“No one said she was mated.”
The other guy didn’t respond.
26
KANE
I was getting antsy.The separation from Brooke had become too long. The motel clerk in front of me was taking his sweet time registering us for a room.Must be running on northern time.Nothing was hurried.
The clerk set the room key on the counter in front of me a second before I knew something had gone wrong. It felt like someone reached into my chest and pulled out my heart. Brooke was in danger. My vision hazed red around the edges.
I turned and started running, almost breaking down the glass door of the motel in my haste. I charged up the hill, past the liquor store, the bank, the dollar store, the church, not seeing any of it.
I had one focus. Brooke. The tug in my chest told me where to go.
My fault. My fault. My fault.
My arms pumped as hard as I could move them, my legs eating up the distance in long strides. I caught her scent when I neared the clothing shop. I didn’t pause when I saw the purse on the ground, clothing tumbling out of it. It held her scent too. I pushed my way between the buildings, following where she’d gone. I scented her fear and anger, and a growl erupted in my throat. The red crawled over my vision. My control slipped a little more.
I shouldn’t have left her alone.
The alley was empty, but I turned left and kept running. I took a right on the next street, a back road that led to the freeway and out of town. My anger overflowed. I didn’t know if I could catch up to them if they hit the highway. I’d need a car. I’d need to stop and turn back. Another growl ripped through me, adrenaline allowing me to pick up my pace.
As soon as I turned left on the next dirt road, I saw the black SUV and knew she was inside. When her scared face popped up in the back window, the red haze won.
The next step I took, I shifted. My clothes tore away from my body, my boots flung off my feet. Paws and claws hit the dirt.
27
BROOKE
I clawedat the hatch trying to escape. I had to break free. My life depended on it.
With the humming of the collar making me clench my jaw, I rolled onto my back and pressed my feet against the metal barrier between me and the shifters. It wouldn’t budge. I kicked with both legs as hard as I could over and over again. I had to get out.
“Hey!” one of the guys yelled, and the pain in my body increased a second later.
I gritted my teeth and kept going. The metal barrier squealed with each kick. The bond in my chest kept getting stronger, empowering me. One last kick, the bolts holding the barrier in place bent, and the whole thing came crashing down. I clutched at the collar when another shot of pain went into my belly.
I needed to move quickly. Pushing past the pain in my body, I rolled to a seated position. A burst of movement made me focus on the outside world beyond the SUV’s back window. Kane tore around the corner, his arms and legs pumping, his face a mask of pure rage. I gasped, my relief at seeing him so overwhelming it made the pain of the collar fade for a moment.
The driver stepped on the gas. I tumbled toward the back door from the force, smacking my cheek against the back window. A burst of stars blinded me, the pain layered above the constant ache the collar delivered through my body.
Catching my balance, I straightened and pressed my hands against the window. Kane was running so fast, as fast as the car, his face full of stark desperation. In the next instant, he shifted, his muscular body bulking up. Shoes flew away from him. Fur ripped through his clothing, tearing the garments from his body.
I gaped. I hadn’t seen him shift the first time. The display was as brutal as it was beautiful. A roar bounded toward us. His jaws snapped.
The car sped up, but it was no match for an enraged grizzly. He kept gaining on us until he ran abreast of the vehicle.
“Let me out!” I screamed, my gaze riveted on my mate.
Kane rammed it with his shoulder. The force knocked me on my ass, my head hitting the wall.
The SUV slowed for a moment, then sped up again.
“If you don’t let me out, he’ll rip you to shreds!” My throat was raw. My hands yanked at the collar.
Bang.Kane hit us again. This time it tipped to the side, two wheels lifting from the ground. I screamed, fear squeezing my chest. I wasn’t buckled up. If we rolled, I’d probably break my neck.
