Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,76

well, but she got it. Digging in her claws, Gabby pulled, shoving against Lane with her hips, and finally had the boost to make the last step, but Ian hadn't stopped.

He couldn't. His job was to set the pace. Ours was to watch after our kid. Yet once we hit the flat ground on the other side, Gabby was off. She pumped her legs like she'd been born with them, forcing me to stretch until my belly was almost dragging the ground. Then, on my left, a streak of blonde rushed past. The silver tail was all I needed to know that Seth was with her.

When he got close, he snapped at her mane, but Gabby chittered back, telling him off. She also didn't slow. Trent and Lane had fallen behind me a bit, but the rest of the pack was also spreading out. We'd found our pace, and it felt good. The cold air filled my lungs, leaving puffs on the air with each breath I pushed out, but I left those behind. The speed made my fur flutter against my body, and my ears were turned back to keep the roar of it at bay.

Then Trent barked. I was about to slow until I saw what he meant. There, cutting across the woods was a light-colored wolf. Not the typical grey, but I'd know that bitch anywhere. It was Karen, and she was aiming straight for Gabby. Together, Lane, Trent, and I ran, putting on a burst of speed.

But Karen jumped in front of Gabby to nip at Ian. He curled his lips in a snarl of warning, but she didn't seem to care. Instead, the bitch simply pressed in, her shoulder rubbing along his side almost seductively. This time, the display of his teeth came with a growl, and when she still didn't back off, a snap of his teeth.

Karen ducked, falling back for only a pace, then she was on him again. Like a fucking tick, she refused to leave him alone. The guys and I moved to shield Gabby, but she was also growling. Hoping to set her at ease, I reached over to itch at her neck in a reassuring gesture. Gabby huffed but kept running, although it seemed Karen's antics hadn't gone unnoticed.

A silver and a grey wolf both darted through the trees. The younger slipped right between Lane and me to push up beside Gabby. That was Roman, so we gave the kids a little more space. Kim, the lighter of that pair, fell in behind us. Lane moved over to make room, and she joined our circle without hesitation.

Which was good, because while I'd never seen Kim fight, I had a feeling that Karen wouldn't stand a chance. Ashley said the woman would make us betas work for it. She'd almost refused admittance to the Whelans because of it, but we'd decided to give the woman a chance, and it was the best decision we'd ever made. The fact that Kim was helping Elena with everything? In my mind, she could do no wrong.

For a while, things settled back down. Karen refused to leave Ian alone, but she did no more than try to run at his side the way a mate would. Ian seemed annoyed, but he mostly ignored her, pushing the run just a little harder. Gabby was slowly losing ground, but that was ok. We'd stay with her because Ian could handle himself just fine.

Eventually, Ian and Karen were far enough ahead that they were out of sight. Gabby dropped down into a trot, her tongue hanging from her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. Roman rubbed his head against her shoulder, but it was mostly a show of support. My eyes kept jumping up the trail where Ian went, and I wasn't the only one. Trent was doing the same. A whine from him made me cock my head, but he just flicked his ears in the direction they'd gone.

Then I heard it. Snarls, and it sounded like more than just a squabble. Trent whuffed at Lane, but I was already running. Gabby was fine. She had enough wolves around her to keep her safe. The problem was that I didn't trust Karen at all. On either side of us, more wolves ran, clearly hearing the same thing. I broke through the trees to find the pair in the bottom of the creek, at least half a mile from where we'd crossed it before, and