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.

—

minutes –

my scruff, gentle fingers digging deep into my fur until they reach my skin. I’m not

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

me like that.

Ella,” Sinclair says, a growl still resonating

soars in me at the

Our

he

once. The man does so, immediately, blood dripping from his trembling

the man, from me, walking

then, it’s just me, and this man, and

another step

towards me,

a waste

him, my paws hitting him in the chest

sink my teeth into his neck, ripping

with me on top of him, growling

leaves his eyes.

to my mate, who stands in the middle of a room covered

gore, his mouth curved up on one side into

my human body, standing up, the man’s blood

my face and running down my neck. And then, with perfect control, I cross the room and

I stare down at my child, who cries his little scared

that echoes in my

hear him, it means that

job. I’ve kept him safe.

Sinclair

a little, taking Ella and Rafe with me as Roger bursts into the room, followed

command them to stay with the priest – to make sure that we kept him, as

happening up

they were to come

eyes going wide as he looks at the blood all over our bedroom – on

–

– how

down at her, a little surprised

to my brother. This is the woman who