Page 7 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
Without shifting yet, I walk between the trees, following an old, well-run path. I take everything in slowly, sure to examine every smell and every minute detail. As a wolf, it’s easy to miss things when running and covering more ground at once.
And as the breeze carries different scents with it, I pause. If I had shifted, my hackles would be rising now.
Going in the direction of the unfamiliar smells, a touch of dread fills my system, and I already know what that means.
Dawson. Or at least, wolves belonging to him.
The closer I get, the clearer I make out several heartbeats—one that seems to slow like an animal succumbing gradually to death.
Something about it makes me quicken my pace, and the moment I weave through the underbrush, I catch them in the clearing.
Three shifters, yet none of them are in their wolf forms. Instead, they’re surrounding a woman on her knees, skin so pale she looks more like a corpse, and seconds from collapsing, at that.
In an instant, everything sharpens, and even if I don’t know this woman, a deeply-rooted instinct in me screams to move. To act.
“Who are you?” I ask, voice cutting through the clearing as I meet them, gaze firm.
All three of them look at me, hesitating long enough to study me. Then, what looks like the oldest one’s eyes flicker with recognition. “The Coldreach Alpha...”
“You’re trespassing.”
He smiles just enough to be smug. “The borders are flexible, no?”
“No,” I say without hesitation, keeping my posture as controlled and relaxed as possible despite the urges in me craving violence. “They’re not.”
The woman lifts her head slightly, eyes peeking through the short curtain of dark brown hair over her face. Her skin is dirt-streaked and sickly at the moment, yet despite that, there’s a fierceness in her gaze.
The second those hazel eyes lock on mine, something moves in me. It’s immediate and unwelcome, yet powerful enough to catch my attention.
Powerful enough to make me reckless.
“You’re on my land,” I tell them, directing my focus back to the wolves. “State your purpose for being here.”
The one closest to me points at her. “She’s Wraith Peak property. We’re taking her back.”
Property.
That single word feels far more loaded than it should, and I clench my jaw to keep from lashing out.
As much as I want to take them all on right now, I have to think and consider all angles, even if part of me wants to haul her away from them, for whatever reason.
Glancing between her and the other three, it’s obvious she’s trying to get away from them. Given how exhausted she looks, I’d say they chased her all the way here.
“It doesn’t look like she wants to go back with you,” I murmur, noticing the slight waver in her posture, like she’s barely keeping her eyes open.
The one who I assume is the leader narrows his eyes. “It doesn’t matter what she wants. She ran first.”
For good reason, it seems.
“She crossed into my territory. That makes her my concern now.”
The three of them hesitate, looking at one another as if hoping they might have the answers they need. Then the leader bristles.
“Don’t make this a pack issue.”
And by that, he meansdon’t bring Dawson into this, which must mean they aren’t entirely on his side, even if it might seem that way. Or, at the very least, they could be persuaded to back off with the right words.
Tearing his throat out in front of the others and showing my dominance is a tempting idea, but escalation only benefits Dawson Voss. That’s the last person I want to give any upper hand to.
