Jaya laughed. “Oh, did that hurt?” Her voice dripped with false sweetness that made Sasha’s stomach roll. “Here, let me make it better.”

  Digging her heels into the mud, Sasha scrambled backwards, trying to put distance between herself and the monster stalking her before struggling to her feet. Scared but determined, she squared her shoulders, trying not to grimace at the blood seeping into the waistband of her lace panties.

  She would probably die in this godforsaken town, but if that was to be her end, she’d face it on her feet, not cowering in the mud. Regrettably, her defiance only seemed to enrage the crazy woman. With a primal roar that echoed through the nearby trees, Jaya launched herself at Sasha.

  The heel of her right foot connected solidly with Sasha’s thigh, the pain deep and throbbing as it radiated throughout her body and dropped her back to the ground. Jaya laughed again, the sound cold and merciless. Raising her arms over her head, she motioned to the crowd, inciting them into more cheers, taunts, and jibes.

  Taking advantage of Jaya’s distraction, Sasha swung her good leg out, sweeping her opponent’s feet so that she tumbled backward into the mud. Almost as soon as her back touched the ground, Jaya vaulted to her feet in an inhumanly fast move.

  Growling and snarling, she circled Sasha several times, her eyes alight with that strange amber glow. In the flicker of the bonfire, long, pointed teeth peeked out below her upper lip.

  To her left, Sasha’s would-be savior fought earnestly against the two men blocking his way into the fighting ring. He looked to be holding his own, but she still worried for him. No, that wasn’t exactly true. It was more than that, more profound. She feared for this stranger, even more so than she did for herself.

  Before she could examine why that was exactly, another loud, rumbling growl brought her back to the terrifying reality of her own predicament. She looked up just as Jaya’s bony fist caught her in the jaw, sending her sprawling face first into the cold puddles of rainwater.

  Sasha’s ears rang, her head spun, and the taste of copper filled her mouth. She spat the blood onto the ground, her anger swelling, burning through the fear and pain.

  Digging her fingers into the mud, she got her feet under her, gritting her teeth as she pushed upright once more. Swaying, still dizzy, she barely had time to raise her arms for the next attack—a blow that would have likely ended the fight but never came.

  It never came, because at that moment, Sasha’s knight in shiny leather jacket stepped between them, his eyes narrowed and furious. Catching the other woman around the throat, he lifted her into the air, then slammed her to the ground. Jaya struggled against him, gnashing her teeth and snarling like a wild animal.

  Baring his own teeth, the male growled, the sound dangerous and filled with warning. “Stay. Down.”

  Time stood still. The crowd quieted. Jaya subsided at once, even turning her head to the side in a submissive gesture that bared her throat. Growling in a way that Sasha could only describe as satisfied, the man released Jaya and turned to her with an offered hand.

  With the adrenaline ebbing, Sasha felt weak and exhausted, but she smiled gratefully when her rescuer helped her up from the mud. “Thank you,” she muttered, gripping his arm when a fresh wave of nausea rolled through her. “I think I’m going to pass out now.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” He chuckled, his voice deep and warm, but a thread of concern laced his amusement. Peeling off his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders, then wrapped an arm around her middle to bear the brunt of her weight. “Breathe. Just keep breathing. Focus on my voice. You’re going to be fine.”

  Tucked against his hard chest, she felt safe, protected, and at least for the moment, she believed him. As long as she focused on him and nothing else, everything would be fine. Damn, there was a lot of him to focus on, too. The guy was huge, at least a foot taller than her, and he was so fucking warm she couldn’t help but press closer to his side.

  “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Sasha Pierson.” She blinked up at him expectantly.

  “Xander Cole,” he supplied, pausing at the edge of the pit and sweeping her up into his arms as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing. A low rumble vibrated through his chest as he dipped his head to nuzzle against her temple.

  “Xander.” Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against his chest and relaxed into him. “Thank you, Xander.”

  The scratches on her side burned, and her thigh still throbbed, but being cradled in his arms made it easy to ignore the pain. His heart thudded steadily beneath her ear, the rhythm drowning out the renewed murmurs of the crowd and calming her own racing pulse.

  The feelings coursing through her were more than just gratitude, though. As crazy as it sounded, there was a connection there, something deep and profound that she couldn’t put into words. It filled her, consumed her, and with every passing second, she found herself more drawn to this stranger.

  Or maybe she was just traumatized and completely losing her mind.

  “Xander,” a deep, booming voice called.

  A groan vibrated through Xander’s throat, but he stopped walking and turned to face whoever had spoken. “Alpha.” He dipped his head, brushing his cheek against her temple again. “I was just leaving.”

  “Well, don’t let me stop you.”

  Lifting her head, Sasha peeked through the curtain of her hair, searching the unfamiliar faces for the man who had spoken. It didn’t take long to find him. He was a large, imposing figure with inky black hair and a chest the size of a tree trunk. He also looked remarkably like Xander. As she watched, he sauntered toward them with his hands linked behind his back and an easy smile on his lips.

  “You’re free to go whenever you want, son,” he continued, stretching one arm out in the direction of the open field beyond the bonfire. “I can’t let you take the girl, though. She’s pack property.” His grin grew a little wider, more predatory. “You understand.”

  “She’s coming with me, Father,” Xander growled, tightening his arms to hold her more securely against his chest.

  “You have no claim on her,” the other man insisted. “This doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

  It sounded like a pretty big damn deal to Sasha. Considering Xander’s tense posture, and the mostly inhuman sounds pouring from his lips, she didn’t doubt that he’d do whatever it took to protect her. Even if he had to fight every person that stood between them and escape to do it.

  She just didn’t think she could let him. Whatever invisible bond was growing between them had taken all the fear and desperation she felt for herself and shifted its focus to her new hero. It didn’t matter that she knew nothing about him except his name, not when every cell of her being was screaming for her to do whatever it took to keep him safe. Keep him alive.

  If that meant participating in some barbaric gladiator competition to the death, then so be it.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered, laying her hand against the side of his neck.

  “Quiet, sweetheart.” Lowering her to the ground, Xander helped her stand upright, then curled his arm around her waist to urge her behind him. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, either.” Twisting her fingers into the back of his sodden shirt, she held on tightly as if that little bit of contact would stop him. “That’s your dad?”

  Xander snorted. “Not by choice.”

  “It doesn’t have to end this way,” the elder Cole called, stopping several feet away from them. “Give me the girl, and we can all walk away.”

  Xander lunged forward, dragging her with him as he snarled viciously. “She’s mine!”

  The vehement declaration should have at least given her pause, but the very idea of belonging to him filled Sasha with a deep, intense ache that robbed her of breath.

  His.

  Yes. She wanted that. She wanted to be his, and not just for the night. Not just until they reached safety.

  Standing taller, she straightened her spine, drawing strength from the undeniable certainty that flowed through her. A slow, resolute smile stretched across her lips, and her heart swelled with a profound joy that had no place in her current situation.

  She couldn’t make sense of it. There were no words to describe it. Probably, she was going to need a lot of therapy if she made it out of this alive. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she and Xander had been meant to find each other.

  Xander’s father arched a dark eyebrow in challenge. “You don’t expect me to believe you’d take a human as a mate just to defy me. Even you aren’t that stupid, boy.”

  Human. Mate. Alpha. Pack.

  In the reality she lived in, those terms only existed in movies and books. At the same time, it explained so much—the glowing eyes, the fangs, the claws. No one would believe her. Hell, she barely believed it herself, and she was witnessing it with her own eyes.

  Xander tensed, reaching back to grab her hip in a bruising hold. “Whatever happens,” he said low enough for only her to hear him, “don’t leave my side.”

  “Xander…” Sasha trailed off and sighed. What could she say? She had no choice but to trust him. “I promise.”

  Chapter Four

  Marcus Cole didn’t issue more threats, but the smug smile on his face spoke volumes. His cold, calculating look raised the hair on the back of Xander’s neck, but he couldn’t say he was surprised that it had come to this.

  If his father could kidnap innocent women and subject them to torture and slaughter for mere entertainment, he was definitely too far gone to see reason. Sasha was living proof that the pack was involved with the human disappearances in the area, and the Council had been right to suspect them.

  Sasha Pierson.

  He’d already been fighting his way to her, driven to protect her because of duty and a general sense of morality. Then, the winds had shifted, wafting the most intoxicating scent toward him, and everything else had ceased to matter. In that moment, he’d have ripped through the entire pack if that was what it had taken to get to her.

  Because stranger or not, human or otherwise, she was his, and he’d die before he let anyone take her.

  The Alpha locked eyes with him and tilted his head a fraction to the right. “Bring me the girl.”

  Two of the pack’s Enforcers started toward them, their glowing eyes locked on Sasha. Other members of the pack closed in around them to form a tight circle, cutting off all avenues of escape.

  It would be easy enough to dispatch both Enforcers, but there was no scenario where he’d actually win. The moment he engaged one, the other would grab Sasha. Even if he somehow managed to keep them both away from his mate, he still had to contend with the rest of the pack. If one of them managed to grab her, he knew he’d never see her again, not alive anyway.

  Running out of both time and options, Xander did something he hadn’t done in nine years as a N.I.T.E Warden. He pressed the panic button on the side of his watch.

  Now, he just had to keep them in one piece until his team arrived.

  No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when the bald Enforcer lunged at him with teeth bared and claws extended. Xander resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he sidestepped easily, letting momentum and gravity do the rest. Just as he’d expected, the pup stumbled once, then went down hard, cursing when he ended up sprawled in the mud.

  Three more Enforcers came at him, fangs bared, and claws extended. They circled, sniffing and chuffing, searching for any weakness. Xander moved with them, keeping himself between the pack and his mate as much as he could. He just needed to stall them for a little longer.

  A female Enforcer charged him. He dropped her with a solid punch to the jaw, but that left an opening for one of the males to rush him while another snatched Sasha and threw her over his shoulder. She didn’t go quietly. She screamed and flailed, kicking her legs and pounding against her captor’s back with her small fists.

  “No! Put me down! Xander!”

  Blinded by rage, Xander caught the wolf who had tackled him by the throat and roared as he cut through the male’s jugular with his claws. There was no trace of civility left in him. He wasn’t a trained soldier. He wasn’t a N.I.T.E Warden. Concepts like duty, justice, and protocol meant nothing to him.

  He was just a beast, primal and raw, prepared to kill anyone that stood between him and his mate.

  Jackknifing to his feet, he sprinted after the Enforcer who held Sasha. Claws still extended, he ducked low, swiping them across the back of the male’s knee and severing the tendon there. The wolf howled in agony as his leg buckled, toppling him sideways into the mud.

  Catching Sasha before she could hit the ground, Xander wrapped one arm around her, keeping her tucked close to his side as more pack members closed in around them.

  “Fuck,” he grumbled under his breath. His team had to be close, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

  His father might have disregarded every other law that governed the Nightlings, but he couldn’t ignore a true mating bond.

  Fated unions, those chosen by the Ancestors, were rare and sacred. As such, once Xander claimed his mate, no one in the pack could touch her. Hell, no other wolf on the planet could touch her. It was ingrained in their DNA, a biological imperative, an instinct that bound them more tightly than any chains ever could.

  Still, he hated that it had to happen this way. When a wolf claimed a true mate, it wasn’t like proposing marriage. It was more like the lupine equivalent of the wedding itself. Instead of flowers and candles, though, he was basically dragging his bride down a muddy aisle and forcing her into a commitment she couldn’t possibly understand yet.

  Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply through his nose, inhaling Sasha’s honeyed scent. When he opened them, they’d shifted to his wolf counterpart, throwing the world around him into brighter, sharper colors. His gums ached as his canines lengthened, and when he turned to face his mate, he knew there could be no going back.

  “I’m so sorry.” As he spoke, he jerked her into his arms, crushing her against his chest and holding her immobile.

  Sasha stared up at him with wide eyes, but she didn’t struggle. She didn’t try to push him away. “What are you doing? What’s happening?”

  In answer, he tangled his fingers in her long, silky hair and forced her head to the side, baring the column of her throat. “Forgive me.”

  ~

  Sasha had only a heartbeat to brace herself before Xander struck, embedding his teeth into the side of her neck. Tensing, she squeezed her eyes closed and waited for the pain, but it never came.

  Instead, pleasure, raw and consuming, spread through her veins like liquid ecstasy. Her skin tingled where Xander’s lips sealed around the wound, and her pulse pounded hard and fast, making it difficult to draw in her next breath.

  Overhead, the sky echoed her turbulent emotions. Lightning slashed across the sky. Thundered cracked through the heavens. The clouds opened, unleashing a fresh downpour that fell to earth in heavy sheets. Fat raindrops splattered against her face and drenched her hair, but the icy water did nothing to dampen the inferno burning inside her.

  Her belly clenched with the familiar stirrings of desire, and a fresh surge of moisture that had nothing to do with the rain soaked her panties. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks, and her clit throbbed with neglect.

  When Xander tightened his grip, pulling her even closer with a low growl, Sasha arched into him, desperate to feel any part of him she could reach. Her hands roamed his chest, groping and petting, and when she slid his thigh between her trembling legs, a needy whimper bubbled up from her lips.

  Gripping his shoulders, she rocked against him, seeking just the right angle, the right amount of pressure that would send her over the edge. It didn’t matter that she was mostly naked in the middle of a field. She didn’t care that at least three dozen people were watching her. The only thing that felt important just then was the orgasm that hovered beyond her reach.

  When Xander finally extracted his fangs and drew his tongue across her neck, she nearly cried out in disappointment. She didn’t want the pleasure to end, not when she was so close.

  As if sensing her distress, Xander traced his nose along the curve of her jaw, then whispered in her ear, “Now.”

  Still clinging to him, Sasha bucked hard, gasping and panting as her release crashed over her like a violent wave. Only Xander’s arm around her waist kept her upright, and she shuddered through several aftershocks before finally came down from her euphoric high.

  Unfortunately, her release barely dampened the clawing, demanding need, and she could already feel it building again, growing more intense with each passing second.

  Shaken and confused, she stared up at her savior, blinking at him through the falling rain. “Xander?”

  “Easy,” he murmured, stroking her wet hair back from her face. “Everything’s okay now.”

  It sure as hell didn’t feel okay. It felt like she was burning alive. “You bit me.”

  Chuckling, he pressed his forehead to hers and nipped her bottom lip. “You liked it.”

  Yeah, well, she couldn’t argue with that one. “Why?”

  “It was the only way.” Sadness tinted the words, and his eyes clouded as he hooked his arm around her waist and tucked her close to his side. “Come on, sweetheart. We need to go.”

  Sasha glanced over her shoulder in search of the…Alpha. She found him exactly where he’d been standing before Xander had bitten her, and she could practically feel the hatred emanating from him.

  “You think that changes anything?” the elder Cole called. “All you’ve done is proven what an idiot you are, boy.” With his eyes still searing into Sasha, he nodded. “Kill him and bring me the girl.”

  Her heart hammered in her chest when the big, bald guy with the scar on his lip stomped toward her with a menacing growl. Two females came at them from the other direction, and she could hear more snarling behind her.

  “Xander?”

  “Breathe, Sasha,” he whispered. “They can’t touch you.”