Scent of a Mate (Sassy Mates, #1)

She curled her hands around the metal pipe Ellie had left under the passenger seat. The small metal was the only weapon she could grab before being pulled out of the broken window.

The man flung her on the ground. She scraped her leg and hit the gravel with a thud. Pain shot up her leg to her hip. Holding the bar in a death grip, she watched three of the men attack Ellie at once. Ellie struggled to fight the men off, but they hit her repeatedly, punching and kicking her. She snarled, attempting a shift again, but the blows kept coming.

Concern for her friend made her forget about her attacker. The man grabbed her by the front of her dress and slammed her over the hood of the car. The windshield broke under her. She screamed. Everything shifted, spinning in circles. For a moment spots danced in front of her eyes.

Her grip on the bar loosened for just a moment before she squeezed the metal in her grasp. His eyes glowed bright gold. A combination of pain, anger, and fear for Ellie filled her. She had to help her friend, but breathing alone hurt. He snarled and jumped on to the hood of the car, landing with his legs to either side of her.

She swung the metal bar up hard slamming it against his groin. He howled in pain and punched her in the face before jumping back. Something, which she knew had to be blood, made a wet trail down her temple. She struggled to breathe. Goddamn she should have had her car instead of depending on Ellie. At least she kept a shotgun in hers.

Ellie was bleeding from multiple scratches. She growled. Her beautiful white top was drenched in blood and blood matted her blond hair. Using her claws as weapons, she tried to fight off the three men. But they were smart. By attacking Ellie at the same time, she couldn’t stop all of them. One of them ran his claws across her chest. Another grabbed her by the hair. The third guy punched her in the stomach.

Jordan tried to get her legs to move, but the pain at her hip and head made it near impossible. Struggling to slide off the hood of the car, she groaned. Then the man was there again, digging his claws into her thighs and dragging her down the front of the car. She gripped the bar and swung it hard to hit the man in the face. She split his cheek and blood spurted out of his wound.

“I think I’m done playing with you now,” he snarled.

He grabbed her by her throat. Fight or flight kicked in. She struggled against the forceful hold. Her mind whirled. She kicked, every move ratcheting the pain in her thigh. Tears gathered in her eyes, turning her vision hazy. Her lungs burned. The bar fell from her hands. She dug her nails into the hands squeezing at her throat.

“Jordan!” Ellie’s voice was panicked.

She gasped for air. The squeezing of her throat tightened. Jordan continued to slap and scratch the giant cutting off her air supply. Sounds started to drift away. Darkness took hold of the edges of her vision, closing in on her. Her chest felt ready to explode. Then everything went dark.

Aric and his brothers decided to join the women for dinner. He’d already gotten the green light from Jordan’s friends to pop in at the restaurant uninvited. They reached a deserted parking lot, all of them excited at the prospect of a fun time. As they rounded a corner, Aric’s gaze met a horrible sight. Ellie was being attacked by a group of men. Two of the men took off at the sound of the approaching vehicle. The third one was slower to stop punching at Ellie’s body on the ground. Another ran from the front of the car and caught up after the others.

Fury bubbled up inside him. They jumped out of the truck. Aric’s wolf pushed at the skin. The anger riding him was hard to contain the closer he got to his sister. His wolf snarled, urging the shift to happen. Aric had to tamp down the urge to let the animal free. They ran for Ellie. She struggled to stand. Jake and Nathan took off after the men.

“Jordan…” She whimpered, pointing toward the car.

Aric’s heart froze. He jerked in a circle until he saw Jordan’s body lying by the car’s front bumper. Blood covered her arms. He ran to her in a blur, stomach tightening with each breath he took.

“Jordan?” He could hardly say her name around the thick knot in his throat. She lay on the ground, face down. Her back bled from multiple cuts. His hands shook as he carefully turned her over. Fear almost held him immobile. He was terrified of how badly she’d been injured. Her bloody face and bruised torso angered the wolf. A painful bone-deep howl left Aric’s throat. His mate.

God, she looked to be at death’s door. She had to be okay. Their relationship had just begun. It wouldn’t, couldn’t end this way. He wouldn’t allow it. He repeated the thought in his mind, but it did nothing to freeze the fear spreading through his chest. Nor did it diminish the anger and pain stabbing at his gut.

He listened to her lungs struggle to take wheezy breaths. With quick moves, he picked her up in his arms. Once he had her securely in his grasp, he turned back to Mason, who held a passed out, shifted Ellie in his own arms.