Struggle for Love

Chapter 8 The Chase

My feet pounded into the pavement as I pushed myself to go faster. The man had shifted into his wolf and was gaining on me fast. "We should shift." Blue stated. "We don't have time. We have to just keep moving!" I told her as I begged my legs to move faster. "f**k this!" Blue pushed herself forward and forced the shift mid air, shredding my clothes in the process. The moment her paws hit the asphalt our speed increased ten fold. We were slowly pulling away from the wolf behind us.

Momma Beth's house came into view and we pushed as hard as we could but the wolf never stopped, never turned around. He just continued to follow us. I let out a ear piercing howl, in hopes that someone will be alerted to my distress. I saw the door fly open and watched as Zachariah stepped onto the porch. I was never more happy to see him. He looked at me then at the wolf following me. Rage filled his blue eyes. Just as I was reaching the porch he jumped over me, shifting in midair. He was beautiful. He was the biggest black wolf I had ever seen with sharp blue eyes. I whimpered when I heard his growl, felt it shake the earth around him. I lay myself flat on the ground with my ears back. I watched as the other wolf came to a sudden halt. He looked at Zachariah and knew, he was no match for him. Zachariah was more than double his size and his growl alone, was enough to make anyone surrender. I could feel the power radiating off of Zachariah and it was torturously heavy. The other wolf bared his neck. Zachariah shifted back to human form. I looked at him. He was rather hairy as a human and the peppery smell of pine was so strong but it soothed the anxiety that had built up in my chest.

"Shift now." Zachariah commanded. The wolf was fighting the command but whimpered in defeat as he turned into a man, crumpled at Zachariah's feet.

"Mitch." Zachariah stated blankly.

"Zach." The man said.

"Why are you chasing my mate and your future Luna?" Zachariah stated. The man's eye brows rose as he glanced back at me then at Zachariah.

"Your mate? But she's not marked." Without warning a Zachariah smacked the man, it sounded like lightening clapping.

"How dare you! Regardless if a female is mated, marked or not, that doesn't give you the right to chase her down! You mangy f*****g dog! I should f*****g castrate you!" Zachariah barked out. The man coward and bared his neck.

"I'm sorry Alpha. It won't happen again. I swear."

"You God damn right it won't!" Movement in the trees grabbed my attention. Three wolves marched over to Zachariah's side before shifting. Three men stood in their place. One was a tall, large, bald black man with sleeves of tattoos on both his arms. Another was a barrell chested white man with copper hair and a matching beard. The last man was a short, stocky man with tattoos on both arms and dirty blonde hair.

"Alex, take Mitchell to the dungeon and notify my father of his actions."

"Yes, Alpha." Said the short stocky man. I watched as the four men disappeared into the forest. Zachariah turned and walked toward me, dropping to the ground at my side.

"Are you alright, River? Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" He began checking me all over. I nipped at his fingers before standing and shaking the dirt from my fur. I went inside the house and up to my room while staying in wolf form. Mate or not, I still didn't want him seeing me naked.

After I had showered and dressed I came down stairs to have breakfast. Zachariah was waiting at the table and looked up as I entered the kitchen. He was wearing cargo shorts and a black t-shirt. I assumed he had kept clothes in his car.

"River, what happened? Why was Mitch chasing you?" Concerned painted his face. I rolled my eyes.

"He was chasing me because he's a brute, that's why." I sat down and buttered a biscuit that was sitting in the center of the table. "Where's Momma and Momma Beth?" I questioned.

"They went to the store to get some juice. That didn't answer my question. Surely, there's a reason he was chasing you." He deadpanned. Max waddled up and laid his head in my lap while gazing up at me, begging me for my biscuit.

"So, you think I did something to cause him to chase me?" I glared at Zachariah.

"That's not what I said. I'm just trying to figure out what happened."

"What happened? I was running, minding my own business when he started growling at me. I told him to f**k off and then he started making lewd comments, then tried to jump me. So... I ran straight home." I scratched Max behind the ear and gave him the rest of my biscuit before turning my gaze on Zachariah. His face had turned an interesting shade of red and his eyes were no longer blue, but silver with specks of black, a sign his wolf was surfacing.

"Zachariah? Are you alright?" I asked hesitantly. Zachariah took a few deep breaths and his eyes returned to normal.

"I'm fine. I promise that will never happen again." He smiled at me and reached for my hand but I pulled it back and his smile faltered. "Do you feel the mate pull?" He questioned with hurt in his eyes. The truth was I did feel it. I felt drawn to him from the first time I met him but I was about to start my residency. I didn't have time for the mate bond or being a Luna. So I did the only thing I could think to do.

"I don't." Pain shot through my chest as the words left my lips. I couldn't tell if it was mine or his. His eyes fell to the floor.