S. Yule - Lycan Vengeance

“The female you attacked is my destined mate. I can smell the second scent, which means she’s meant for me. You assaulted an ancient’s woman. By law, I could—probably should—kill you for your actions. You should have been protecting her, not accosting her. Those who carry the scent are essential to our survival. You have a lot to learn. I’m going after her now, and if you run, I will find you, and when I do, we go with the other option I mentioned, the one where you die. We understand each other?”

“Yes.” The pup rubbed at his throat, where dark red, angry marks still marred the skin from Knox’s crushing fingers.

“Wait here.”

Knox led the rogue to the living room after getting him some clothes to put on and pointed him to the couch. “You better be here when I get back.”

Knox quickly pulled the jeans, shirt, socks, and boots back on he’d left lying in front of the door earlier, and went after Rose. He wouldn’t track her down in wolf form because he didn’t want to frighten her more than she’d already been by the attack. What the hell was she thinking going out in the freezing cold and knee-

deep snow in only a T-shirt? She could freeze to death, and he was going to tan her ass good for this one. He owed her two now.

He gave the pup one last fierce glare before going out the door. Within moments he followed her scent and tracks. She hadn’t gotten far, but not far was too far in his opinion. He found her about three-quarters of a mile in the forest, and although she was still running, her pace was slow and clumsy. He caught her with ease, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her to him.

She cried out and turned on him with fear burning in her eyes—fear that tore at his heart and nearly brought him to his knees. Rage seared him from the inside, demanding the death of the pup for scaring her.

Until he claimed her, put his mark on her, she would be in danger from every rogue who got close enough to smell her intoxicating scent—and even that wouldn’t be enough to stop some rogues, but it would certainly give most pause. She struggled against him, pummeled his chest with her fists, and he held her, trying to keep her from hurting herself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she tired and went limp against him. He hugged her carefully and nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.

“Shhh.” He stroked her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “It’s okay, Rose. I’m here.

Nothing can hurt you now.”

When he realized she was now crying, his heart lurched in his chest. When he got back to the house, he was going to kill that bastard rogue for making her cry. Fuck the fact the pup had been misled. He’d scared

Rose, and Knox wanted a piece of the little shit’s hide.

“I’m sorry. I don’t ever cry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You were attacked. It’s understandable. I hope you can forgive me for not getting to you sooner. I’m sorry.”

She sniffed and rubbed her face on his shirt. “Can we talk a-about this later? I’m r-really cold.”

“Son of a bitch.” He’d forgotten she was half-naked. He’d forgotten about everything except the feel of her soft curves pressed against him. He picked her up, and she snuggled against him. Shivers racked her body intermittently.

“What were you thinking running out here in only a T-shirt? You could have frozen to death.”

“I j-just needed to get away. I wasn’t thinking at all. I want to go home, Knox. Please l-let me leave.”

He couldn’t, and he knew by the way she stiffened in his arms after he didn’t answer her that she was aware of it.

“You must realize, especially after tonight, you aren’t safe. I can protect you.”

“I don’t want to be protected. I’m not your property. I can take c-care of myself.”

“Look, if you want to go home, I’ll take you. But I’m staying with you.”

She sobbed again, and a dull ache throbbed in his chest with each beat of his heart. She didn’t understand fully why he couldn’t let her go, and he was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it when she found out she was his mate. In fact, she would be spitting mad and probably try to kill him again. He wanted to hold off as long as possible with that information, but he hated lying to her—even by omission. She was his, and he wanted honesty between them, but at this point in the game, the truth would only serve to make things worse.

He toed the door to the house open, and the pup jumped up from the couch. When Knox sat Rose down, she turned and shrieked when she saw the rogue. Before any of them could say a word, she’d punched the pup right in the nose, which put him in his current position—bent over wailing, trying to staunch the blood flow.

Knox held Rose back when she went for the pup again. “It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. I swear.”

He looked at the rogue, who was glaring at them. “Calm down, son. You and I both know you deserved much more than that. Now tell the lady you’re sorry before I turn her loose and let her have another go at you.”

Knox took a step toward him. “And trust me when I tell you from personal experience that she can rearrange your nuts with little effort.”

The pup’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, cupping his balls protectively. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His voice was nasal through the nose that was about twice the size it had been only a few moments ago.

“Are you serious? You believe this asshole? He attacked me, Knox.” Rose spun on him. Her anger vibrated through the room.

“Go to your room, and get in a hot bath. You need to warm up. I swear to you by the time you’re done, he’ll be gone, and we’ll have a long talk.”

“I’m not a child. I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I’m not budging one inch until he’s out of here or dead—dead preferably.”

Knox stared at her while she stood shivering, standing her ground. She looked like a fierce, sopping wet mop with tendrils of hair that hung in clumps around her shoulders and face. He had no doubt his little hellcat meant exactly what she said too. He let out an exasperated breath, motioned for the rogue to follow him outside, and shut the door behind them.

“Sanctuary is about a hundred and fifty miles north of here. Head there now, and tell them I sent you when you get there. I’ve never been there personally, but they know who I am.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and gave the pup a card with his number on it. “Have them call me when you get there, and it better be by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, or I’m coming after you.”

“But—”

“Just shut up while you’re ahead of the game. You can find your way there. Now get going, and I better get that call.”

He watched the pup walk away in a dejected manner fitting of a teen who’d been thoroughly chastised, slumped shoulders and all. While the rogue had been rough with Rose, Knox was aware he could have done way more damage to her than he had. If he had, he wouldn’t be walking away now. It was hard for him to let him do so now. He’d seen his share of rogues, and this particular one seemed a good candidate for reformation. He reminded him of a lost dog that had been kicked around one too many times.

The pup seemed to have attacked more out of fear and confusion than meanness. He hoped he would learn and come to understand the importance of their laws because they needed all the help they could get for the fight for their survival. But only time would tell. If he strayed again, there wouldn’t be another chance.

Knox turned and walked toward the small shed beside the house. Inside he got some boards, a hammer, and nails to fix the broken window in the bedroom. When he got back to the house, he was relieved to hear the bath running. He and Rose were going to have a long talk, and it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park trying to get her to understand the big picture where his race was concerned.

Knox had been wrong to let the lycan go. The rogue had attacked her, and if Knox hadn’t shown up when he had . . . A sliver of dread tingled in her spine. Would she have suffered the fate Tammy had all those years ago? While she’d come to terms that this job would get her killed at some point in time, she’d also pushed it to the back of her mind. The last several hours shoved the point to the forefront of her denying brain.

At least she’d gotten a punch in on the bastard before he’d been sent on his merry way. Yet even the satisfaction she’d gotten from breaking his nose was short-lived, since it was probably healed by now. She shook her head in disgust as the warm bathwater soaked into her chilled skin, finally warming her enough to stop the shivers that had pulsed through her.

She and Knox would never see eye to eye. He wanted her to trust him. She could see it on his face plain as day every time he looked at her. She’d even begun to think that maybe there was a small possibility she could do so, until now. She was well aware that her hormones had probably been the cause of that wishful thinking and had nothing to do with the cold truth of reality. But she’d never been kissed like he’d kissed her. He’d not only kissed her, he’d touched her like she was the most precious gem in the world.

When he kissed her, she’d felt as if he was laying claim to her soul, imprinting himself on her forever.

She’d burned under his expert ministrations, and she’d craved more, yearned to submit to his every demand.

She’d wanted to make him go up in flames as she had, but it could never be.

She couldn’t fraternize with the enemy no matter how much she wanted to, and oh, how she wanted to.