This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,14

or I’ll make you.” He closes the gap, his naked chest bumping into mine even as I backpedal. The power thrumming through him sends my wolf into overdrive, her snarls filling my head and making it hard to think.

I rapidly search for a way out, but there’s nothing to save me. No escape. Even Jace is keeping his distance from Tristan right now.

To leave the porch without Tristan means death at the hands of the other alphas, but leaving with Tristan… I don’t know why he fought for me, but his reasons can’t be good. Nobody except my father ever approached me without an ulterior motive. Even my mother, on the one occasion that she came to see me, slapped me in front of the pack to make it clear she is above me.

“Too slow.” Tristan barrels into me, anticipating my next move so that he’s already right in front of me when I turn to run. Using my own momentum against me, he scoops me up and over his shoulder. Fucking caveman bullshit.

My hair cascades down across his thighs and calves as he strides down the stairs with me. My hands form into fists. I’m ready to pummel Tristan’s spine and make him put me back on the ground, but I catch sight of the spot where my father was standing.

Empty.

Dad’s gone.

Worry floods me. I raise my head, trying to ascertain where Peter and Dawson are—in case they’ve done something to my father—but Peter still sits in the middle of the clearing where Tristan left him. His beta and Dawson are crouched beside him, glaring at us while Tristan strides down the porch steps with me.

Jace’s large form suddenly blocks my view as he follows behind us. I catch sight of a flash of steel as he bends to slip a dagger from his boot, gripping it ready in his hands.

I shudder because Jace’s preparation for battle means the fight isn’t over.

Tristan’s pace is rapid as he rounds the back of the cabin and strides into the forest behind it. It’s the direction farthest from the watching alphas. His bare feet hardly make a sound in the fallen foliage that covers the forest floor.

I don’t have time to process the fact that I’m leaving my home behind—possibly for the last time. I tell myself I’ll have to deal with that later. Right now, my problems just seem to get bigger and bigger.

The moment Tristan took hold of me, my wolf disappeared, gone like a puff of smoke. I seek her energy, but she has deserted me like she did the first time he barreled into me, her fire burning out in the light of his power. I’m human again with human fears and not even an axe or split wood to defend myself.

I also can’t ignore my pain.

I knew I was hurt in the fight with Cody, Dawson, and Cameron, but now I feel the full effect of the wounds. I’m bleeding across my stomach, as well as my shoulder. My ribs are bruised, maybe even cracked, and my position on Tristan’s shoulder is pressing on my chest.

Agony shoots through me with every step he takes.

As he hurries down the slope between the trees, I can’t stop my sudden whimper.

Tristan cuts me off with a snarl. “Do not test me, Tessa.”

I swallow my sob. He thinks I’m about to give him a tongue-lashing. That I’m still fighting him.

Of course I plan to give him a piece of my mind. I’ll fight him too. I don’t care how ruthless he is. If he puts me back on my feet, I’ll run—despite the pain of my wounds. But we’ve only gone a hundred paces and I’m already in agony. I’m not sure how much more jostling I can take before I give in to tears. The last thing I want is to show weakness in front of Tristan fucking Masters.

Jace’s quiet voice sounds behind us as he follows us. “She’s hurting, Tristan.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, hating the truth, hating my pain as Tristan slows to a stop. The air stops whooshing around me and the pain eases. The world ceases spinning for a blissful moment when he finally comes to a complete standstill.

Tristan’s arms tighten around me. “Will you run if I set you back on your feet?” he asks, a harsh demand for the truth.

I should lie.

I need to lie.

“No,” I say.

Tristan makes a frustrated sound deep in his throat. “Don’t lie to me, Tessa. You don’t have to