Seeking Pack Redemption by Eve Langlais

his arms jostled, but to her credit, Thea didn’t complain, although she did hold on for dear life. Now if only we were naked, with a bed and a little privacy. I’d give
her a different reason to hold on tight. Such an inappropriate thought for
the current situation, but as a goal, it kept him moving even when fatigue
threatened to slow him down.
    The first
attacking wave consisted of only a pair. While his pack brothers took care of
them, Darren kept going and Jaxon dropped back to
cover his rear. It bothered him to run from a fight, however this was one of
those times where the safety of an innocent— my mate —mattered more than his bloodlust.
    A shape
came leaping from the side, the sound of their own flight having masked its
approach. He spun and the fur of the attacking wolf brushed his side. With a
snarl, Jaxon engaged the beast and Darren managed
about thirty more paces before a sixth sense had him dumping Thea on the ground and whirling to meet an opponent. The
creature shifted as it came, a scream of pain and rage echoing through the
woods.
    “Fucking
bastards. Give her back!” The sandy haired man in his late thirties or forties
screamed at him with wild eyes.
    “You want
her, come and get her,” he taunted with crooked fingers.
    “You don’t
know what you’ve done. He’ll kill you for this if you’re lucky. Make you one of
us if you’re not.”
    “I’m not
scared of some undead creature. If he even exists. Maybe you and your buddies
are just fucked in the head. Sick with rabies or some other Lycan disease.”
    An almost-sad
smile crossed the unshaven man’s face. “I wish. Because then
I would have hope. You should have walked away.” His quiet
warning spoken, the male’s eyes changed, with the lucid light being overtaken
by a red hue. His lips opened wide in a feral smile, and he charged.
    Darren met
him, punch for punch. The other man moved fast, but Darren didn’t play nicely.
When he saw his chance, his foot came up and nailed the guy in the sac. As the
other man recoiled, Darren reached and grabbed his head before dropping to the
ground in his favorite modified wrestling move. The snap let him know the fight
was done.
    After he
let go of the limp body, he stood and looked around. Thea hadn’t remained where he’d dropped her, but he quickly found her, her blood and
scent trail too easy to follow. He heard her breathing from behind a large tree
and said, “It’s me. Don’t be frightened. He’s gone.”
    “You—you
killed him?”
    The truth
seemed best. “Yes. Does it frighten you?”
    “No. He
wasn’t a nice man.”
    “Then I’m
glad he’s dead. Anyone else you’d like me to take care of?”
    She peered
around the trunk, her brown eyes curious. “Why would you do that for me? You
heard him. Roderick’s going to come for you. All of you. He’s not going to let me go.”
    “Then
he’ll have to go through me because I’m not giving you back. I will protect
you, Thea .”
    “No one
can protect me from him.”
    “We’ll
find a way. Will you let me try?”
    He held
out his hand. Logic and his wolf howled he needed to grab her and continue to
run. But the man—whose heart stopped as he waited for her answer—wanted
to earn this first step in her trust. To his relief, she emerged from behind
the tree and clasped his hand.
    Dirty,
bedraggled, her hair standing on end, her eyes wide and still frightened, he’d
still never seen a more beautiful sight. Ours.

 
    *
* * *

 
    As she was
clasped in the man’s arms and held on to his neck as he ran once again, Thea wondered if she’d gone mad. When he’d said, “I will
protect you, Thea ,” a part of her actually believed
him. Trusted him when he said he’d find a way. Did it have to do with the spark
she felt when he first touched her, a spark she’d felt to a smaller extent with
David, then more shockingly, his brother, Trent. Did she
want to believe because he spoke with such conviction and honesty in his eyes?
Or