Claiming His Mate Read Online Free PDF Page A

and steal the crap she’d worked hard for. As her anger mounted, her grip tightened on the broom handle. Before her very eyes, the intruder picked the lock, pushed open the backdoor, leaving it ajar, and slipped inside. Nothing but sheer fury drove Michelle forward.
    Screaming like a lunatic, she charged across the kitchen, pummeling the man with her broom. The intruder hissed curses and blocked with his arms. She landed three or four solid blows before the bastard jerked the handle from her grasp, but she wasn’t about to give up without a fight. They struggled over the broom, knocking into the kitchen table and sending a bowl of fruit crashing to the floor.
    A lethal growl pierced the air and Michelle jerked her head toward the source. She fumbled with the broom handle when she saw the huge, menacing form of a wolf in her doorway. Her assailant pressed his advantage. He wrestled the broom from her hands and shoved her. Hard. She fell backward and banged the side of her head on the countertop on her way down.
    An explosion of pain burst in her already pounding head. She lay sprawled on her back on the cool linoleum with her head resting against a cabinet door. Guttural growls rumbled through the air, raising every hair on her pained head. The wolf launched himself through the air and sank his teeth in her attacker’s arm. Another equally large wolf charged through the opened backdoor, grabbed a hold of the intruder’s leg, and shook his furry head back and forth.
    Wavering in and out of consciousness, she lay mute and watched as the pair of wolves tore into the assailant. Somehow, he freed himself from the wolves’ jaws and scrambled out of the backdoor. The second wolf wasted no time darting after him. Baring a lethal set of teeth, the first wolf moved toward her, his claws clicking with each step. Before he could eat her face off, Michelle passed out.
     
    ***
     
    Jace shifted to his human form and knelt beside his mate. The instinct to hunt roared through his blood, urging him to capture the sorry bastard and rip out his throat for hurting Michelle. Tension ran through his body, causing his muscles to twitch. Inside, his wolf paced back and forth, primed for blood.
    But his mate’s welfare won out.
    He closed his eyes for a moment to calm his anger, then he opened them and laid two fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. Satisfied with the normal thump, he scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom a second time.
    He hadn’t meant to scare her in his wolf form, but his need to ensure she was alright drove him straight to her side. Once he had her under the covers once again, he sagged on the bed next to her. He brushed her pale hair off her forehead and framed her face with his hand.
    After he’d left her hours before, he’d met up with Stephen, anxious to run off the mounting tension from his and Michelle’s kiss. Not to mention he was on edge after the call she’d received at dinner.
    Thank God he and Stephen had heard her scream. He’d anticipated something foul from Marston and Roberts, but not this soon. Jace didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if he hadn’t stuck close to her house as a precaution.
    “Jace,” Stephen called from the backdoor.
    With one last look at Michelle’s sleeping form, he rose from the bed and made his way to the kitchen. Stephen stood on the porch, barefoot and dressed in a pair of jeans. He turned when Jace approached.
    “How’s Michelle?”
    “She’s resting now. Did you catch the bastard?”
    Stephen nodded and held out his hand with a shirt and pair of pants for Jace. “Yeah, Damien showed up and bit the shit out of the fucker. He figured he owed it to you for earlier at the bar.” Stephen chuckled. “We tied up the asshole and hauled him into the back of Damien’s truck. He’s taking him straight to Andrew. I called some of the pack to hang around Michelle’s until everything settles down. So no worries, dude. We have