Page 65 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

My blood freezes in my veins, and panic suddenly closes my throat.

Looking up sharply, the thief's hood shifts, revealing a glimpse of their eyes. I know those eyes, have seen them countless times over the past months.

"Courtney?" The name escapes my lips before I can stop it.

"Julia," Courtney whispers my name, her face showing just as much shock as I feel.

"Moonstone!" I shout, reacting upon pure instinct.

At that moment, Adrian bursts from the woods at the end of the dock, shouting "Sheriff's Department! Don't move!"

Courtney reacts with surprising speed, lunging forward with startling force. Before I can even register what's happening, her hands connect with my shoulders, shoving me violently backward. The impact knocks the wind from my lungs as I crash hard against the weathered planks of the dock.

I clutch the briefcase to my chest, gasping as pain radiates through my shoulder blades and spine. I scramble backward, disoriented, my heel catching on a loose board. I teeter precariously at the edge of the dock, the dark water suddenly yawning below me.

Strong arms catch me just before I fall. Adrian, materializing from nowhere, pulls me to safety. His warm strength steadies me, anchors me against his chest.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, his voice rough with concern as his hands move over my shoulders, my arms, my face, searching for injuries. His eyes shine an iridescent green, his wolf just under the surface as he scans me from head to toe.

"I'm fine," I assure him, clutching his forearms to stabilize myself. "But Adrian, it's Courtney! She's the thief. She's been right beside us this whole time, sabotaging everything!"

Adrian's expression hardens, his jaw tightening as understanding dawns. He glances toward the forest where Courtney disappeared, then back to me, clearly torn between staying with me and pursuing the thief.

"She has the tiara," I tell him, pushing against his chest. "Go after her! Don't let her get away with this. I'll be fine."

He hesitates only a second longer, pressing a swift, fierce kiss to my forehead.

"Stay here. Percy and the others are on their way to you. Don't go anywhere alone," he orders, then turns and sprints toward the cliffs, a barely contained storm of righteous anger and determination.

I remain frozen in place, the briefcase clutched to my chest, my pixie wings askew, my wig halfway out of place.

None of that matters. Not when I see my magnificent wolf mate in his purest form.

Adrian sprints down the dock with supernatural speed, his form blurring at the edges, shedding his clothes as he runs, discarding themon the ground. By the time he reaches the shore, he's no longer fully human, his shoulders broader, his movements those of a predator.

Then he's not human at all.

In the silver moonlight, Sheriff Adrian Wolfsbane gives himself over to the chase, to the hunt, to the wolf.

And that wolf is my mate.

Chapter 20

Adrian

Mywolfhuntswitha singular purpose: catching the thief who threatened our mate.

I tear through the underbrush, my massive paws digging into the soft earth with each powerful stride. The world around me sharpens, narrows, transforms through my wolf’s eyes in a way that cannot be explained in words.

Through the eyes of my beast, colors are muted while scents explode into vibrant tapestries of information. My ears twitch, catching every snapping twig, every rasping breath, everyheartbeat.

And through the thick forest and the underbrush, I follow one scent in particular. The thief’s scent trail reeks of the acrid stench of fear and adrenaline, making her almost too easy to follow.

Courtney.

Julia's trusted assistant. The thief who almost pushed my mate into the icy waters. The traitor who's been sabotaging everything from the inside.

My wolf snarls, lips pulling back from razor-sharp teeth as I push harder through the forest. Fallen branches snap beneath my weight. Low-hanging pine boughs whip against my fur. I barely notice. My focus narrows to the hunt, to the chase, to justice for my mate.