The Mystic Wolves

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

We hadn't been in town long when I realized someone was following us. I'd brushed it off as my imagination getting the best of me, but when Jasmine started getting nervous as well, we abandoned our plans, and started heading home.

But whoever was stalking us hadn't given up, and now we were trapped.

The loud click of a gun being cocked stopped me cold. I didn't need to turn around to see death had finally caught us. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and grimaced.

I dug deep for courage as my hand was squeezed. Jasmine would be terrified enough without seeing fear in my eyes and if we were going to get out of this, I needed to keep her calm—or at least calmer than I felt.

Giving her a look I hoped conveyed confidence, I motioned for her to stay quiet as I positioned her behind me and turned to look at our attacker.

I saw the gun, aimed straight at me. The finger poised over the trigger ready to shoot. The hand holding it was steady and trained to adjust to every movement. I shied to the left and back again. Without hesitation, the gun's motion mimicked mine.

Damn. Judging from the precise actions—whoever was holding the gun knew what they were doing. If they took a shot, they wouldn't miss and out running a bullet was too risky.

A quick sniff at the air and drawing on my other senses told me I was dealing with a human male. I couldn't help but grin at the bitter scent of fear mixed in with the sweetness of his excitement. It was intoxicating

My body began to relax. As long as I paid attention to the gun still pointed at me, and made no crazy moves, our chances of escape had just increased.

I looked beyond the weapon and recognized the determined face staring back at me. The emotions rolling off his body caused my wolf to raise her head and howl. This wasn't a pack mate or dominant wolf to play submissive with by showing my throat. Looking at our attacker, I could feel my hackles rise as she growled, desperate to take over.

I sent a silent command to the wolf inside me to stand down. I explained there would be no need for her to come forward because I had everything under control. She whined impatiently at being refused.

Something didn't seem right about the situation. The man standing before me was Gary, and although it caused a slight disturbance in the Pack, he had been declared an official friend.

Without a doubt, Gary knew who Jasmine and I were and our importance. He'd been warned any act of aggression towards the Alpha's intended mate and sister was an instant death sentence – regardless of the person.

My wolf stepped forward again, this time nudging me harder. She sensed the disturbance and it unsettled her. She could smell the danger in the air and begged for permission to take control - to protect us. I could deal with the situation as a wolf, but I was serious when I told Mason to try reasoning before violence.

I remembered the last heated discussion between us. He'd laughed when I said we should try to take more peaceful approaches when dealing with conflicts. I didn't always agree with the werewolf mentality of bite first—ask questions later. I'd told him I'd seen too much violence in my life, and was tired of it. When I showed I wouldn't back down, he nodded his approval. I think he got a kick out of the way I stood up to him because our debates always ended up with me pressed up against a surface, Mason kissing me as though he was hungry.

"You don't want to do this, Gary," I spoke, putting as much compulsion in my voice as I could without triggering him. I stepped forward, only to stop when I noticed his eyes darting toward Jasmine. He held a crazed look, and I needed his focus away from her.