Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Charlotte

After I practically push Jake from the room I was so graciously given, I flop down onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. The box is safely tucked away in the corner of the closet, where I am sure no one will stumble upon it. I close my eyes and wonder what the code might be. Four digits, each one a number. I tried my birthday, and my father’s, but neither was the right combo.

Before giving up, I walk to the door to click the lock, but something pulls me outside. The pack house is quiet, and it feels wrong to be walking the halls at night, but something is pulling me outside. I glance over my shoulder, making sure no one is watching as I slip out of the front door.

The night air is cool for July, and I let it brush against my skin before Tala takes control. She shifts wildly, not caring that white fur in a strange pack might make her a target. She feels the strange pull too and heads into the forest behind the pack house.

The trees are thick, and she shimmies her way between them, trying to track down the scent that has captivated her.

Merging my senses with hers, I smell the inviting scent of Cedar against the fallen leaves, which is strange because there isn’t a single cedar tree in this forest.

Tala keeps her nose to the ground until the scent becomes stronger. It tugs on her willpower, and stupidly, she crosses over into rogue territory.

“Tala, I hiss at her. ‘We have to go back.

Her growl rumbles in my mind. Just a few more minutes:

Those few minutes turn into what I can only assume are hours. The sun is rising on the horizon, and I am growing weary of whatever or whoever she is looking for. Eventually, she gives up, turning back the way we came, but it doesn’t appear that our trip back to Southpaw will be an easy one. Seven rogues are blocking our path.

One steps forward, inching his way toward Tala. She warns him with a snarl, but he only laughs at her attempt to fend him

off.

“Well, well, well,” he teases. “What a pretty little thing to wander on to our territory.”

The other rogues join in his laughter as he reaches out to touch Tala. She snaps at his hand, but he pulls it back before she can sink her teeth into it. Her jaws chomp together loudly, and I see a flash of worry in the rogue’s face. I get the feeling that he hasn’t been challenged like this before.

Subconsciously, he holds his uninjured hand to his chest and looks Tala up and down. “You are a feisty little thing, aren’t you? Why don’t you shift back so we can show you a good time?”

Tala snarls, but I can feel her anxiety. We could take one, maybe two of them, easily, but not all seven. They will tear us apart before we can break free. Still, she doesn’t back down. She might not be well–trained, but she makes up for it with her ability not to give a shit.

‘We should run,‘ I beg her. ‘I am sure we are faster than them.

‘Someone is behind us, she whimpers.

The scent of cedar is strong, and it makes her mouth water. She doesn’t look over her shoulder to see who has joined us, but when his fingers run up her spine, she almost buckles under his touch. The electricity that stirs beneath her skin tells me all that I need to know. This mystery man is who she was looking for.

He stands in front of us, blocking our view of the rogues. “I got this, pup.”

‘Pup,’ Tala snarls in my head. ‘Who the fuck does he think he is calling a pup?‘

Her immediate attraction to him is gone, and she nips angrily at his ankles. He hisses at her to stop. not taking her eyes off the men in front of him.

“Damon,” the first rogue stutters. “We thought you were out of town.”

Mystery man looks over his shoulder and winks at Tala. She growls, not liking his familiarity. “I am back now,” he tells the rogues. “You can run along, and I will take care of this for you.”

A few of the rogues turn to leave, but three stay behind. “I don’t think so,” the first one speaks again. “We found her first.”

Damon’s head cocks to the side, and the bones of his neck crack. “I don’t think you heard me.”

A growl rumbles in his chest, sending the last two rogues running. Tala peers around him, looking at the remaining rogue. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he appears to be standing his ground.

‘I am going to run, Tala whimpers.

‘It is about damn tim

you do something,’ I snap..

She ignores my outburst and runs past the mystery man and the rogue. Her feet pound against the forest floor, but she

keeps her eyes forward. Our lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with her but we just need to make it to the border. Once

we are back onto Southpaw Pack territory, we will be safe.

“Charlotte,” Jake’s voice calls out.

Tala turns her head and sees him, standing in the middle of a grove. She doesn’t hesitate to run to his side and collapse at his feet. Unfortunately, she shifts back, leaving me naked in front of him, covered in mud.

Being the obvious gentleman that he is, Jake strips off his shirt and covers me with it. I look up at him gratefully before slipping it over my head.

“Jake,” a voice calls out. “I think you have something that belongs to me.”

Jake and I turn together to see the mystery man standing just on the other side of the border. A growl rumbles in Jake’s chest. “I doubt that, Damon.”

Damon looks me up and down, running his tongue along his bottom lip. “She will hunt for me again. Tell her where she can find me next time.”

I am left stunned as Damon winks at me. I hate him, almost as much as I hate the sweet serial killer at my side.

Jake tosses me over his shoulder, seemingly not wanting me to run off again. He is grumbling under his breath about stubborn women and rogues, but I am not paying attention to what he is saying. My eyes are still glued to the mystery man watching us walk away. Even in the early morning light, I can see an intensity burning within his eyes. It stirs something within me that I haven’t felt since my last interaction with Ronan. Or maybe it is the electricity burning underneath Jake’s touch that has me on edge. Either way, I am developing an inch that is becoming hard to scratch.