the back of the store, near the refrigerated merchandise. A group of shoppers stood silently, gawking at a shopping basket on the floor with a container of eggs open and broken just outside of it.
“Where is she?” he screamed, flaring his nose, latching on to Ava’s scent. One of the elderly shoppers pointed toward the back but the assistance wasn’t necessary.
He was already in motion.
The smell of fear guided him—Ava’s fear—but it was fading. Likely she’d been knocked out in some way, preventing her from putting up a fight. That meant he had to hurry, to get a fucking move on. As he rushed to follow, he questioned who would be stupid enough to fuck with Ava. The Villati wouldn’t come for her since doing so would ruin the relationship they wanted to establish with Diskant. Perhaps it was a territorial dispute between the pack and a pride? Maybe some dumb fuck thought they could use Ava for leverage? He decided against that as he took a breath. He didn’t smell any shifters nearby.
Shit. What the fuck was he dealing with?
Damn him for a fool, he never should have left her side. It was a stupid oversight, a monumental fuckup. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to Diskant’s mate—a woman he’d failed to protect. Whoever had taken her had dragged her through the back—a path he now charged through. The workers he swept past were pressed against walls, obviously terrified of what they’d witnessed. Trey didn’t pay them any attention as he raced to the rear of the building, running through the exit door that was wide open.
He found what he was looking for a few yards away. A man was putting Ava inside the back of a van—a man in a long duster wearing a matching fucking Stetson. A growl crept up his throat.
Shepherds.
When had they returned? Why didn’t Diskant or any of the other Alphas know?
Their arrival changed everything. The city had to be on alert. When Shepherds arrived, no shifter was safe. Although he’d known they were at war, he hadn’t thought they’d be stupid enough to return after what they’d done. The packs would rip them apart with their teeth. Afterward they’d use the Shepherd’s finger bones as toothpicks.
Trey lifted a hand, waving frantically. The eyes in the sky would see what was happening but they wouldn’t make it to the scene in time. Mindless of the consequences, he stormed across the distance, rushing toward the vehicle. He aimed for the man with the Omega’s mate in his arms, knowing he had to bring him down. If the bastard left with Ava the odds of getting her back alive were dismal. Two Shepherds appeared, walking around the side of the van. He didn’t slow down, primed and ready to kill, and they revealed guns and leveled them in his direction.
He tried to move, to use his speed to dodge the darts that flew in his direction. The sharp sting in his right shoulder warned him he’d been hit and was followed by another in his chest—right over heart. Whatever was in the darts worked crazy fast. He stumbled within inches of them, his equilibrium off-kilter.
One of the Shepherds stepped forward and Trey collided with him, taking them both to the ground. His arm felt oddly heavy as he swung back, aiming for the bastard’s chin. A hand wrapped around his wrist, preventing the blow. He whipped around, somewhat disoriented as he changed targets. He got a lock on the Shepherd holding him back, was ready to lunge and attack when something hard connected with the back of his skull. He landed on his side on the concrete, falling away from the Shepherd beneath him. The world turned hazy, a black cloud invading his vision. He tried to focus, to lift his head to see if Ava was all right.
“Put him in the back,” someone instructed and he felt arms wrap around his torso and feet.
The sky swayed back and forth and vanished when he was thrown into the back of the van. He grunted when he landed, coming face-to-face with an unconscious Ava. The dimly lit interior added to the darkness he continued to fight—a darkness that was winning despite his best effort to remain awake.
The van dipped when the Shepherds climbed inside and the door closed. He wanted to snarl at them, to rip them apart with his claws. Instead he mumbled words that made no sense, writhing like an infant on a blanket.
“Tranq him again,” a deep voice grumbled. “We have to move.”
He felt another sting, this time in his neck. His wolf howled as he yielded to the drugs in his system and surrendered to oblivion, falling into the darkness that rose to catch him. His final thought was that the pack had to be warned.
Hunters were in the city.
Chapter Nine
Mary blinked several times as she opened her eyes, trying to figure out why she was so warm and comfortable. Her bed wasn’t nearly this soft, and her comforter didn’t radiate heat like an electric blanket. Her answer appeared when her vision cleared.
Emory.
He was resting directly in front of her, his chest mere inches away. His arm was wrapped around her side, keeping her close. He smelled good, enticing her in a way she’d started to expect, as though his scent called to her on some primal level. It was as if an aphrodisiac were smoothed over his flesh, daring her to lean forward and indulge in a little taste.
“Hey there,” he murmured in a voice thick with sleep, pulling her out of her sexual musings. A dark lock of hair rested on his forehead, his ruffled appearance as delicious as sin.
She knew she was turning red, could feel the heated blush on her cheeks. Last night she’d had Emory in one of the many ways she’d dreamed about him. It had been explosive, hot and a little bit scary. She frowned when she remembered the climax that started out so dizzying but quickly turned into nothing but pain. Sex wasn’t supposed to be like that. Even with her limited knowledge, she wasn’t stupid.
“Last night…” She swallowed back her panic, trying to be honest. “What happened between us wasn’t entirely normal. Something else happened.”
“It was the bloodbonding.” Emory rose up on one elbow and brushed strands of hair away from her face. “It’s not a pleasant experience.” His fingers stopped on her cheek and he looked torn. “I should have warned you but I was afraid you’d prolong things if you feared what was to come. I’ve been told that it’s best not to warn human mates, so that the expectation of pain doesn’t ruin the first pairing between a couple.”