Rescuing Their Virgin Mate[Pack Wars-Book 3] by Vella Day

hand.
    “We need to get out of here.”
    That scared her. “Why?”
    “Because I’ve sensed a few
Colters.”
    Mother,
Mary, and Joseph. “You
don’t think they’re here because of me, do you?” She wasn’t that important.
    “I can’t be sure.”
    “I’m with you now. You bought
me. They can’t say they want me back, can they?” Her pits dampened and her
heart hammered.
    “I wouldn’t put anything past
Hood and his gang. Stay by me.”
    “Trust me. I’m not letting
go.”
    With her packages in hand,
Clay strode toward the exit one notch short of jogging. Every few steps she
raced to keep up with him. With each step, her anxiety doubled. Through her entire
ordeal, Clay appeared calm. Now he was rattled and so was she.
    They stepped outside, and she
thought he’d slow, but he didn’t. His head swiveled right and left as he led
her toward his car.
    Before they arrived at the
row where he’d parked, growls came from nowhere. He stopped. “Fuck.”
    Her nervous system short-circuited.
She didn’t know if it was better to run, hide, or stay right behind him.
    “They’re here?” Her voice
squeaked out.
    “Yes. Run back toward the
mall, but keep your eyes peeled.”
    “ Wh -what
if they come after me?”
    His shoulders tensed and his
hands fisted. If more than one Colter was here, and she became separated from
Clay, she’d be dead meat.
    “Maybe you’re right.” He slipped
a hand in his pocket and tossed her the keys. “Get to the car and lock it. Now.”
    She wouldn’t argue. From the
direction he was staring, the animals were in front of him and his car was
behind him. She took off. Her legs were still weak from weeks of being cooped
up, but she ignored the burn.
    Her gaze searched the cars,
praying she’d find his. Press the remote,
dummy . She did and his car beeped. Her rapid pulse reached the
stratosphere. She tugged on the door handle, but her sweaty fingers slipped.
The low growl behind her paralyzed her.
    She was tempted to look but
didn’t waste the time. After the second attempt, the door opened. She jumped in,
drew the door shut, and locked it. Her breaths whooshed out, but her heart
refused to slow. No sooner had she locked the door than three wolves appeared
two parking spaces away. One had to be Clay, but she had no idea which one. As
hard as it was to drag her gaze off the fight, she stuck the keys in the
ignition, ready to slide over to the driver’s side in case Clay needed help.
    The yelping and scraping of
their claws on the asphalt jacked up her heartbeat. She had to shield her eyes
after one of the wolves sunk his teeth in the other’s flank. That animal
retreated and the remaining two fought. The first wolf attacked the one with
the white spot on his rear. Keeping her gaze on those two, she clenched her
fingers, saying a prayer to God.
    Clay was a hero and didn’t
deserve to die. Just then, the first wolf that had been bitten returned to the
fray. It was two against one now. They approached the one with the white spot.
That had to be Clay. The injured wolf grabbed Clay’s neck and twisted his head.
She screamed and buried her face. This was bad. Really bad.
    She moved over to the
driver’s side and started the engine. Her finger hovered over the lock waiting
for the fight to finish and for Clay to hobble back to the car. Dizziness
overcame her and she rolled down the window partway to get more air.
    The door handle jiggled on
the other side. When she looked up Clay stood there in human form, motioning
for her to hurry. Her brain froze, but her finger managed to press the unlock
button.
    He jumped in. “Go.”
    Her packages must be on the
ground, but they weren’t important. She backed up, burning rubber as she went.
If any car pulled out as she tore down the lane, they’d hit her for sure. She
couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.
    As soon as she reached the
exit, she came to a rolling stop, looked both ways, and floored it. Only when
they were out of the lot did she look