His Unmarked Mate The Alpha She-Wolf ReturnsChapter 1
"I'll do as you say. I'll come back to take over the pack, but you will not interfere with any of my decisions."
"Fine. As long as you come back, the pack is yours to lead," replied the voice on the other end of the call.
My hand trembled as I ended the call. At that moment, my gaze fell on the black stockings draped carelessly over the edge of the bed in the room I shared with my mate. My so-called mate.
They were a mocking reminder of the scent recognition my chosen mate of eight years, Caspian Thornecrest, shared with his Omega Attendant, Scarlett Ashwood. Her cloying honeysuckle scent still clung to the fabric, tangled with his musk. My inner wolf snarled, hackles raised, pacing restlessly behind my ribs.
I drew in a slow breath and reluctantly turned my eyes toward the gauze wrapped around my arm. Blood had begun to seep through the white cloth, blooming in faint crimson patches.
Meanwhile, the events of the afternoon replayed on a loop inside my skull. I had been walking through the narrow woodland path near the trading post at the edge of Thornecrest territory.
A black convoy of wolves in tactical gear materialized from the treeline. Before I could process what was happening, several shifted wolves and armed enforcers surrounded me, their silver-tipped weapons gleaming in the pale afternoon light.
Their cold eyes and matching scarred brands told me they belonged to the Ironvale Pack, one of Caspian's fiercest rivals.
"You thought you could run from us?" one of them snarled, his voice raw with dominance. When I said nothing, he struck me across the face with the back of his hand. The sudden blow sent me staggering into the rough bark of a tree.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I mumbled, forcing air into my lungs. My hand drifted instinctively to cradle my stomach.
But they didn't care.
One of them seized my wrist and wrenched it at a cruel angle. Another shoved me to the ground, the forest floor cold and damp beneath my palms.
Within seconds, the supplies I had been carrying scattered across the dirt. As I tried to push myself upright, the barrel of a silver-tipped weapon pressed against my temple. The metal burned faintly against my skin, and my wolf whimpered, retreating deep inside me.