Page 14 of Kidnapped by the Wolf (Gold Creek Wolves)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ADRIAN

My skin itches with the urge to shift as I press the pedal to the floor. My beast has been thrashing just beneath the surface ever since Cassie left. And when that asshole Dane called to gloat that he had our mate, my wolf went ballistic.

It’s a miracle I’ve managed to contain him this long, but I can tell from the way Sebastian keeps fidgeting in the passenger seat that my driving is making him nervous.

I know this road like the back of my hand, and I take the turns at a breakneck speed. I haven’t put out the call to the rest of the pack yet. That’s what Dane wants me to do. For the safety of my wolves and my mate, I need to handle this surgically, which is why I called Sebastian.

Though I might find him annoying at times, Sebastian is a smart motherfucker. He also knows the layout of Camp McGregor better than anyone else. If there’s one wolf who can help me infiltrate the bears’ land and rescue my mate, it’s him.

I park half a mile from the McGregors’ shitty dirt road and roll my shoulders back. My skin feels uncomfortably tight, and every cell in my body is vibrating with the urge to shift. My wolf is furious that I let Cassie go, and he’s straining at his leash.

The grass is so dry it crunches underfoot as we make our way up the embankment along the east edge of their camp. Wind rustles the aspen leaves, making an eerie tic-tic-tic sound, and I catch the musky scent of bear.

As the trees start to thin, I see the sunlight gleaming off an old airstream trailer and several beat-up white campers. I don’t know where Dane might have taken Cassie, but there’s one way to find out.

Cool air pricks my skin as I peel off my clothes. My whole body shudders as I succumb to the Change, fur covering my bare skin as my bones break apart.

There’s no sweeter agony than shifting when the animal is this close to the surface. My wolf bursts out of me, ravenous for blood, but I have enough presence of mind to lift my snout to scent the air.

As the cold October breeze picks up, I catch a whiff of incense and fresh rain. Cassie’s familiar smoky fragrance should be a comfort, but her scent is muddled by the acrid stench of terror and blood.

A low growl rumbles through me, and instinct takes over. I glance over at Sebastian, who’s already shifted into a lean black wolf with glowing amber eyes.

That one look is all we need. The bond between an alpha and his pack is almost telepathic, especially when we’re in animal form.

I take off in the direction of Cassie’s scent, but then two male voices catch my attention.

I see them before they notice us — two shifters in human form emerging from the woods.

Slinking behind the nearest trailer, I wait until they’re mere feet away.

Then I pounce.

My fangs sink into the first male’s throat, and whatever humanity is left inside me is overtaken by my wolf’s raw, protective instinct. These males might not be directly responsible for my mate’s suffering, but if there’s even a chance that they allowed one of their own to harm Cassie, they don’t deserve to live.

The second man screams, but Sebastian takes him down in a violent spray of blood. The smell, the taste, the sounds of ripping flesh send me into a frenzy, and it’s only the ghost of my mate’s scent that brings me back to reality.

All the noise will draw more bears, and we still need to find Cassie.

Shaking the blood and gore from my fur, I pick up the trail once more and come to a beat-up camper with a rusty pickup parked out front. The smell of baked beans wafts from a small camp stove propped up on cinderblocks.

Someone is definitely home.

Bounding up into the bed of the truck, I peer in through a grimy window, and a fresh snarl rips from my throat.

Cassie is lying motionless on the floor of the camper.

Maybe if I were in human form, I’d be able to think straight, but the terror and fury that rips through me crowds out all reason.

No one harms my mate.

Leaping down from the truck, I bound toward the front door of the camper. Then a gunshot cracks through the air.

White-hot agony slices through my flesh, and I let out a high-pitched yip.

A man is standing between me and the door, holding a shotgun. He’s gigantic — well over six feet and well-muscled — with the bloodshot eyes and sickly complexion of a drunk.

Dane .

I bare my teeth, but he drops the gun, shifting as he lunges. The eight-hundred pound bear rams into me with a roar that shakes the clearing.

I don’t feel the pain as I hit the ground, nor do I feel Dane’s sharp claws raking at my fur. My mate is hurt — possibly worse — and I have come unhinged.

I dig my teeth into the bear’s throat, but his fur is so thick my fangs can’t penetrate it. Then a low snarl catches my attention, and I look up in time to see a huge black wolf leap at the bear from behind.

Dane roars and rises up onto his hind legs, knocking Sebastian to the ground. My wolf brother yips but then rolls to his feet, ears back and hackles raised.

Sebastian’s wolf is fucking terrifying.

Dane growls at me and circles out, keeping us both in his line of sight. I go for his throat, but he swats me away with those long, ferocious claws.

Fresh pain lances through my ribs, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I felt at finding Cassie gone.

I lunge again, and this time, Sebastian attacks from behind. We take Dane to the ground in a pile of fur and claws and fangs, rolling and scraping and kicking and biting until I’m not sure where I end and where the others begin.

Something metallic clatters into the dry grass, and another bear’s roar makes me flatten my ears.

I turn just in time to see an equally massive tawny bear running toward us, and my stomach clenches. I’d know that bear anywhere. It’s Cassie’s father, Clint.

The leader of the McGregor bears is one vicious son of a bitch, and I’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t know how we’re going to fare against Dane and Clint.

But then I think of the way Cassie looked at me when I cooked her breakfast and gave her that ukulele. No one had ever made her a nice meal or given her a thoughtful gift. No one had ever treated her with the love and kindness she deserved, and it’s his fucking fault.

Watching the tawny bear charge toward me, all I can think is that these two monsters are what’s standing between me and my wounded mate.

For her, I would slaughter every bear in the state. Hell, I’d burn the world down if that’s what it took. And I will not stop fighting until these males are nothing but a couple of pelts at my feet.

Baring my teeth, I square off against Cassie’s father and let out a low rumble of warning. I take a running leap, maw wide, and when I sink my fangs into his throat, I lock my jaws and refuse to let go.

Sebastian follows my lead. He lunges at Dane, eyes gleaming with a fire straight from the pits of hell as he rips and shreds with his claws.

The air grows foul with the tang of blood as Clint tries to shake me off. I grow dizzy as he bucks and flails, his roars shaking the clearing.

Hot blood coats my mouth, and I sense the fight draining out of him. But then an enormous paw smacks into my side, and I feel Clint’s flesh rip apart as I’m tossed into the side of the camper.

I land awkwardly on my hind leg, and darkness presses in around me. Through my haze of pain and confusion, I see Dane blunder off into the trees at a limp.

Nevermind , I think. I’ll hunt him down later. Right now, I need to finish Clint.

Sebastian must have the same idea, because he leaps onto the tawny bear’s back as his fangs rip through fur. I lose myself in the carnage as I rejoin the fight, claws snapping against bone and my fur growing matted as I bathe in the bear leader’s blood.

But then a new scent edges into my awareness — smoke, along with the scent of burning plastic.

Clint goes down, and I yelp as his weight crushes my hurt leg. But that’s not the worst of it.

Someone knocked over the camp stove and set fire to the dry, brittle grass. Flames are lapping at the camper behind me, and Cassie is trapped inside.