Page 66 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

Then I see it.

A flash of blond between the trees. The sharp tang of female sweat laced with panic. The labored rasp of desperate breathing.

I've never felt my wolf so driven, so focused. This isn't just about upholding the law. This is about protecting what's mine. My mate. Her reputation. Her happiness.

Julia's terrified face flashes in my mind. The shock. The hurt. The betrayal that hollowed her eyes.

She won’t get away with this. I won’t let her.

My wolf roars inside my skull, demanding retribution. I surge forward with renewed speed, muscles burning deliciously with the effort. My claws dig deep, propelling me over a fallen log. I duck under branches, weave between trunks, gaining ground with every stride.

I catch another glimpse of her blond ponytail flying, jacket flapping as she stumbles through the trees. She's heading toward the service road that winds through the eastern part of the property. Not running blindly, then. She has somewhere to go.

I push my body to its limits, fully embracing the power that comes with my werewolf nature. My legs stretch longer, my heart pumps harder, my breathing becomes a controlled rhythm of power and purpose.

She's just ahead now. I can smell her shampoo, her perfume, the sour bite of her fear. The trees thin abruptly as we approach the service road. Moonlight spills across the open space like liquid silver, illuminating a sleek black car parked on the gravel.

A getaway car.

Courtney breaks from the tree line, sprinting toward the vehicle, holding the tiara tight against her chest. She reaches the car and yanks desperately at the passenger door handle.

This is my moment.

I launch from the shadows, a blur of muscle and fur, covering the ground between us in three powerful bounds. My jaws close on the back of her jacket, fabric shredding between my teeth as I drag her to the ground and pull her away from the car.

Courtney screams, high and piercing, as she crashes onto the gravel road. I circle Courtney, keeping my body between her and the vehicle. My lips curl back in a snarl that vibrates from deep in my chest. I raise my tail high, hackles bristling along my spine. I'm every inch the apex predator, and I make sure she knows it.

"Please," she whimpers, backpedaling on the gravel, the tiara forgotten. "I’m sorry. You can keep the tiara."

I need answers. Need to know who else is involved. Need my voice.

I need to shift.

The shift is always painful, but I barely notice it. I embrace the burn as bones crack and reform, as fur retracts into skin, as my muzzleshortens and my spine straightens. My wolf’s mind recedes reluctantly, giving way to human thought patterns, human speech.

I rise before her, naked and furious, my skin steaming slightly in the cool night air. Courtney gapes at me, terror and disbelief warring in her expression.

“Sheriff Wolfsbane,” she whispers, her eyes wide with terror.

"It's over," I tell her, my voice rough from the shift. "You've lost."

She scrambles backward on the gravel again, palms scraping, eyes wide with fear.

"Sheriff, I didn't— This isn’t— I was just—"

"Save it," I cut her off, taking a step closer. "My deputies are on their way right now. There's nowhere left for you to run."

Something shifts in Courtney's expression. The fear remains, but now it’s mixed with something darker. Her innocent facade crumples like the fake mask it always was.

"None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you," she spits, voice suddenly bitter. "I had everything figured out, but Julia had to go out there and mate with a werewolf!"

Her voice breaks, tears spilling down her cheeks. "This is all her fault!"

I study her, noting the mascara running down her face, the way her hands tremble with a cocktail of fear and rage. She’s a defeated, bitter woman and she may just tell me everything I need to send her to jail for a long, long time. I press the advantage while she's emotionally vulnerable.

"Why not just leave right after you stole the tiara?" I ask. "Why stay behind?"

“Because the tiara was never the mark! Julia was!”