Page 163 of Awakened

“Let me through,” I demand, growling when he refuses to move. My chest heats with anger, and I give in to it, wrapping my hands around his forearm and shoving as hard as I can.

His arm may as well be a slab of concrete. I can literally feel the muscles straining beneath the fabric of his shirt, and I have to accept pretty fast that I’m not strong enough to move him.

With each failed attempt to reach Shade, my chest burns hotter, the flame inside me feeding my anger. Vae isn’t even watching me. His eyes are locked on Shade, who’s still more than thirty feet away, bright yellow eyes flicking lazily from Alpha to Alpha while his chest vibrates with a threatening growl I can hear from here.

“Everyone stop moving,” Gavran shouts.

“Can’t really do that,” Vae tosses back, blocking me for what must be the dozenth time.

“If you’d just freaking move and let me through, you could stand as still as you please!”

The glint of sharp steel in the moonlight as Gavran pulls a dagger from the sheath strapped to his thigh is my breaking point. My pulse spikes, my vision narrows and sharpens, and something in me snaps.

Like hell is that asshole going to stab my cat!

Acting on instincts I don’t stop to analyze, I shove harder against the steel bar of Vae’s right arm, hard enough to make him grunt. He shifts, expecting me to duck beneath that same arm. Instead, I spin to the left before he even realizes I’m not where he expected me to be. I’m cutting it close, but I manage to duck beneath his left arm seconds before he fully extends it and dive across the lawn.

My movements are awkward and clumsy. I land on my stomach, push to my feet, and, with a victorious whoop, I take off in a full sprint for my cat.

A chorus of male voices chases after me, demands and admonishments I easily ignore. I don’t hear Caelan’s voice, and for a long moment I don’t hear Soren’s, either. Then, a booming laugh thunders through the air, and I grin at the sound of my wolven Mate.

I’m less than five feet from Shade when Caelan shouts my name. The fear in his voice is so visceral it stops me in my tracks.

I spin around and see Caelan shoving between Dax and Vae, face twisted in panic. The adrenaline coursing through me makes me want to keep moving, but the terror on my Mate’s face won’t let me take another step.

“I’m fine,” I promise. “It’s just Shade. You’ve met him, Caelan, remember?”

“That’s not your house cat, Idril. That’s a fucking panther!”

I glance over my shoulder at the giant panther that used to be my fat cat, wracking my brain for some way to explain. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the glint of moonlight on steel and realize Gavran’s still aiming that damn dagger at my cat—my only friend.

The flames in my chest roar in fury.

Caelan notices my glare and follows it to Gav’s dagger. He shouts at him to re-sheath his weapon, but Gavran refuses. Caelan snaps back, and soon the two are arguing loudly. Behind me, Shade’s thunderous growl grows louder, agitated by the loud back and forth.

“Everyone shut up!”

Daxen’s demand has the desired effect, ending the arguing. It also draws the attention of Shade, who swings his massive head toward Daxen. His lips peel back from his teeth, and he bares fangs as long as my hand and as sharp as Gav’s dagger.

With a curse, Caelan’s face twists in a mask of determination, and he takes off in a sprint—straight for me.

And Shade.

Shade’s attention shifts toward my Mate, but I’m still watching Gavran. His calculating gaze bounces between my Alpha and my cat, hard amber eyes assessing the situation without all the facts.

He widens his stance and readjusts his grip on the hilt of his dagger, and my stomach sinks. If I don’t stop him, Shade’s going to get hurt.

Determination floods through me, and I whip back around, shifting until I’m positioned directly between Shade and the Alphas. I’m running purely on instinct and an unwavering resolve and intention to do whatever I have to do to prevent the clash I can see coming.

Shade is the only friend I’ve ever had. He may not have been in my life for long, but he’s protected me more than my own Mates have. He brought Soren to me. He watched over me.

Now it’s my turn to watch over him.

Caelan’s less than ten feet away, but that’s close enough. I straighten my spine and throw up my hands between us. Lifting my chin, I summon every ounce of strength inside of me, willing my voice to carry the urgency of my command.

“Stop!”

For the briefest second, I actually believe the urgency in my voice is what causes my Mates—because at some point, Soren started to run after Caelan—to skid to a stop.