Draco and his wolf were pissed off for not sniffing them out earlier. He should have been able to sniff their scent from a mile away.
Now he wanted to know what they had said to her before he got there to put the fear of the goddess in her eyes. They will pay for that.
Draco and his wolf, Shadow, bit down harder on Chris’s shoulder, making the fucker scream out in pain. When he got to the spot in the woods behind Athena’s house, he let the asshat loose.
Once he dropped his prey on the ground, he shifted back to his human form and quickly dressed in his jeans as Chris cried from the pain on the ground. After getting his jeans on, Draco grabbed Chris by his hair and yanked him up, not caring if he was hurting him or not.
“I’m assuming you already know who and what we are, same as the Maplewoods, so let this be your last fucking warning. Come near Athena again and I will end you on the spot. Come back into my territory again, I will end you on the fucking spot. Spread the word, Athena is off-limits to you, your mother, and the Maplewoods.”
“The Maplewoods will own you! They are going to tear you apart. Before they do that, they will force you to watch as they have their fun with your whore of a sister and that cunt my mother bore.”
“They can try, but I promise you they will never get close enough to either of them. There’s a reason I’m called a ghost, and it’s not because I yell out boo. Come to my territory again, and I will end every fucking one of you without blinking a fucking eye. Athena is off fucking limits,” Draco growled in Chris’s face.
“She belongs to Rob. He bought her. She is his mate. What he wants, he gets. Fuck her fat ass all you want, but she will be Rob’s to fuck and sell in the end.”
Draco let out a rumble from his throat that had Chris pissing his pants. “The only reason I’m letting you live is to get the warning back to the Maplewoods. Next time I’ll send your carcass back to them in pieces.”
Stepping back, Draco let his hand grow claws before raking them across Chris’s chest, marking him. While Chris screamed in horror, Draco nodded at the figure in the woods.
“Drop him at the boarder of the Maplewood territory. They can deal with him from there.”
“Yes, sir. I got it from here. Mother escaped from the window and hauled ass out of there. Arrow has Athena now. She’s begging for us to find you. She’s afraid you’re walking into a trap.”
“They have threatened Dee and the rest of us. Get with the enforcers when you get back, up the patrols near the borders. Arrow will have day duty with Athena. I’ll be taking nights here until further notice.”
“You need us, yell. We have your back. Look, Draco, I know your stance on mates. I get it, but if it’s true, and she’s your fated mate, the only way to protect her is to claim her. Then you’ll have the Council’s backing. Once the Maplewoods are dealt with, then you can sever the bond and let her go if you don’t want her. Personally, I think you’d be a fucking idiot. But that’s just my opinion. Once you take out the Maplewood Pack, no one will fuck with you or your pack.”
Draco glared at Tucker as he shrugged. He knew what the man said was true, but he knew if he claimed Athena, he would never be able to reject her.
Once, and if, he claimed her, their mating bond would take over and it wouldn’t sate until she was carrying his pup. His parents would disown him for rejecting their bond then.
His siblings would castrate him with the help of Leo and the rest of his team. He would not risk it.
Instead, he would protect her while getting rid of the Maplewood Pack. Even then, she would remain under his protection as he watched her from afar.
“She will remain under our protection. I will not claim her.”
“Your brothers and sisters were right. You are a dumbass with fucked up ideas about fated mates. If she were mine, I wouldn’t hesitate. Your father said they make you stronger, better. You’re a damn good leader, generally, but a piss poor man and Alpha right now. I’m taking this fucker to do as you asked.”
Draco seethed as he watched his friend and teammate walk away. Like Leo, Tucker, Townie, Hawk, and Case always gave it to him straight. Arrow always rolled her eyes at him and would call him a dumbass.
That was what he loved about his team. They weren’t kiss-asses and always let him know when he’d fucked up.
Some would call them insubordinate, but he preferred a team that could be heard and valued. He felt that made them a better soldier, a family who fought, bled, sweat, and cried together when called for.
Right now, he admitted insubordinate sounded about right. Fucking know-it-all.
Draco removed his jeans and shifted back into his wolf. Even that asshole was busy being a dick about it all.
“You don’t claim our mate, I’ll make sure your dick never works for another pussy again.”
“It’s too dangerous for us. And for her.”
“That shaman worked for the cartel. Ever stop to think he told you that bullshit to throw you off of your game? I thought you were smarter than the others. Guess I was wrong.”
Chapter
Eighteen
