Free Seeking Pack Redemption by Eve Langlais

pulled back against the hand anchoring her. He
didn’t let go, nor did he slow down, heading straight to the hairy pair, and
talking to them.
    “David’s
dead, but I found the girl. We need to get out of here.”
    An ululation
rose from her left where a thick line of trees marched off into the distance, a
symphony of howls that started with one and ended in a chorus.
    Trent, who
kept his hand glued to hers, lifted his head and sniffed the air.
    “They’re
coming back. Fuck. Thea , right?” he asked pinning her
in place with his gaze.
    She
nodded.
    “We’re
going to have to run, okay? As fast as you can.”
    “I take it
that’s not more of your friends coming?”
    “Not
exactly. More like nasty wolves with sharp teeth. Probably
the same ones that have been keeping you captive. And I doubt they’re
going to be happy we’ve shown up and stolen you.”
    Good
enough. At least he didn’t try to sugarcoat it. “What about them?” she asked
inclining her head to his furry buddies.
    “The least
of your worries. Trust me. You need to come with me if you want to live.”
    With
freedom a sudden possibility and with a chance to save her unborn child, Thea ran like the wind, or her version, at any rate.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t fast enough.

Chapter Five

 
    Trotting
on four feet behind Trent and the female they’d saved, Darren tried to process
everything that had happened in the last few minutes. And he didn’t mean the
battle.
    When he’d
kicked open the door to the only barred room he’d found in the large cabin,
he’d not expected the kick to the gut when he saw the small brunette peering
fearfully at him. Enclosed in a dark room with only a bed to sit on, a bed with
currently unused restraints hanging at the four corners, a wild rage imbued him,
a rage that grew as he noted her fear. Then he got a whiff of her, and even unbathed and frightened, her underlying scent, the odor
that marked every person like a fingerprint, hit him and his eyes widened
further in surprise. His wolf roused enough to growl , Mine .
    Unfucking believable . He’d found his mate.
    Darren
wanted to gather her in his arms, reassure her that she was safe. Instead, he’d gotten attacked by yet another fucking rogue . The place
virtually crawled with them, but lucky for them, the attacking rogues, crazed
and slavering creatures, were made clumsy by their madness and were thus fairly
easy to dispatch. They did, however, have numbers on their side. Did they ever,
which meant he needed to quickly take care of his current attacker before
reinforcements arrived. But he didn’t want to frighten Thea further with the bloody violence required to put the snapping rogue down.
Despite what his wolf wanted— protect
the female! — he led his attackers away.
    When he
returned, no worse for wear, he found the room empty
and his mate gone. Following her scent led him to a closed door, where Marc
stood looking puzzled.
    “She ran
away from me.” He sounded incredulous. “I thought when you rescued a damsel
they were supposed to throw themselves at the man and thank them for being
their hero? A nice thank-you kiss? Or a promise of a bj for later?”
    Darren
resisted an urge to punch his friend, especially for doing what came naturally.
Since their teens, they’d quite enjoyed ribald jests and comments aimed at the
fairer sex. But with it now aimed at Thea , Darren no
longer saw the humor. Not one bit. “You’re an idiot. The girl is terrified and
here we are, naked as the fucking day we were born, wolves all over the place,
covered partially in blood. I’d be freaking, too.”
    “That’s
because somewhere down the line, one of your ancestors fucked a pussy.”
    Darren ignored
his friend to grab the doorknob and turn.
    “Don’t
bother. She slid something across it.”
    “ We breaking it down?”
    “We could,
or we could come into the room from outside, where she’s not expecting us.”
    The
tinkling sound of glass breaking spurred them