The Tracker's Rage (Mate Tracker #3) - Ingrid Seymour Page 0,15

a fact that Erickson’s wolf isn’t bigger than Blake’s, the man’s a beast. There are actually very few that can reach that size. Perhaps your Jake could match him in size. I’ve never seen his wolf, but I’ve heard rumors that he is impressive.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” I growled, my voice a quiet rumble that I barely recognized. His words had acted like a poker to my anger, stoking it, raising its heat level. “He’s not my Jake, and he never will be.”

“Anger can be a good thing, Sunder, but it can also destroy you.”

“I guess you would know.”

Eric was on me in an instant, pushing me against the wall, his muscles taut, his fingers stiff at my throat. “You like crossing the line, and you do it recklessly. You might be an alpha, but you’re nothing but a little pup compared to me. If you keep pushing your luck, you will regret it.”

His blue eyes glowed as he spoke, and his body seemed to pulse with energy like a giant heart. I struggled to get free as my body began to tingle with restless energy, Red itching to be set free.

Heel, Eric’s voice boomed inside my head.

The command zapped through my veins like a quick jolt of electricity traversing a copper wire. Every cell in my body seemed to shrink, ready to do as he commanded, as if they didn’t belong to me, as if I was only an extension of Eric Cross, another limb that he could flex to his will.

But I wasn’t part of him.

I didn’t belong to anyone but myself.

A small voice of reason in my head seemed to disagree.

He’ll rip your throat out. Just do as he says.

But a bigger and stronger part of me had no intention of giving in.

I’d rather die than submit to him, Red spat.

At once, my will joined hers, dark and wild, and just like that, we were in agreement yet again.

“Get your hands off me,” I snarled, my voice so deep and low that it almost matched Eric’s. It reverberated through the room, carrying as much command as his.

The grip around my throat slacked infinitesimally, but it was enough. Aware of nothing but my anger and instincts, I grabbed his arm and jerked it away. His claws scratched my throat as his hand came loose. The pain was fuel to my fury, and in one fluid motion, my body went through the shift, releasing my wolf the way the sky releases thunder.

Before I was done, he’d shifted, too. Dropping to the floor on his front legs, he smashed into me and sent me flying toward the front of the room. Fighting for balance, my tail whirled as I sailed through the air. Managing to right myself, I landed on my paws and simultaneously crouched to face the tawny wolf.

My upper lip pulled back as I growled and circled around him. He did the same. We moved around like mirror images of each other.

Heel, you filthy creature, his voice echoed inside my head.

No! You heel. I owe you no allegiance.

I had no idea where that had come from, but it was true enough. He was a mean bastard who had agreed to teach me for his own selfish gains. He didn’t want me here, didn’t care one bit about me. His only goal was to repay Damien Ward’s favor, so he could get the mage off his back.

Eric swatted in my direction, his sharp claws missing my snout by a mere inch. I jumped and swatted in return, except I didn’t miss and managed to cut a gash on the side of his face. He snarled, eyes flashing with anger. He flexed his legs ready to jump.

Heel, I commanded, putting all the will I possessed behind the word.

Eric didn’t jump and instead continued circling around me, looking for an angle of attack. We circled each other for a long time, issuing alternating commands to heel and stay back.

After what felt like forever, he shook his head and blinked, taking a few steps backward. Without warning, his body rippled, shifting back into its human form, his clothes settling into place as his magical shifting ring did its work.

Seeing him shift from his beautiful wolf form to a human dressed in a set of baggy sweats put a damper on my anger and brought me back into the moment. I blinked at my surroundings, realizing that I didn’t want to kill Eric Cross. Not really. He was a bastard, but he