Claiming Their Mate by Morganna Williams Page B

member of the pack as an alpha was honor-bound to do. A true second was almost as strong as the pack alpha, to ensure someone could stand up to the ruler if necessary for the good of the pack.
    Jared dismissed the other men and their pack from his mind as he and Ethan transformed to better track Selena and Madison.
    Hopefully they hadn’t had enough time to get very far. If Selena stayed in her human form she wouldn’t be able to move nearly as fast as a wolf could. There was no way she could have transformed and taken Madison with her. They were betting she wanted to take her time with Madison and hadn’t killed her right away.
    So far the scents they tracked proved this theory to be accurate.
    They followed the scents into the woods at the edge of town. As they wound their way through the trees, the sharp rich smell of blood filled the air.
    Both wolves barely managed to contain their howls of anguish recognizing the blood belonged to Madison.
    Jared tore through the trees with Ethan right on his heels rushing toward the smell, toward Madison, their mate, and hoping they weren’t too late.
     
    * * *
     
    Madison hung weakly in her bonds; it was amazing what overwhelming fear and several small shallow cuts could do to your equilibrium.
    Selena’s almost constant smile caused nausea to churn in her stomach. As she watched, the woman licked her blood from the tips of the silver knives. “Such spicy blood you have, Madison. I wish I could have felt it on my claws, but I was afraid of turning you. At least I can bathe in your blood and gorge myself on your entrails before they kill me.”
    Madison really hoped she lost consciousness before the whole gorging on entrails ensued; she’d really rather give that a miss.
    The woman suddenly cocked her head to one side as if listening, then looked back at Madison with a pout. “Our play time is over. They’re coming, so I must hurry to finish our time together.”
    Selena stripped naked and walked toward Madison with a gleeful expression. A little blood was smeared across the woman’s right cheek and her specially made silver claws were fully extended.
    Madison closed her eyes and tensed against the coming pain, hopefully there would be nothing left of her. Surely no body at all would be better than Jared and Ethan seeing exactly what this demented woman had done to her. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of everything they would miss; everything she would miss.
    She now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt they loved her and she loved them; Ethan was more of an almost love but the potential for love was there and Madison knew it wouldn’t have been long before she’d happily have given herself to both of them completely. She knew she would have reveled in their mating, even in their discipline.
    But now it was too late. She mourned the life they would never share.
    She heard Selena gathering herself to charge with a wild cry but the pain never came; instead Madison heard an enraged snarl and was hit with a hot spray of liquid.
    Opening her eyes, she saw Jared’s wolf with his teeth sunk deeply into Selena’s throat, savaging her. Selena now stared at Madison with sightless eyes; with another savage snarl Jared shook the woman’s body hard before dropping it at his feet.
    Ethan’s large brown wolf dropped to his haunches in front of her and whined once before changing. He quickly untied her bonds and caught her high in his arms before she could collapse at his feet.
    “Oh, baby, what has she done to you?” Ethan crooned to her, rocking her in his arms as he sank down next to Jared’s wolf. Jared nuzzled her neck with a whimper.
    “Alpha, we must get medical attention for Madison. I don’t think her injuries are serious but there seems to be a lot of blood. Come back to us now. We have her safe,” Ethan said softly.
    The big black wolf sighed loudly, then seemed to relax and Jared was before them once again. “Never again, Ethan, nothing can ever be allowed to harm