Beyond the Grasslands (Mirage Islands Mates #2)

4. Avenged

Chapter 4

Avenged

THORIN

“Thorin Greywolf!” I heard called over what must have been a pack-wide loudspeaker system. “This is Avery Thornwin. I have taken over the pack from my brother, Aiden. I ask that you approach our lands, so that we can come to a peaceful accord.”

“Peace is not negotiable after my mate was abused and kidnapped from our mating ceremony.” My voice rang out loud and clear without the need of speakers to project it to everyone.

“I received a message earlier that she is being held under his pack house in the cells used for criminals,” Warren whispered to me. “We’re working on how to breach the building without causing harm to those who may be inside.”

“Is it below ground?” I asked.

That was when a few of our pack mates gasped loudly and pointed. I turned to see a wild woman stumble out of the foliage looking worse for wear. Upon further inspection, I realized it was my mate.

I had no control over what happened next. One minute I was in my human form, making a plan to storm the pack of my enemy. The next moment, I landed on all four paws and ran full-tilt toward my mate.

Mate!

My mate!

That thought blocked out all other voices, reasoning, and the ability to care about the ramifications of what my wolf was about to do.

He leaped into the air and landed on Nika. She was knocked back and obviously in a weakened state. The minute her head hit the ground, I fought to pull the wolf back and take my human form. She already didn’t look good, and my wolf seemed to be making everything worse.

He didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was to mark her. We had to mark her before she was taken from us again. He had a single-minded agenda that didn’t even take into account her safety or the people from my pack who surrounded us. Vaguely, I thought I heard shouts of distress come from my pack, but it was all white noise in the background as our fangs slid none-to-gently into the side of her neck and left the mating mark there. As my wolf pulled his bloody muzzle back, I was finally able to push him down and bring my human side to the forefront.

When I wrestled control back, the damage had already been done. My wolf had claimed Nika, but what felt like an easy, graceful, calm claiming when in the wolf’s mind, appeared so much worse in reality. Nika’s neck was ravaged. She must have fought the mark and we didn’t even realize it as my wolf had total control and only saw what he wanted to.

“Nika!” I growled. “Oh God, I am so sorry, Nika, baby.” I pulled her to me and held her in my arms as I inspected the mark. It was raw, and instead of two clean punctures, strands of flesh hung from the ravaged area. The bleeding had already slowed but there was far more blood for some reason than seemed necessary for the mark. When I removed my hand from behind my mate’s head, I realized why.

I turned her gently and saw that she had a head wound, probably from when she was kidnaped, that had been reopened when my wolf pounced on her.

“We need a doctor for her.”

“You have to force her to shift, Thorin,” My beta stated coolly. “I don’t know what the hell just happened with you, but we’ll figure that out later, for now, force her shift.”

I did as my Beta demanded and forced my mate to shift to her wolf. The minute she did, we all heard her wolf’s whine of agony and my soul was torn in two at that very moment. She would never forgive me for forcing a claim on her when she couldn’t consent, let alone the way my wolf attacked her. Nika would never understand what happened, and even if I could make her understand, she would never choose a mate with an unstable wolf.