Free To Right a Wrong by Abby Wood

Mr.
    Lehman caught her wrist in a painful grip. She moaned as his claws dug into her skin. She jerked her gaze up and came face to face with a half-shifted werewolf.
    Sharp pain shot from her wrist up her arm.
    She reached behind her back for the .38 Special loaded with silver bullets.
    “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Mr.
    Lehman snarled. His teeth elongated, his eyes narrowed and took on an unearthly menace of a rabid animal, and yet, his body remained human.
    Dani gasped and recoiled in disgust. Bile bubbled in her throat. She’d never witnessed any of the werewolves she knew in mid-transformation who were able to halt the shift between human and wolf. The result was terrifying and evil.
    “W-what do you want?” She tamped down her own desire to shift. Something was very wrong here. There was no way Mr. Lehman should be able to get the upper hand on her, but his speed and strength overpowered hers.
    “We’re gonna have a little talk, you and I.” Mr. Lehman pulled her around the counter toward the backroom. “You shouldn’t have brought Tolene back.”
    “Oh God, Ethan. Help me.”

    Chapter Nine
    Rounding the front of the car, Ethan sailed through the air and landed flat on his stomach.
    A powerful force knocked the breath out of him.
    He shifted to his wolf and flung the sudden, heavy weight off his back.
    He lowered his head and growled at the man who’d tackled him. The man shifted, bared his teeth, and lunged at him again. Worried about Dani, Ethan grabbed the wolf’s throat in his jaw, flipped him over, and clamped down. Ethan wished like hell he would have had time to remove his clothes before shifting. He couldn’t run with the extra length of his pants puddled around his back feet.
    The animal flailed his legs in the air looking for traction, but Ethan had him in a death grip faster than the wolf could react.
    “Ethan! He’s got my—”
    “Dani!” His blood boiled inside his veins hearing her scream of pain.
    He savagely bit through the fur, tore out the wolf’s throat, and spat. The animal twitched, but lay still, his eyes were unfocused.
    Ethan hadn’t killed the werewolf—not given how fast he’d heal—but he wouldn’t be charging Ethan from behind too soon.

    “Hold on, Dani.” He leaped over the curb and shifted in midair before landing on his bare feet.
    There was no time to put his tennis shoes back on. “I’m coming in.”
    Pushing through the front door of the store, he scanned the inside for any hidden dangers.
    The area was clear. He vaulted over the cashier’s counter, ran toward the back door, and using all his weight, threw his shoulder into the closed-off area.
    The door slammed open.
    Dani sat in a chair in the middle of the room, her hands tied behind her back, an old shirt stuffed in her mouth. Blood trickled down her face.
    He howled. He’d kill the bastard who harmed his mate. “Are you okay, little one?”
    “I-I think so. God, Ethan, it happened so fast, I couldn't even fight. He was stronger than he should have been. J-Just untie me, please.” Ethan ran to her and kneeled. He tugged away the gag and wiped her forehead with it.
    The bastard had carved the word Kill into her forehead. Rage contorted his face into a grimace.
    “Where is he?”
    “Gone.” She motioned toward the backdoor.
    “Dammit. You’re hurt.” He threw the rope down and rubbed his fingers over the red welts on her wrists. “Your hands will heal.” And so would the message left behind for him to read. Guilt and fury boiled inside of him.
    He should have protected her better.

    But he'd made sure Dani knew the risk involved with him coming back to Drover before setting foot back in town. He'd trained her, warned her, and still it wasn't enough. He clenched his teeth together.
    He had no doubt the damage done to Dani was a warning to him. He held her hands in her lap. She'd heal quickly, never discovering the brutality one of her pack had dealt, never knowing how dangerous the