I heard rustling in the distance, and that musky dead smell grew stronger. I tried to spin around, hearing something coming up behind me, but I only managed to make myself swing from the tree.
A moment later, the dead smell grew stronger, overwhelming…along with the smell of my hated enemy.
Roscoe.
A shiver of fear crept up my spine, immediately followed by anger. How dare he come on my land and set traps? He didn’t belong here. He’d be attacked by any other wolf clan for simply encroaching territory. But he kept straying onto ours because he thought we had no alpha and were vulnerable.
He was about to be in for a shock, then.
“I might have known,” I said fiercely. I twisted in the ropes again, flinging my arms wide to try and grasp on to something. “I thought I smelled something foul.”
“Thought I’d disguise my scent,” Roscoe drawled. “Can’t have you figuring out all my plans based on smell alone, now can I? Ain’t no fun in that.”
“You need to leave Savage territory,” I told him coldly. “I’m warning you.”
He slapped my naked ass. “Had no idea you had such a nice body, girl. It’s gonna be fun to mate you.”
I twisted, trying to show my neck. “Joke’s on you, jackass. You’re too late. I’m already mated.”
“Say what?”
I heard the knife a moment before the rope slackened, and then I was dumped unceremoniously to the ground. I barely managed to roll, my reflexes automatically shifting my body to protect my head. I scrambled to my feet, feeling dizzy from my stint upside down, and glared at Roscoe while wobbling.
I wasn’t about to run away. Not from him. This was a direct challenge and I’d be damned if I ran away from a challenge. I wouldn’t run from this bully. Not anymore.
He eyed my naked body up and down, anger making his jaw clench. Roscoe was a hard man. Everything about him was hard used, from the deep crinkles around his eyes to the hard set of his mouth, to the gray in his dirty hair. Even his eyes were cold and mean. He was strong, though, and wiry. And mentally? He was a scary motherfucker.
I met his gaze, unwilling to drop my eyes.
He grinned at me. “You got some nice tits, too.”
“Thanks,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “I’ll be sure and let my new alpha know you approve.” I tossed my hair back so he could see the mate mark on my throat.
His cold eyes narrowed. “Now, why’d you go and do that for? You know I’d have taken care of you.”
“I’m not interested in your care.”
Roscoe’s mouth curved in a hard, ugly smile. “You know that boy of yours isn’t strong enough to beat me if I’m interested in taking over.”
“Len’s not my alpha,” I told him simply. “I got someone stronger. Someone from out of the area who was looking for a pack. Which means you need to go.”
“Really,” he said, rocking back on his heels. His fingers dug into his belt loops, and then he wiped a hand on his dirty shirt, that awful, skunky smell wafting into the air again. “And you already mated him?”
“That’s right.”
“He a good fuck? Lick that pussy hard?”
Shocked by his crude words, I felt the color rising in my face. “That’s none of your business.”
Roscoe snorted, and he stalked toward me. Anyone else would have dropped their ground, retreated a few steps, but I was locked into place, my will not allowing me to give him a bit of ground. If I gave him an inch, I’d find myself his in all ways.
He reached for my throat and I slapped his hands away. The next thing I knew, he was shoving me backward and I was pinned against a tree, the bark biting into my back. His hand clenched my jaw, his bigger frame stronger than me.
I snarled at him, showing my teeth. “Don’t you fucking touch me!”
He ignored my protests, shoving my head backward and forcibly exposing my neck so he could look at my mate mark. Then, he tilted my head back down.
“He got a big cock, girl? Or should I check for myself if he’s used you hard?”
I struggled against his hand. “I do not have to answer any of this!”
“No, you don’t,” he said in a mean voice. “That blush on your cheeks tells me everything. You’re still a virgin, aren’t you?”
I stilled, frozen at his words. “I have a mate.”
“No, you have a guy that bit your neck, precious.” He pinched my chin, harder. “If I throw you down on the forest floor here and fuck you myself, I can just as easily cover that mate mark with one of my own. Then you and your pack are all mine. What do you think of that?”
“I think I’d like to see you fucking try,” I bit out, and slashed my nails at his face.
My nails connected with the soft flesh of his eye. I felt him jerk even as he howled with anger, and his hand pinned my neck to the tree, choking me. I scratched and clawed at his hand, desperately trying to get free as Roscoe reeled from my attack. A moment later, he recovered, squinting up at me from his good eye.
And then he clocked me straight in the face with his fist.
Pain exploded behind my cheekbone, and I grunted when he struck me. That only made me fight harder, though, because I knew that if I backed down now, it was going to be much, much worse for me in the end.
So I fought.
I kicked and struck, snarling my fury, even as Roscoe hit me back, trying to subdue me. The world became a ringing of blows around my face, and he tried to trap my arms even as I fought and flailed against him. I would not go down without a fight.
But the world was getting dark, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe, Roscoe’s big hand tightening on my throat. He was choking the life out of me, and I couldn’t seem to get any air into my lungs. Blackness swirled at the edges of my vision.
A blur erupted from the corner of my eye, and the next thing I knew, I dropped to the ground, my throat released. Mad snarls filled the air, and I coughed, looking up to see that familiar yellow-brown wolf attacking Roscoe. Until I saw him against Roscoe’s human form, I hadn’t realized how big Jackson was as a wolf. He was enormous, though, all bristling fur and white fang, and he’d taken almost no time to subdue Roscoe. Even now, the other man was holding an arm braced over his face and neck to protect it, while Jackson snarled and slashed at it, going for his throat.
“Back off, Jackson,” I told him in a raspy voice, rising from the ground. There was blood in the corner of my mouth and I wiped it, hating the taste. “Don’t kill him.”
“Listen to your bitch,” Roscoe called from over Jackson’s snarls. “Don’t kill me. It’s just pack disputes.”
Jackson backed off, returning to my side, still growling and feral, his hackles raised. He began to transform even as Roscoe picked himself up off the ground and began to run away, heading deep into the woods. I touched my face, assessing my wounds. My eye was swelling and my nose hurt like a bitch, but my teeth weren’t loose and it didn’t feel like anything was broken. It’d heal.
Most importantly, I was disturbed by what Roscoe had said.
You’re still a virgin. It wouldn’t take much for me to throw you on the ground and put my mate mark over his.
I still wasn’t protected. Not really. We’d taken steps, but I had to accept Jackson in all ways before my pack would be truly safe. Shit.
Jackson stood at my side, in human form. His hand went to my shoulder protectively, and I looked at him.
His normally easygoing, handsome face was hard with anger, a snarl still curving his mouth. He looked furious, his eyes black. Blood tinged his mouth, and I watched his nostrils flare repeatedly as he attempted to get his anger under control.