Apparently, he meant that literally, because a moment later, the crowd surrounding them froze. Five feet away from her, they just stopped and stared, their eyes glazed and unfocused.

  “How are you doing that?”

  Xander dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not doing anything. You are.”

  “Me?” Jerking back, she stared up at him with wide eyes. “How am I doing this?”

  “I’ll explain everything, but we really do need to go.” He tightened his arm around her. “Stay close, because even though they can’t hurt you, they can still do a lot of damage to me.”

  “So, as long as you’re with me, you’re like in my magical protection bubble?”

  Xander laughed right from his belly. “Yeah, sweetheart. Something like that.”

  “Enough!” Alpha Cole bellowed, his voice ringing through the night.

  Xander glared at his father. “We’re leaving.”

  “That girl is—”

  “Mine,” Xander snarled back. “You lost.”

  The Alpha took a jerky step toward them, his face red and contorted with rage. “This isn’t over.”

  “Actually,” Xander replied, tilting his head to the side with a feral grin, “it is.”

  Before Sasha could ask about the oddly cryptic statement, a dozen men and women dressed in black appeared in the clearing from seemingly nowhere. She didn’t know who the hell they were, but since Xander didn’t appear afraid, she wasn’t either.

  Everyone else, however, completely lost their shit.

  Loud screams pierced the night, interspersed with the sounds of growls, snarls, grunts, and the occasional crack of muffled gunfire. Everywhere she looked, someone was fighting, either with teeth and claws or actual weapons. Though outnumbered, the newcomers cut through the pack with trained efficiency. They almost made it look easy.

  Even the Alpha was pinned to the ground by a female with fiery red hair. Every time he struggled, she pressed her booted foot more firmly against his throat until his eyes bugged out of his head.

  Sasha smirked. The asshole deserved everything he got.

  “Hey, Cole.” A massive male with long hair the color of midnight sauntered toward them. He smiled cheerily, his dark eyes dancing with amusement as he clapped Xander on the back. “Nice night, isn’t it?”

  “We’re going to have to work on your response time, asshole.” Giving the male a playful shove, Xander returned his smile. “This is my mate, Sasha Pierson. Sweetheart, this pain in the ass is my best friend, Keller Ripley.”

  If Keller found the news surprising, he didn’t show it. He just bobbed his head and winked at her before addressing Xander again. “So, all of them?”

  Xander stared through the rain at the fighting with a dispassionate expression. “Everyone who was at the Gathering.” His brow furrowed, and his lips turned down at the corners. “Sasha, when you were taken, did you see anyone else? Any other women?”

  She knew what he was asking, and she hated that she couldn’t help. “No, it was just me. Two guys came into my room at the B&B, knocked me out, then I woke up in a fishing shack. I never saw anyone else.”

  “Did you hear them talk about other females?”

  Sasha stared up at Xander and shook her head. “Sorry, no. They didn’t talk much at all to be honest.”

  “You think they’re still alive?” Keller asked.

  Xander sighed. “I don’t know, but if they are, we need to find them.”

  “I’ll get another team here to assist with the search.” Pulling a cell phone from his back pocket, Keller turned it on and tapped at the screen with his thumb.

  Movement to their left caught Sasha’s attention, and she lifted her head just in time to see another male charging right at Keller. “Look out!”

  Casually, Keller unholstered his gun, swung his arm out to the side, and pulled the trigger. He never looked up from his phone.

  “Oh, my god,” Sasha breathed when the other wolf dropped to the ground and didn’t move. “You shot him. You actually freaking shot him!”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Xander combed his fingers through her wet hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “He’ll heal.”

  Lifting the phone to his ear, Keller shrugged. “Probably.” He dipped his head in Sasha’s direction. “Get her out of here. We’ve got this.”

  “I’m taking her to the Council Estate. Let me know if you find the other females.”

  Keller nodded once, then turned and walked away, shouting orders into his phone.

  “So, that’s it?” She pressed close to Xander’s side as he led her out of the clearing, but it was more for moral support than anything else. She didn’t need his help to stand any longer. The pain in her leg and side were completely gone. In fact, despite everything that had happened, she felt incredible, better than she had in years. “We can just go now?”

  “That’s it,” Xander confirmed.

  “What the hell just happened?”

  “I’ll explain everything once I get you out of here. I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you to trust me.”

  Sasha caught her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. Against all logic, she did trust him. She’d just watched him rip out someone’s throat, but she wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, just the thought of being separated from him made her belly twist into painful knots.

  Thinking about her stomach reminded her that she’d been sliced open earlier, and the pain should have been excruciating. At first, she’d blamed the lack of agony on adrenaline, but the longer they walked, the more she realized that she felt completely normal.

  Placing her hand flat against her abdomen, she slid it toward her flank, using her fingertips to gingerly test the injured flesh. Only, where the gashes on her side should have been, she encountered only smooth, unmarred skin.

  “What the…” Jerking to a stop, she pulled back one side of Xander’s jacket and stared down at her belly. “Holy fuck!” There were no scars, no faint pink lines, nothing to indicate that she’d ever been hurt in the first place. “Oh, my god. Holy fucking fuck.”

  Xander followed her gaze and grinned. “You’re healed. Good.”

  “Good?” She gaped up at him. “But…how?”

  Halting at the edge of the forest, he cradled the back of her head, pulling her close to place a gentle kiss on her temple. “Because you’re mine.”

  Clearly, that made sense to him, but it didn’t explain a damn thing to her. “You have to give me more than that. What the hell is happening to me?”

  His eyes softened, and he pulled her close again, brushing their lips together this time. “Soon.” He tucked a strand of sodden hair behind her ear, then cupped her cheek. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know soon, but right now, I need you to be brave for just a little bit longer.”

  Sasha inhaled deeply through her nose as she tilted her head to the side. “You think I’m brave?”

  “I think you are the most remarkable female I’ve ever met.”

  The way he looked at her, with such awe, such reverence, brought a fresh wave of emotion bubbling to the surface. She didn’t know why she was so drawn to this man, but she was reasonably confident her feelings weren’t one-sided. No one could fake that level of sincerity.

  “Okay.” She still had a million questions, but for now, she could wait for the answers. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Five

  Xander stared down at his mate in complete amazement.

  Even wet and covered in mud, she was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen, but it wasn’t just her beauty that struck him speechless. Given what she’d just been through, it would be understandable, reasonable even, for her to fall apart. Crying, screaming, begging, hyperventilating, he’d anticipated all of it.

  God, he’d fucking bitten her, and still, she looked him like he’d hung the moon and stars. It was more than he could have ever hoped for and far more than he deserved.

  The sweet scent of her arousal still permeated her skin, but he’d expected it to be tinged with fear and anxiety. He even leaned closer, sniffing at her hair, but there was nothing there except the heady fragrance of desire.

  “Xander,” Sasha whispered, swaying toward him. “I don’t feel so good.”

  Fuck, he needed to get her out of there and somewhere private, and he needed to do it damn fast. Adjusting his jacket around her shoulders, he lifted her into his arms and took off at a jog through the forest.

  Halfway through the trek back to his pickup, he realized why that had been a terrible idea.

  With her head buried against the side of his neck, her lithe body pressed tightly against him, her scent saturated the air between them, overwhelming him with every inhalation. His head spun. His heart raced. His cock swelled inside his too-tight jeans until every step he took became pure agony. His wolf scratched just beneath the surface, restless and impatient, awakening a primitive part of himself he usually tried to keep buried.

  Worse, he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of their bond.

  Heat pulsed from his mate like shockwaves of energy, and plumes of steam rose up from her flushed skin. She squirmed in his arms, sawing her legs back and forth as she arched into him.

  “Hot,” she whispered, and a quiet, needy moan caught in her throat. “What’s happening to me?”

  Ah, fuck. Xander gritted his teeth against an onslaught of lust so powerful it nearly dropped him to his knees. Hell, even the sound of her voice made his heart pound and his cock throb.

  “Hold on, sweetheart.” The trees had begun to thin, and he could see the dirt road just beyond the edge of the woods. “We’re almost there.”

  The mating fever burned through him, scorching his veins, but as a human, it had to be far worse for Sasha. As much as he’d hated other males seeing her in the throes of passion, he’d hoped helping her find release would buy them enough time to get her the hell out of Broken Ridge.

  Then, everything had gone to shit, and once again, they were out of time.

  He damn near howled in relief when he finally reached his truck and lowered Sasha to the ground, propping her up against the driver’s door while he searched for his keys. He was still trying to stretch the wet denim to reach into his pocket when a muted thud drew his attention back to his mate. The damn temptress had shed his jacket, discarding it on the ground behind her, and her full breasts swayed as she rocked from foot to foot.

  Xander swallowed hard, his gaze zeroing in on her small, erect nipples. “Sasha,” he warned in a strangled growl. “You are seriously testing my limits, sweetheart.”

  “Sorry.” She seemed hesitant as she took a measured step toward him, but fire and need shined in her emerald eyes. “I don’t…I can’t…it hurts.” She took another tentative step forward and whimpered. “Please, Xander.”

  “Shit.” He rubbed the back of his neck and breathed deeply, trying to latch onto some semblance of self-control, but all he managed to do was pull her scent deeper into his lungs. “Fuck.”

  Sasha moved closer, taking small, unsure steps until she pressed right up against him. “Please,” she whispered again. “Please, make it stop.”

  When her arms came up to encircle his neck, he couldn’t fight his baser instincts any longer. All vestiges of civility evaporated, and he grabbed her around the waist, clutching her close as he slanted their mouths together in a kiss that went straight to his straining cock.

  The first taste of her on his tongue pulled a low, feral growl from deep in his chest, and the wolf within bayed in triumph. Cupping her pert ass, he lifted his female and pressed her against the side of the pickup, anchoring her there with his larger body.

  Lost in her taste, her soft curves, the way she moaned into his mouth, he didn’t just kiss her. He devoured her, branded her from the inside out as he touched every inch of bare skin he could reach, drowning her in his scent. Still, he needed more. Fisting one hand in her hair, he forced her head back to take the kiss even deeper, plunging his tongue between her full, pouty lips.

  God, she was addicting. He could spend days feasting on her, and it still wouldn’t be enough.

  Grinding his jean-clad erection against her hot pussy, he slid one hand up her flank to the heavy swell of her breast and rolled her pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Sasha moaned into his mouth, the sound breathy yet urgent, and it pushed him right to the fucking edge of sanity.

  Reaching between their rain-slicked bodies, he gripped the waistband of her panties and jerked, tearing the fabric down one side, then the other. Discarding the scraps of lace at their feet, he cupped her mound, growling when his fingers encountered, smooth, hairless skin. He wanted to see her, to lay her out on an altar and worship her, but he no longer had the patience or the control for things like tenderness and romance.

  Skimming a single digit between her folds, he found her entrance effortlessly and plunged inside her slick, wet heat. Her inner walls clamped around him, sucking him deeper, and he groaned when his mate spread her thighs wider, welcoming him into the cradle of her hips. Gripping the back of his neck, she rested their foreheads together and rocked into him, moaning and panting as she fucked herself on his finger.

  She was absolutely exquisite.

  “More,” she breathed, a note of panic in her voice. “Fuck me, Xander. Right now. Right here. I need you.”

  Spurred by her words and his own clawing desire, Xander struggled with his tight jeans. By sheer force, he managed to push the wet denim down his hips, grunting when his cock finally sprang free.

  “Hurry,” Sasha panted, gripping his thick length in her hand and stroking him from tip to base and back again.

  With a sweet, feminine moan, she held the head of his cock at her entrance and arched her hips as she squeezed her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her slick pussy. Too far gone for gentleness, he captured her mouth once again and sank into her, burying himself to the hilt in one, swift plunge.

  Her silky walls clamped around him, snapping the last, frayed thread of his control. His canines burst through his gum line as he pistoned his hips, driving into her heated core with savage intensity. Thunder crashed overhead, and rain slicked their bodies, but Xander barely noticed, his entire world hyper-focused on the female in his arms.

  Linking her fingers together around the back of his neck, she broke the kiss but held tight, staring into his eyes as she moved with him, encouraging him to take what he wanted.

  And he wanted it all.

  Now that he’d felt her, tasted her, knew how his name sounded on her lips, he couldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t, and he dared anyone to try and take her from him.

  Nearing the pinnacle of his orgasm, he insinuated a hand between their bodies once against, seeking out the bundle of nerves between her thighs. Unerringly, he found her clit and stroked the swollen nub in quick circles with the pad of his thumb. Her body tightened instantly, constricting around his pulsing cock, and she began to shudder as she neared her own peak.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded, dropping her head back against the window.

  He had no intentions of stopping anything. “Look at me,” he growled, needing her eyes on him. “That’s it,” he praised, loving the way the emerald of her irises gleamed in the moonlight. “Look right here at me.” His voice had taken on a guttural quality, more beast than man, but he sensed no fear from his mate. “You are mine, Sasha Pierson. Mine.”

  Calling out his name, Sasha bucked in his arms, her inner walls closing around his cock like a vise, gripping him, milking him as she rode out her orgasm. Jerking her head back on her shoulders, Xander pumped harder, faster, not letting her come down from her high as he sank his fangs into the soft skin at the apex of her shoulder.

  Her blood tasted exotic on his tongue, a mixture of sweet and spicy, and he drank greedily from her, enamored by the rush of power that swarmed him. His balls drew tight to his body, and heat enveloped him as he pumped through his own release, spilling his seed into her clenching depths.

  The mating fever slowly faded, leaving him sated and exhausted, but he didn’t pull away from her, not yet. Extending the claw on his right index finger, he drew a shallow line down the side of his neck and tilted his head to the side in offering.

  Tentative, but clearly guided by instinct, Sasha leaned forward, closing her lips around the cut and swirling her tongue over the thin trail of blood. Warmth started in his neck and spread through his body, out to extremities. Like a light switch, something deep and primal flipped on inside him, shifting his priorities to place the amazing female in his arms at the top of that list.

  He didn’t know her, not yet, but he would. The Ancestors and some power far beyond his understanding had chosen her for him, and if he’d learned anything in his life, it was that fate did not make mistakes. Unfortunately, Sasha had not grown up with the pack, didn’t know their ways, and his euphoria was short-lived when he realized he’d probably just scared the hell out of her.

  “Well, that was intense,” she said when he finally opened his eyes to stare down at her.

  “You’re not scared.” He sniffed at her, just to be sure, but only a faint trace of desire remained. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

  “You’d never hurt me.”

  The blatant trust, the assuredness of her conviction humbled him. “No, sweetheart, I’d never hurt you, and I’ll never let anyone else hurt you, either.” Still, she was taking this all a little too well. He thought she’d been putting on a brave face, but maybe she was actually in shock. “Do you feel okay?”

  Sasha shivered when his flagging erection slipped from her body, but she just smiled. “I’m tired. Confused.” She tilted her head back so that the rain bathed her face. “Wet.”

  Xander couldn’t help but chuckle. His mate was incredible. “Let’s get you out of the rain.” Holding her to his chest, he hitched his jeans up as far as he could, then walked them around to the passenger side of the pickup where he deposited her on her feet. “Do you have clothes?”

  “I do.” Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she stared transfixed a point just over his shoulder. “I mean, maybe. They were in the room at the bed and breakfast I was staying at.” She tensed, and the first threads of anxiety turned her scent bitter. “I don’t want to go back there.”