Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,183

I was counting on it to get her through this. My mate's teeth caught nothing but fur the first time, which woke Karen from her stupor. The bitch jumped back, but Elena wasn't scared to get right in there.

And she was moving. Those tawny eyes were locked on Karen's, and Elena's sleek, sinuous body struck over and over, more like a snake than a wolf. Her legs moved. Her teeth snapped. Her ears were pinned back and her tail was held just low enough to be out of Karen's reach. I always heard people talk about mama bears protecting their young, but this? It was my she-wolf, and she had just become a monster.

Karen couldn't even attack. All she could do was back up because Elena didn't give her the chance for anything else. I could hear Karen growling, but Elena? The only sound she made was when her teeth snapped back together. And then she finally connected. Elena's mouth closed on the side of Karen's neck, and my mate thrashed, slinging the paler female off her feet.

Karen cried out, but it didn't stop Elena. She simply pushed Karen into the ground, using it as a chance to get a better bite, and kept going. That was when Elena finally began to growl. Karen struggled to bite back. Bending, she caught Elena's shoulder, twisting let her get the side of Elena's face, but none of those snaps did more than pinch.

That was when Karen began to panic. Twisting, screaming, and flailing her legs for all she was worth, the bitch managed to get just enough leverage to latch onto the side of Elena's cheek, but my mate didn't care at all. The pain only made her jaws clench, tightening around Karen's throat, and this was over.

Karen let go, falling limp in Elena's jaws, submitting completely. "That's it, Alpha," Sampson said. "She's submitted."

Elena paused, her eyes jumping over to me, so I nodded. "Yeah, bunny, you won. The baby's safe."

A sigh came out first, and then Elena carefully released her jaws. Stepping back, she watched Karen for a second, but the defeated woman just lay there, knowing her failure had been witnessed and she couldn't deny it. Then Elena shifted back to human and staggered toward me, proving she had nothing left.

I opened my arms to catch her just as Karen rolled to her feet and jumped, aiming for Elena's back. Time slowed. My hands caught my mate, pushing her at Sampson, and I felt my rage rush to the surface as I watched Karen's body change, growing to her lycan form with her eyes locked on the one thing I couldn't live without.

My heart stopped, my anger grew, and my body changed to match. I could feel the fabric of my shirt straining. My jaw lengthened. My hands turned to claws. This was my woman! Mine, and no one else touched her unless I allowed it. Not my Alpha, not my fellow betas, and certainly not this pathetic and defeated bitch!

Just as Karen's hands closed on Elena's arm, I grabbed the creature she'd become, spinning her around to face the beast I was proud to be, and I slung her to the ground, following her down. The woman's body slammed into the dirt. I crashed into her, but my head was already moving. No second chances. That was my bunny. My sweet, gentle thing. My treasure to keep very safe, and as my lycan jaws closed on her throat, I decided that I would kill to make that possible.

I felt her strange skin part beneath the power of my jaws, but I didn't stop. My hands held her down, but the rest of my body pulled, and I felt that woman's throat tear. Spitting out the hunk of flesh, I turned back to her, forced myself to become a man again, and leaned closer even as her life poured from the wound.

"Mine," I said. "That woman is my fate, so this is now yours. Just because I play nice, doesn't mean I am."

"Lane?" Elena asked.

"He's fine," Sampson promised, hugging her against his chest. "Don't look, Elena. Just give him a second, and this will all be over." Then he tipped his head at me. "Bunnies, Lane. Be gentle with them."

"Take her inside," I begged, reaching down to grab the hem of my stretched-out shirt so I could wipe at my face.

Then I looked back at Karen's body, the life already gone. "Fucking cunt," I snarled before grabbing her leg to