Free Seeking Pack Redemption by Eve Langlais Page B

cover. You aren’t going to be
able to carry her the entire way while outrunning the rogues.”
    “Watch me!
Besides, it’s mostly downhill from here.”
    “Please
don’t fight. I’ll walk,” she interjected.
    “We need
to run!” Trent snapped.
    Darren’s
jaw tightened at the fear in her tone. “Stop scaring her, Trent. I understand
your brother’s gone and you’re upset, but don’t punish her for it.”
    “I wasn’t.”
Trent grimaced as he released her hand. “Fine. You want to carry her, then be my fucking guest. But we need to hurry. It looks
like Jaxon’s ruse failed, or he’s dead. The other
wolves are coming back.” As if to reinforce Trent’s claim, howls echoed behind
them. Darren increased his pace to a steady jog, finding a reserve of strength
inside that stemmed from a need to protect his precious burden.
    Thea bounced in his arms, and she clung to him as he jogged. As if I’d let her fall. Not while he
still breathed.
    Foliage
crackled around them as they chose speed over stealth. Despite his added
burden, Darren kept his gait steady for the first mile even if the urge to
sprint kept nudging him every time he heard a howl. A flat-out run this far
from the truck would just wind him and sap his energy.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice low so as to not carry.
    “Doing
what?” he asked, keeping his answer short so as to not waste breath.
    “Carrying
me? Risking your life?”
    Was it too
soon to say because he intended to claim her as his forever? Probably. “You’re
not that heavy. And I’ve always wanted to be a hero.”
    “Heroes
save princesses. I’m not that special.”
    “I beg to
differ. My name, by the way, is Darren.”
    “Can you
save the chitchat for later, when we’re not in mortal danger?” Trent barked.
    “He’s
right. We’re in terrible danger. We need to be far away from here before
sundown,” she whispered, the haunted look in her eyes returning. “Put me down.
You’ll just slow yourself down by carrying me.”
    “And what
of the baby you carry?” Darren asked, suddenly sure of his suspicion as she
cradled her rounded belly still, and had since he’d scooped her up.
    “How did
you know?” Brown eyes framed in dark lashes peered up at him. He couldn’t wait
until he could make their expression a happier one.
    “What
baby?” Trent asked. He stopped dead. “Whose baby?”
    Thea’s eyes closed, and Darren, closest to her, almost didn’t
hear her answer. “David’s.”
    Fuck.
    Baby or
not, the view of his wolf didn’t change. Mine.
Ours. Protect the pup. Since that coincided with his own feelings on the
matter, he ignored Trent’s dazed look and forged ahead. Moments later, Trent
took point, back in his wolf shape, his enhanced senses leading the way to the
creek, their stash of supplies, and, if lucky, safety.
    Behind
him, he could sense Marc guarding the rear. Flanked by his two best friends,
Darren ran, ignoring the sharp stones that bit into his feet. Forget heading
back to the cache where he’d left his stuff a mile outside of the camp. They
needed out of here as fast as possible. He just hoped they didn’t run into any
humans or park rangers. A naked man carrying a bleeding, missing woman
accompanied by wolves might be a touch hard to explain. Add in a semihard cock that refused to pay attention to the dire
situation because her scent enveloped him, and, well, he’d probably go straight
to jail— no passing go, no
collecting nothing .
    And that
wouldn’t work for him, not with his future resting in his arms. Protecting Thea from everything, even well-meaning humans, now took precedence over everything else. The mating fever had him in
its grasp, and Darren didn’t intend to fight it.
    A warning
yip from up ahead preceded a black wolf swerving in from the side. It took only
a moment for Darren to realize Jaxon joined them. It
changed nothing. He kept pumping his legs, watching for obstacles and leaping over
them. The body in