Free Wolf's Run: A BBW Shifter Romance by D. H. Cameron Page B

needs to bring friends,” I told Edie.
    “I’ll do it. Are you OK?” she asked worriedly.
    “For now, yes, but we need Murphy. Go now!” I told Edie. My friend told me she was already on her way out of the diner and then hung up. I felt better but it would take at least half an hour for Murphy to get here after Edie found him. That was assuming he came at all. I had no idea who Murphy was or what he could do. I could only assume he was a shifter and he would come to our aid.
    I reflected on Dolan’s claim as I stood there. Was I really his sister? Was his father also mine? I didn’t want to believe it but I knew deep inside somehow he was telling the truth. I don’t know why but it made sense just like Yeager’s claims had when he revealed them to me. What Dolan’s claims meant, however, I wasn’t sure. However, I had no doubt that Dolan intended more than bringing his sister into the fold. He meant to make me his mate. The revulsion I felt at that thought drove me to action.
    It was stupid but I turned and headed back towards the cabin. I had no idea what I could do to help, but I had to try. I had to help Yeager. He was my mate. I accepted that fully now. I cared deeply for him and whether those feelings came about through destiny or happenstance didn’t matter. I loved him and I couldn’t leave him to Dolan and his gang. The peril he was in cemented my love for the man. If we were going to die, we were going to die together. There was no way I would let Dolan take me as his mate.
    I ran even faster towards the cabin. For all I knew, I was running towards my death but I didn’t care. I picked my way through the forest wishing I could move faster. Then I went down, my foot catching an exposed tree root. I tumbled and rolled down a slope and when I came to a stop, I was bleeding from my leg. I began to cry. I’d never make it in time. Yeager could only stand so long against four other wolves. What could I do? How could I help? If only I could be like Yeager. If only I could become a wolf.
    ~~O~~
    The gray wolf ran for its life. The four black wolves pursued but the gray was faster and more nimble. Still, he’d almost been cornered several times. With multiple pursuers, it was only a matter of time. The gray wolf, however, wasn’t worried about his own survival. He was worried about his mate. This was a distraction to allow her to escape. The gray wolf that was Yeager knew Murphy and his friends could never get to him in time but they could protect Cassie and keep her safe after he was gone.
    The gray wolf leapt over a fallen tree and then through a thick stand of trees. He had never been here before and hoped the terrain would work to his favor but it didn’t. The gray wolf that was Yeager broke through the trees and found a wall of rock. He skid to a halt and looked for a way to escape but the black wolves were on him too quickly. The black wolf that was Dolan, the one with the ragged scar on its face, led his pack towards the gray wolf. They surrounded the gray wolf leaving him no route to escape. He’d have to fight his way past them or he’d die here trying.
    Then the gray wolf scented something strange and wonderful. The gray wolf scented his mate and she was coming.
    ~~O~~
    I shook my head at the thought. I wasn’t a wolf but what if I were? I could help my mate, I could help Yeager. It was a ridiculous thought. Yeager wasn’t aware of any female shifters. Why would I think I was one? But it was all I had. I had no idea how to accomplish such a thing even if I could. I had to believe it was possible though. I had to. Yeager’s life depended on it. I had to do something to save the man I loved.
    “Focus, Cassie. You can do this,” I told myself as I tried to banish my doubts. I took a deep breath and looked into myself. I tried to find that place within me that sensed this was all real from the beginning. The part of me that knew Yeager was my mate the moment he told me, maybe the moment I saw