Accidental Surrogate

Ella

“NO!” I scream, but the word is transferred instantly to a roar as I transition into my wolf, my

but I barely bones and body shifting in a flash. It hurts – less than it did the first time, of course – notice it because I shake myself out of my captor’s hands and am halfway across the room at once, leaping for the man who holds Rafe, my jaws gaping. He goes a little pale, taking a step

backwards and putting out a hand towards me to stop me –

But that hand, it disappears into my mouth. And I snap my teeth down.

The man’s scream pierces my sensitive ears as my teeth meet together around his wrist, as I wrench my head to the side, tossing his torn hand aside, savoring the taste of his blood in my mouth. He screams again as he looks at the bloody stump I’ve left behind, as I prowl another step

forward –

But suddenly, I feel a great blow against my shoulder that sends me staggering sideways

And then, almost at the same instant, I hear what sounds like an explosion behind me – I don’t

turn to it, my eyes fixed on the man who holds my son in his arms – but I know, through the bond,

through some other wolf instinct, that it is Sinclair.

I don’t take my eyes off the man who holds Rafe, instead finding my feet and beginning to prowl

slowly forward towards him again. He backs up, step by step, looking over my shoulders at his

colleagues as they die. I can see the progress of the battle in his expression, in the fear that comes

into his eyes, in the blood that drains from his face as he realizes that he’s not getting out of this.

room. That he’s going to die here, but not until he watches all of his friends die first.

I hear the ripping sounds my mate makes in his gigantic wolf form, the screams of the masked

men as he takes them down, his snarls and his roars, the rending sound of flesh. And each blow

rings through me like a song as I bare my teeth at the man holding my child, as I stare him down.

It doesn’t take long for Sinclair to finish. I didn’t think it would.

—

only moments later though surely it was minutes – before I feel a

gentle fingers digging deep into my fur until they reach my

only other man left alive in this room is my mate, and only he would

like

right, Ella,” Sinclair says, a growl still resonating in his voice, the

mate, covered in our enemies‘ blood. Something soars in me at

Our

for just a moment, and then he sees the determination in

back to the man holding my crying child. “Give him to me,” he demands, just once. The man does so, immediately, blood dripping

away from the man, from me, walking

just me, and this man, and my

another step

towards me, palms out. “Please,” he

waste

limbs and leap for him, my paws hitting him in

before I sink my teeth into his neck, ripping out

with me on top

leaves his eyes.

then, when it’s done, I turn back to my mate, who stands in

on one side into a proud

into my human body, standing up, the man’s blood still covering the bottom

And then, with

in his arms as I stare down at my child, who cries

that echoes in my

means that he’s still here, he’s still mine.

done my job. I’ve kept him

Sinclair

Ella and Rafe with me as Roger

with the priest – to make sure that we kept him, as I delt

happening up

the priest was secure, they were to come and help.

god,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he looks at the

the ceiling –

the – how did you –”

came for Rafe,” Ella explains, and I look down at her, a little surprised at the

the woman