Free Claiming His Fate by Ellis Leigh Page B

over my chest and glared at the overgrown dog. 
    “You don't have to laugh, you mangy mutt.” 
    The wolf stepped closer and sat next to me. I froze, my back completely straight. The animal radiated heat and seemed friendly enough, but I doubted it would stay that way if I tried to run. The wold nudged me, his tail wagging in the dirt. Trying not to make any sudden movements, I settled on my butt and carefully leaned into the wolf at my side. Far away from the huge teeth I’d noticed. Then I watched the two wolves in the clearing draw more blood. 
    When I pressed my hands into the dirt to adjust my position, something sharp stabbed my palm. “Ouch!”
    Two things happened simultaneously—my hand dripped blood from where I'd pressed it into a piece of glass, and the lighter wolf turned my way, his blue eyes boring into mine. I knew those eyes, had seen that look earlier in the night.
    “Abraham?” It was a whisper, barely a breath, but it was enough to distract him from the darker wolf. Caleb took two leaping steps toward Rebel and gripped his throat in his teeth. Rebel made a strangled sound as I screamed. A third wolf, this one mottled gray and black, jumped onto Caleb's back. The one sitting next to me streaked into the fray along with a fourth wolf who came barreling around me.
    Within seconds, the fight moved farther toward the waiting car as two wolves battled with Caleb. Once the threat was pushed off to the side and obviously losing the fight, the wolf that had been by my side shifted into human form, sans the clothes he’d been wearing earlier in the club, and raced toward Rebel.
    “No!” My scream stopped everything. Wolf and human alike froze as I scrambled my way to Rebel’s side. I turned to face the naked man I saw as a threat. “I won't let you hurt him.”
    The man put his hands in the air. “I'm not here to hurt him; I'm here to help him. I'm Shadow, and I'm the medic of this group. Can you let me near him so I can check him over?”
    I shook my head and backed up until I had Rebel nearly wrapped around my hips, my hands in the fur of his neck.
    “Honey, I know you're scared. But Reb there is like a brother to me. I would never harm him. I just need to make sure he doesn't bleed to death.”
    I glanced between the two, ready to protect the wolf I knew to be Rebel if need be. But the man crouching in front of me held my gaze and seemed forthright. I would have to trust someone because there was no way I could figure out what to do with Rebel’s injuries without a little help. After a moment of deliberation, I slid out of the way and signaled to the medic to move in. I quickly crawled to the other side of Rebel’s prone body.
    “I swear, if you hurt him, I'll kill you with my bare hands.” I glared at Shadow in warning.
    Shadow chuckled as he inspected Rebel’s wounds. “Threatening a defenseless, naked man. Looks like boss man found himself the perfect mate.” He glanced up and winked. “That would be you.”
    “What do you mean, mate?”
    He paused, his face going blank as he stared at me. When he finally spoke, his voice was a little softer.
    “I think I'll let Reb explain that one to you.” He finished checking Rebel’s injuries and once again met my gaze. “Are you hurt anywhere? I can smell your blood but it doesn't seem to be much.”
    I waved him off. “I'm fine; I just cut my hand.”
    He nodded. “Okay. Well, Reb should be able to shift in a few minutes. He needs a little time to heal up first. Scab, wanna make a run back to the club for my clothes and to check on Gates and Pup? I think we’re covered here for now.” Shadow backed away slowly as one of the other wolves took off for the club, leaving Rebel and me in a relative amount of privacy.
    “So that's what you meant by mine, huh? It's some kind of animal equivalent of love at first sight?” I wrapped myself around the wolf at my side, hoping to offer him the warmth of my body as he healed. “Good luck with that;