in my fur. I hated her seeing me this way. Hated her being a part of this side of me. Then I forgot about her as light, blue eyes blinked open and linked with mine. Those eyes were my lifeline. My future.
“You…came…for me.”
Her words were slow and sluggish as if she were having trouble getting her lips and tongue to cooperate. I tried to respond, but nothing came out but snarls and rumbles, reminding me I was still in my wolf skin.
“Stay with her,” Cici ordered, rising and pulling her phone from her pocket. “I’ll call Simon again. He’s with the James Pack. I told them where we are. They should have been here by now. Where the hell are they?” Her gaze moved around the room, cataloguing everyone. “I’ve got to head outside. My phone isn’t getting a signal in here. I’ll run out to my car and be right back. I’ve got some spare clothes for you, too. I’ll grab them.”
I barely paid attention to her, other than to note she was calling the James Pack again. Which meant she’d reached out to them, though she obviously hadn’t waited as I’d ordered her to. She and I were going to have another long talk when this was over.
My mate groaned, pulling my full attention to her. I nudged her shoulder with my snout then licked over her cheek, getting another taste of her blood. Soon, we’d mate. When she was stronger, healed.
She blinked her beautiful, blue eyes up at me. Eyes clouded with pain. I growled low in my throat, the sound vibrating through my chest as anger surged anew within me. She reached for me with her good hand while the other lay cradled along her stomach. Her lips opened and closed several times before she managed to force out a word.
“You…” The single word rasped from her throat. I laid my muzzle over her lips to silence her and felt the kiss she gave me all the way to my soul.
I shifted, taut skin and bulging muscle replacing fur until I crouched beside her. I wanted to lift her in my arms, to carry her away from here to a safe place where she could shift and let her wolf heal her. Instead, I reached for the chain, snapping it open with my bare hands. They’d chained her like a fucking animal.
“Shh,” I urged when she tried to speak again. “We’ll get you out of here. Let you shift.”
“Can’t.” Short, staccato, and filled with pain.
“You can,” I assured her. “You’ll have to.”
It would be the easiest way for her body to begin mending. The activation of our wolf DNA triggered advanced healing. It hurt like a bitch, but it worked. Some injuries took longer than others to heal. Some even a wolf couldn’t repair. Those wolves were usually close to death.
My mate was injured but not about to die. Makers had kept his promise and left her bruised, bloody, and beaten, but my mate had returned the favor. I glanced over to make sure Makers was still unmoving before returning my gaze to my mate.
Christ! I didn’t even know her name yet.
Belinda.
The name filled my mind, and I knew she was telling me. How was it that I could hear her in my head, even though we hadn’t mated? I’d never heard of a couple creating a link before they’d fully bonded.
“Han…”
“Hannibal Craig,” I gave her my name “But most people call me Beast.”
“Mate…”
“Yes,” I agreed. “You’re my mate. I’ve been searching for you.”
“Han, the guy you left outside by the door isn’t there any—”
Cici’s words were lost as she screamed. I jerked my gaze from Belinda’s face to focus on my sister. Mullins, the wolf she’d claimed was missing, had her by the throat, feet dangling inches above the floor. She clawed at his hand as he moved farther into the warehouse with her.
“Benji! Where are you?” Mullins was as naked as I was, and I knew he must have forced a shift to begin healing the damage I’d done to his knee. I’d forgotten about him. I’d been so lost in my mate that I’d neglected to ensure the safety of my sister, and in doing so, I’d put both women at risk.
“Let her go!”
“Not a fucking chance,” he snapped, giving her a shake for emphasis. She choked for breath, her face flushed with color as she struggled.
I took a step toward them, and he wrapped his other palm at her belly, claws fully