Runaway Mate

Josh

Josh's POV

My pack, Silver Moon, resides on the outskirts of the human town. I wasn't always part of this pack, but my former one had banished me when they found out I was a hybrid. I wasn't a rogue for long, as I stumbled upon the Silver Moon pack. I was honest about what I was and Alpha Steven and Luna Heather welcomed me with open arms. I will forever be grateful for their kindness. This all happened about three months ago, so I haven't had a chance to visit the human town yet, until today. I had just finished dinner with the pack and felt the urge to go for a run. Shiting into wolf form, I allowed my wolf the freedom to run as long as he wanted to. I was surprised when he led us to the town. Shifting back to human form, I spot a coffee shop and decide to stop in.

The aroma is intoxicating and I order a large coffee with two blueberry muffins. As I am munching on my sweet treats, the coffee aroma intensifies and my wolf starts prancing around eagerly in my head. "What is going on with you?" I ask him internally. "Turn around, turn around!" He hollers loudly. My breath hitches when I see the most beautiful woman at a table sipping her coffee. "MATE!" My wolf exclaims happily. I can't f*****g believe it. Fate is definitely on my side tonight.

As if my feet had a mind of their own, I find myself walking over to the beauty. "Mind if I join you?" I ask her with a smile on my face. I'm relieved when she says yes and I take a seat quickly. I introduce myself and I am enjoying our conversation over the next hour or so. It was pouring outside, so I offered to drive her home. "You i***t. You didn't bring your car! We ran here in wolf form, remember?" s**t. My wolf is right. However, it doesn't matter since she declines my offer. "Do you really think I would let a beautiful woman walk home, alone, in the dark?" I ask her after she asked to use my umbrella and return it. I look back to where I was sitting and notice there's an umbrella near the table, which is of course not mine. I'm not going to miss an opportunity to walk my mate home though, so I grab it and hold the door open for her.

I tell her to lead the way, and off we go. I can't get enough of her voice, our instant connection, and how damn beautiful she is. When we arrive at her house, I walk her to the doorstep. My wolf is yelling for us to mark our mate, but it's way too soon for that. She's human and doesn't know about our world...yet. My vampire side is begging for a taste of her blood, which also smells divine. Jennifer is driving me crazy and she doesn't even know it.

"Jennifer, would I be able to see you again?" I had to know if she wanted to see me again as much as I want to see her. When she says yes, my heart feels like it's jumping around my chest. I lean in and do what I've been wanting to do since the second I laid eyes on her. Our lips connect and I never want to pull away. My tongue traces her lips and she grants me access. Her mouth tastes like coffee and just.. her. Our sweet moment is ruined as I gasp from feeling something jab me in the back. I can feel my mouth begin to cough up blood and I drop to the ground. Well, I would have if Jennifer didn't catch me and gently lowered me down. Damn, she's strong. I can hear the panic in her voice as she yells out my name. I want to comfort her and let her know that I'll be fine. However, I want to know who stabbed me and why? I keep my eyes shut and listen to the voice of my attacker to see if I recognize him. "Happy birthday, Jennifer." He sounds like a f*****g creep and how does he know my mate? My blood begins to boil and I can sense the fear radiating off of Jennifer. She clearly doesn't want to be near this guy, and I won't allow him any closer.

I open my eyes and I can't believe who it is. I may not be human, but our pack still keeps up with the local human news. This is Chad Kreisher and I sure as hell won't allow him to touch my mate and add her to the sick collection he had in the freezer. He should be in jail right now, how the hell did he escape? I have a million thoughts running through my mind, that I tuned out whatever it was he was saying to her.

I watch his body language and see he's about to grab her. Time to make my move.