Page 25 of Betrayed Mate (Rejected Fate Trilogy #1)

My stomach churned. The sound reminded me of the way my pack had howled the night they were killed. Agony rang through the howl before it abruptly cut off.

No .

This couldn’t be happening.

Bruce’s eyes glowed as he clutched his stomach. “We’re under attack, and two of my pack members were just killed!”

My breathing increased, and my heart dropped into my stomach. I’d just gotten close to Briar—I’d be damned if I lost her again. “It’s only going to get worse. You need to get your people out of here.” I ran across the road, not worrying about fighting them. I needed to get to Briar.

However, four male shifters hurried in front of me and blocked my path.

I bared my teeth. “Get the fuck out of my way. I need to reach my sister.”

The salt-and-pepper-haired one snarled. “This could be a setup with your people. You’re not entering our lands anywhere.”

“You think I’d risk my sister to kill you all?” I huffed and clenched my hands. “How would all of you dying benefit me?”

He opened his mouth to respond when Bruce snapped, “More have died. Everyone head back to protect our pack and get them out of here.”

“That’s what they want.” I shoved through the four men. “To lure all of you back in. You need to run and tell your pack members to get out as well.” I looked forward, tugging on Briar’s pack link, needing to reach her. I had visited here only once, as a child, when Dad had brought over several pack members to help the Shaes fix a flooding issue, but I’d stayed in the woods with the men and hadn’t seen much of the territory.

An arm circled my waist, pulling me back.

Anger flared inside me, and I spun around, ready to punch Salt and Pepper in the jaw. When Ryker’s face appeared, I stopped short.

He tugged me toward him, but I pressed my hands against his chest. “What are you doing ?” I croaked, completely befuddled by his actions. His men were out there too, so he should be focused on getting to them just as much as I was on Briar.

“Getting you to the car so you can get the fuck out of here.”

He bent to hoist me over his shoulder, and I kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall on his ass. Guilt weighed on me, but I pushed it away, focusing on what mattered in the moment. “Are you seriously trying to run to safety right now?”

Bruce and half his pack members raced past us in the direction of the neighborhood while the rest split into two groups, running in opposite directions and circling the land. I wanted to yell at them for not listening to me, but how could I when I was doing the same thing? We were running to help the ones we loved and not leave them behind… Well, except Ryker.

Ryker jumped to his feet, eyes glowing. “I’m trying to get your ass to safety! Gage, Kendric, and Xander are getting Briar out of the holding cell right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere until Briar is at my side.” I spun on my heels and picked up speed in the direction the others had run. Ryker had told me enough that I had an idea of where I should be able to find Briar: at the back of the neighborhood.

I ran freely, not trying to hold my speed back like I normally did around other shifters outside my pack. This was a time I didn’t care if anyone noticed I was faster than the rest of them.

“Dammit, Rebel,” Ryker hissed, and then his hurried footsteps sounded behind me.

Pumping my legs, I caught up with the back of the group that was hurrying into the neighborhood. A few peeled off, and the crack of breaking bones informed me they were shifting.

I’d give anything to be able to do that, but with all these foreign wolves around me, staying in human form in case I needed to communicate was the best option for me.

My wolf whimpered as the link connecting Briar and me warmed further.

She was waking.

Cries of pain and whines of terror came more frequently, pushing me to go even faster. I gritted my teeth, and energy burst through me, increasing my speed once again. The oaks blurred as I ran, trying to reach my sister before something else happened to her.

Ember? Briar’s voice rang in my head, followed by fear and hope pulsing through the pack link. Is this a dream?

This was far from a dream. The whole situation was another nightmare, making me relive the murder of our own pack, but I didn’t want to stress her out more than she already was. I’m here. On my way to get you.

Two-story houses appeared, indicating that I’d reached the front of the pack neighborhood. Chaos had erupted. People with bags were running out of homes to their vehicles and throwing items in. Little kids had tears running down their faces, and another howl of agony came from somewhere on the other side of the woods.

The side close to Briar.

Ember, what’s going on? Briar’s anxiety spiked, causing our connection to constrict. The screams…they sound like…

She didn’t have to say anything; I already knew and thought the same thing myself. I’m close. I refused to downplay the threat, but I also didn’t want to confirm that our lives were at risk once again. Are you well enough to run? I didn’t want to think about them torturing her, but at this point, I needed to know what we were up against.

Yes, I’m perfectly healthy, but— Her words cut off, and cold fear pulsed from her side.

Briar! I linked, pushing myself harder. What’s going on?

Someone is trying to get through the door. They don’t have a key—it sounds like they’re trying to crash through.

My heart hammered, and I had to hope and pray to Fate that it was the Grimstone guys and not the Blackwood pack. I glanced over my shoulder to confirm with Ryker, but I could barely see him behind me.

Somehow I’d gotten at least seventy-five yards ahead of him, which shouldn’t have been possible, given how strong his wolf was. Knowing that waiting for him would probably take as much time as reaching Briar, I faced forward once more and kept pushing.

I could see the end of the neighborhood now, which meant I would be there soon. I’m almost there, Briar. Just hold on.

Terror seized my heart, and I pumped my arms harder. I gritted my teeth, needing to channel every ounce of effort into reaching her as quickly as I could.

Branches snapped, and I jerked my head to the right and saw a shadowed outline of a person in the woods.

I tensed, unsure whether the person was from Shae or Blackwood, but as long as they didn’t try to prevent me from reaching my sister, I didn't give a damn.

The crack of splintering wood caught my attention, and Briar connected, Three wolves just broke down the door.

My gaze landed on a small one-story building at the end of the neighborhood. I'm almost there. Fight them off if they try to harm you.

Sounds of pain and suffering in the neighborhood grew deafening and merged with the memory of the deaths of my own pack.

The coldness in my chest iced over, and unshed tears burned my eyes. I blinked, clearing my vision, as Briar yelled, “Don't touch me!”

I rounded the corner of the small building, noticing it had only one exit, and bounded up the step and inside to find three muddy wolves surrounding a chained Briar, who lay on a bed.

And Bruce had tried to make it sound as if she wasn't a prisoner.

If he’d been with me now, I'd have been very tempted to rip his throat out.

Briar lifted her head, and her bloodshot eyes widened. “Ember, save yourself!”

All three wolves turned in my direction—they were the Grimstone pack.

I let out a shaky breath. “They’re our fri–er–allies. You don't need to be alarmed.” Even in crisis, I couldn't allow myself to call them more than they ever needed to be. Briar was the one person I could trust.

Gage whimpered and pointed his nose at one thick metal handcuff that bound Briar to the bed.

Her hair was stringy and greasy like she hadn't washed since she'd gotten here. Her arms were stretched over her head but with enough give in the chain for her to move around slightly.

We needed to get those cuffs off. I examined the metal links that each was attached to. The headboard would be too awkward to carry with her hands bound to it like that. For the first time, reality hit me. We might not make it out alive. “I need the key or an axe or something.”

“Bobby pin.” Briar pointed where the bed rested against the wall. “I dropped a bobby pin down there when I was trying to get it out of my hair the other day.”

How the hell had she managed to get a bobby pin? But that was another question for another time. I pushed past Gage and Kendric and lowered myself to the gray vinyl floor.

Of course it had fallen against the wall near her head, meaning I had to crawl under the entire bed to reach it.

Rushed footsteps drew closer, along with the growls, snarls, and whimpers. The enemy was near, and I still didn’t have Briar free.

I inched forward on my stomach until I snagged the tiny bit of cold metal between my fingertips. As soon as I began crawling out, Briar started screaming bloody murder.

Hands grabbed both my ankles and yanked me from under the bed. As soon as I emerged from underneath, I was flipped over to find a very angry and sexy Ryker glaring down at me.

I forgot how to breathe.

“You better not run off from me like that ever again,” he snapped, the gold in his eyes not hidden by the sheen.

Before I could respond, he reached down and snatched the bobby pin from me and moved to my sister.

“Don’t come near me,” she whimpered.

“He’s on our side,” I rasped, climbing back to my feet.

Briar’s jaw dropped. “But he’s the Grimstone alpha.”

“Who’s going to get you out of these cuffs, and my pack is going to make sure that both you and your sister make it to safety.” Ryker stretched out the bobby pin and got to work.

Briar scooted away, and I reached out to take the bobby pin from him, but my hands were shaking too hard. There was no way I’d be able to get her unlocked. There was only one option. “Trust him. We need to get you out of here.”

“Okay.” Briar bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, allowing Ryker to get close to her without reacting.

I hurried to the door and peeked out to see what sort of hell we’d have to get through to escape. The fight was still going, and the stench of blood and that strange sensation from earlier both hung heavy in the air.

A wolf darted out of the tree line, and something like a shadowy outline ran after it, moving just as quickly. The shadow figure grabbed the wolf by the neck and lifted it high. The wolf snarled, snapping at the air, searching for the enemy as if he couldn’t find it, and then the shadow figure’s head lowered, and suddenly, the wolf’s throat was ripped out.

Blood poured from the wolf’s neck, and I gasped. What sort of magic were the Blackwoods using?

The shadow figure’s head snapped up, and though I couldn’t see its face or where it was looking, I didn’t have to. The hair on the nape of my neck rose, and my wolf surged forward.

“We have enemies incoming,” I muttered just as the shadow figure blurred toward me.

The three wolves hurried to my side, but the shadow was on me, a huge version of the iridescent sheen I’d noticed covering Ryker’s eyes at times. It struck a hand at my shoulder, and I pivoted back so that the hand caught only air.

The three Grimstone wolves materialized beside me, and the shadow figure kicked out its right leg, nailing Xander in the face. Xander’s head snapped back, and he whimpered as the shadow lifted Kendric by the neck.

Kendric snarled, his eyes rolling like crazy, searching for his attacker.

Realization pressed in.

No one else could see it!

The attacker lowered its head, and I knew what would happen next if I didn’t act.

I kicked the shadow in its knee.

It crumpled and landed on top of Kendric. Kendric thrashed, trying to get free, but the shadow had already begun climbing on top of him. I reached down and grabbed the back of its neck, causing the shadow to swipe at my hands, its claws digging into my skin.

“Ember!” Briar exclaimed as I shoved the shadow into the wall, away from the wolves.

“Get out of here,” I commanded. No one else seemed to be able to see this thing, and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. The Blackwoods had done enough.

My blood dripped to the floor, but I didn’t give a shit.

I heard a click, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Briar bound off the bed toward me. Her arms wrapped around me in a big hug, her back to the shadow. Clearly, she also couldn’t see it.

A silver glint appeared at the shadow’s side.

It had a knife.

“Get out of here now.” I tried to shove Briar off, but she was latched on to me.

The shadow swung at her back, right where her heart would be.

“No,” I shouted as I tried to move Briar aside.

I couldn’t do it fast enough.

Then Ryker appeared in front of us…and the knife stabbed him in my sister’s place.

My heart broke worse than ever before, and a scream rang out around us as Ryker dropped to the floor. Kendric, Gage, and Xander ran to their alpha’s side. They growled and searched for the enemy…the very one who was now stepping around them, its attention on me.

The shadow laughed malevolently like it knew we were all going to die.

Fear strangled me, but I lifted my chin. If Ryker had sacrificed himself for me, then I wouldn’t let his death be for nothing.

The strange, jolting power rushed through me, and I jumped to my feet.

I would protect my sister and take this shadow down for hurting my people and Ryker, even if I died trying.