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.

—

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

into my fur

in this

me like that.

a growl still

up at him, at my mate, covered in our enemies‘ blood. Something soars in me at the sight of him like that – my warrior mate with his barbarian soul.

Our

a moment, and then he sees the determination in me and nods

crying child. “Give him to me,” he demands, just once. The man does so, immediately, blood dripping from his trembling arm, knowing that his

in his gigantic arms and turns away from the man, from me, walking away from us, shushing our child and bobbing him

me, and this man, and my

prowl another

towards me, palms out. “Please,” he

it’s a waste of

my paws hitting him in

moments before I sink my teeth into his neck, ripping out

gurgling to the floor with me on top of him, growling down

leaves his eyes.

my mate, who stands in the middle of a

gore, his mouth curved up on one side

my human body, standing

of my face and running down my neck. And

as I stare down at my

that echoes

it means that he’s still here, he’s still

job. I’ve kept

Sinclair

with me as Roger bursts into

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

up

they were

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

even the ceiling – and at the bodies scattered almost creatively

“What the – how did

at her, a little surprised at the cool

is the woman who cried when she saw Rafe’s