Velder hesitated. “Take a walk with me.”

Drantos spun, marching a good ten feet away. He glared at his father. “What?”

“You need to pull yourself together. The woman will be found. I sent two good trackers after her.”

“That's not good enough.” Drantos dared his father to tell him otherwise. “You can’t talk me out of it.”

His father grabbed his arm. “I forbid it! Our clan is in danger and I have one son down. I need you, Drantos. The men I sent will find her. Your place is here.”

“You’re wrong.” Drantos glared into his father’s stunned gaze. “Ban me from the clan if you must but I’m going after her. Decker might realize she’s not completely human if she’s injured and bleeding. I won’t allow Aveoth to have her. She’s mine to protect and I will die to do so if that’s what it takes.”

“You can’t risk your life for a woman who has shunned you.”

Drantos jerked out of his father’s hold. “And you can’t take what she said seriously.”

“Laws are still laws, son. Several of us heard her say she doesn’t want to live with you.”

“Dusti is my mate regardless of what she claimed.”

“And I’m your clan leader, and I’m ordering you to help me escort our injured home.”

Drantos was furious. “No!”

His father snarled. “Do what you’re told!”

People around them turned their heads.

Velder lowered his voice. “My orders are clear. Follow them.”

“You’re being unreasonable. You’d go after Mother.”

“She’s my mate and birthed my children.”

“Dusti is my mate will birth my children one day.”

“You’re disobeying your clan leader. We are keepers of the laws. You can’t just ignore protocol because you’re obsessed with this woman. Our family needs to stay united. The other clan leaders won’t tolerate family squabbles. You know this. It’s a bad reflection on me as a leader. They’ll demand I punish you for defying me if you go after her, like any other clan member would be.”

“Fine. Punish me when I get back. I’m still going.” Drantos met his father’s grim stare. “You need to understand that she’s already mine.”

His father growled. “Don’t do this, Drantos,” Velder warned. “I raised you not to break the law.”

“You also taught me to do the right thing and to follow my heart. That’s Dusti.” Drantos held his father’s gaze. “Don’t give me orders where my mate is concerned. I’m going after her.”

Drantos turned, shifted into his beast form, and sniffed the ground. His father tried to grab his tail but he shot forward in the direction he knew they’d taken Dusti.

He’d committed his life to living in accordance with the laws of the VampLycan, but none of that mattered if he lost his mate.

He had to slow when the trail of the attackers broke apart into different directions. He studied the ground instead of following the scents. One set of tracks dug into the Earth deeper than the rest. His nose told him to follow another trail but he chose the deeper prints. One of the males carried Dusti’s weight. They would have no choice. She couldn’t shift and in skin, she’d be too slow for them to have a real chance of escape.

Decker’s men were good but Drantos knew he was better. His father’s trackers had veered off after the other four sets of prints, following the wrong ones. A soft snarl tore from his throat. When he caught up to the enforcer carrying Dusti, he would kill him. No one touched his mate and lived.

The enforcer had eventually slowed to a walk. They’d chosen a smaller male to abduct Dusti in an attempt to mask the heavier tread his paws left with a passenger, but it also appeared the added weight made him somewhat weaker. A quick glance at the sky assured Drantos time wasn’t on his side. His eyesight was good at night but tracks were harder to spot.

The tracks changed direction again and pure rage poured through Drantos.

The enforcer wasn’t taking her to Decker’s clan anymore—but instead headed toward the GarLycan cliffs.

Decker had probably ordered her delivered directly to Aveoth. He followed the trail a little longer until he was certain it wasn’t just a ploy to mislead him. Drantos burst into a run to cut them off. He needed to rescue Dusti before Aveoth got his hands on her. That meant stopping the enforcer before they reached GarLycan territory.

* * * * *

Pain pulled Dusti from her unconscious state. Disorientation had her rubbing her face on the hairy, soft pillow.

Hairy?

Reality and memory instantly clashed together when she lifted her head. The thing under her panted heavily. It wasn’t running anymore but instead lay on the ground. Her legs were pinned under a soft, warm belly, where the VampLycan had settled to rest. It turned its head, sharp teeth nearly brushing her jaw. A set of dark eyes met her stricken ones.

He was a man, despite looking exactly like something out of a horror movie. The bloody guy had called him Craig. She tried hard to remember that as they stared at each other. It might help combat some of her fear. He’s Craig. Not hell beast.

“Ssssilll,” he gasped.

The word came out messed up, his voice too throaty and guttural to really understand. She took a guess at what he’d tried to convey, that perhaps he didn’t want her to fight him. She didn’t even know how to do that. As a beast, he had claws, fangs, and a body twice the size of hers. All she had were fingernails and a determination to escape. The odds weren’t in her favor.

Their staring contest seemed to end when he twisted his muzzle away to drop his jaw back on the ground. His labored breathing continued.

Think, she ordered her mind. Come up with a plan. She wiggled a little, tested the thick band that kept her secured on his broad back. It didn’t allow for much movement. She reached back and touched the leather-like material. It felt pretty thick and not like something she could tear with her fingers. Craig had obviously run until he had dropped. She guessed his exhaustion would be the only advantage she had.

She let her fingers trail lower along the girdle, trying to figure out how it was secured. The restraint limited her reach. Craig didn’t seem to notice or care what she did. She discovered the metal line in the material that probably held the girdle-like binding in place. It was tough to blindly try to figure out how to release the tension on it. There were no ties or holes to indicate it had locks. It was frustrating.