Free Lone Wolf's Captive (novella) by Sherilee Gray Page B

fucking time. Perhaps now you’ll quit being such a surly bastard.” Then he stepped forward, grinning and held out a hand.
    Fletch took it. “Not likely.”
    “I’d give you a hug but, yeah, I’d prefer not to bump junk.”
    “You and me both.” Fletch ran a hand over his hair and caught his eye, “I need your help.”
    Gabe grew serious. “You’ve got it. You know that.”
    He guessed he did. It felt good having someone at his back that he could trust, and he knew he could trust Gabe. He gave him a shortened version of events.
    Shifters were pretty much left to deal with their own affairs, but there were laws to make sure everyone played by the book, preventing their kind from taking stupid risks that might expose them. Gabe was a Guardian, and he and his partner enforced those laws in nearby Cleaverton and the surrounding areas.
    He growled. “Knew that old fucker was up to something. Still, never thought he’d treat Laney that way. Come on, I’ll get you in.”
    The two of them had no trouble breaching the boundary, Gabe was a regular visitor and Fletch knew the place like the back of his hand. As they ran into the clearing at the front of Laney’s small cabin, Fletch picked up several familiar scents. The strongest belonged to his mate and went a long way toward soothing his frayed nerves.
    But then he identified the others: Anthony and that fucking asshole, Brody.
    They were inside with his female.

Chapter 6
    Her father stood over her, face red, eyes burning bright with rage. The Oakwood alpha, Brody, stood by his side scowling.
    “Whose stink is all over you?” Her father barked.
    Shocked, she stared up at the male glaring down at her, disgust distorted his features. Pain lanced her chest. This wasn’t her father. This person was desperate and ugly. He didn’t care about her or her happiness.
    “Answer me, girl!” He roared.
    She flinched. She’d never seen him this angry.
    “What the hell’s going on, Anthony?” Brody sounded confused and more than a little pissed.
    Enough time had passed that her scent trail back to Fletch would have dispersed. Laney lifted her chin, refusing to break eye contact.
    “What the fuck have you done?” Her father’s voice was low, dangerous. Sweat slid down his temples and he lifted a shaky hand to rub across his eyes. When he lifted his gaze again he was her alpha. There was no affection in his golden gaze. “You’re mated?”
    Her wolf tucked its tail between its legs and she fought a whine from breaching her throat. He may be her father, but he was still her alpha. She kept her lips clamped shut. Dammit, she would not show weakness.
    “We had an agreement,” Brody growled. “She’s meant to be mine.”
    Oh my god . Laney’s stomach lurched. Her father had sold her off like a piece of meat.
    “Calm down. We can fix this.” His gaze slid back to her. “Who did you give yourself to?”
    “The deal’s off, old man. Nothing can be done now,” Brody spat then turned to leave.
    “Wait.” Desperation tinged her father’s voice. “I can get rid of whoever this male is.” His gaze darted between her and Brody. “This isn’t a problem.”
    He intended to remove her mate from the equation. Acid burned the back of her throat. He would kill Fletch if he got the chance.
    Brody shook his head. “Forcing a mating is one thing. Murder is something else entirely.”
    Laney threw the guy a disgusted look. “How noble of you. As long as it’s just rape, huh? You repulse me.”
    Brody moved so fast, she barely saw him coming. One minute she stood in the center of the room, the next, she was slammed into the nearest wall.
    “Woman, I don’t see this mate of yours here. So I’d hold my tongue if I were you.”
    “Go to hell, you lowlife piece of shit. He’s twice the male you’ll ever be”
    He drew back a hand and she braced for impact. But he stopped suddenly and leaned in, running his nose along the column of her throat, taking in her scent. His