Wolf Bite (The Blue Mountain Wolf Pack #5) - Emma Dean Page 0,58

door again.

The noise made her jump, and it catapulted the wolf into auction. He launched right at her with blinding speed. The force of his weight slamming into her was worse than she’d anticipated and this time she didn’t have a hatchet on her.

It was brutal and vicious. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, their bodies hitting the walls and doors, it was all more chaotic than she could have ever anticipated.

Every reaction she had was faster, but Zoe was no match for the feral wolf with his wicked speed and strength. She felt claws digging into her flesh and it took everything she had to flip him over in a wrestling move her instructor had taught her a few years ago.

She’d never had a chance to use it, but it came in handy now, when she was stuck alone in a hall with something straight out of a horror movie.

All she could do was try to stay alive, just like Liam had asked, but it wasn’t easy. She’d only learned enough to stay fit and make sure a mugger or rapist couldn’t take advantage of her.

Blood tainted the air, both hers, the wolf’s, and whoever he’d torn apart first.

Zoe felt her gums and fingernails aching as she fought back, trying to lead the creature toward the door Liam had almost gotten open, which was an impressive feat considering they were all made to hold feral wolf shifters.

Instinct was starting to take over as she felt another presence inside her head. It brushed against her mind, pushing her to strike back with her claws across the eyes, gripping the jaw just so, pushing up to keep those teeth away from her throat.

It was enough she was able to get the feral wolf to that door Liam was behind. As he came at her again, she dodged at just the right moment, letting him slam into the door instead of her.

The crack was deafening, and it came off its hinges with a sound of ripping metal that made her sensitive ears want to bleed.

As soon as there was enough space Liam was through that door, tearing the feral wolf creature off her and literally throwing him down the hall. She watched him slam into the wall, and it was only a millisecond before Liam was on him again.

Fresh blood splattered the walls, and she knew then that Liam had no intention of letting this one live. She sat there, watching as he ripped out his throat with a brutally efficient motion, and all the sound in the room suddenly died.

All she could hear was her jagged breathing and the pounding of her heart.

Liam stood and she couldn’t blink, couldn’t look away as he turned and stalked toward her. Everything about him looked bigger from his muscles to the breadth of his shoulders. His eyes were blazing silver and he looked absolutely furious.

For some reason those instincts whispered at her again and Zoe didn’t look away from that burning gaze. She let him come to her without moving an inch, lifting her chin ever so slightly in challenge.

Did he remember who she was in this state? A lot of people blacked out when they were in this kind of rage.

When his bloody hands wrapped around her arms, she didn’t flinch, not even when he yanked her to her feet. Liam pressed his forehead to hers, those silver eyes boring into hers. “You stayed alive.”

“I knew you would get to me in time,” she said, trying to hide just how flustered he was making her.

Liam heaved a huge sigh. “You trusted me?”

“I did.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, needing the comfort of his closeness, of feeling his heart against hers reminding her they’d both survived. “Thank you for believing I could do it.”

“I’ve always known you’re a fighter, Zoe.” Liam lifted her up and she didn’t bother protesting this time.

“What’s the protocol in this situation?” she asked, trying to ignore the strange sensation of her wounds slowly stitching back together.

“They give us the all clear before unlocking the basement. We’ll do inventory and clean up. Were you hurt?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Thankfully Liam didn’t try to fight her on it. He just nodded and held her close while they waited.

It could have been five minutes or five hours, she wasn’t sure, but eventually the doors unlocked, and Liam didn’t bother talking to anyone. She was shocked when he snarled at the other wolves when they made it to the main floor.

Noah was the