Chapter 17: Seventeen.

*"I left the door open, now get your ass moving, Daniel!"* Shane growled.

Daniel took one last longing look at Sammy, she looked at him straight away, holding his gaze with easily readable affection in her eyes. Why was it so easy for her to love him like this?

*"Daniel!"* Shane snarled, startling him back from his thoughts.

Daniel reluctantly turned his head away, his body stiffened momentarily as he mentally prepared himself, before taking a deep breath. Then shifting his weight onto his haunches he leapt and propelled himself forward, barreling out the open door without looking back.

Sammy squealed at the sudden action, watching her wolf run from her was painful. Wait, when did he become her wolf she wondered. Then shaking off her momentary fright she ran after him.

She got to the front of the office building just in time to see him disappear down the road. He didn't look back, and it stung.

"Shit!" She cried out, "Shit!"

"What do we do?" Asked Shane, who was suddenly beside her, trying to prompt her to follow his plan.

Sammy ignored his question giving him a scowl. Why on earth he left the door open was beyond her. There is even a big bold sign stating to keep it closed at all times.

Shane only recieved his answer by watching her actions instead as she grabbed her radio, and instantly called her colleagues.

"Tom, Susan," she called out, on the open channel they used, "The wolf I was treating has escaped. He is headed down the road and the sedation won't have fully worn off yet. I need help in pursuit. Stupid animal will probably get hit by a car. Over." She stated covering her worry with annoyance.

Sammy ran to one of the work trucks, "Come on, Shane. If you are dumb enough to leave the door open, you can damn well come and help get him back!" She barked her order.

Shane stiffened, clenching his jaw at her tone and controlling his urge to make her submit. Nobody, human or wolf spoke to him this way. He strode to the truck and climbed in, thankful that very soon, Sammy would be pressed upon to show him the respect he deserved.

He heard, Susan and Tom confirm that they were on their way through the radio as Sammy began to tear out onto the road, like her ass was on fire.

The truck was bouncing and swerving, with every corner she took too fast in an effort to get to her mate. Shane appreciated Sammy didn't understand why she was so desperate to save Daniel, but despite this he liked that she trusted her gut, and followed the mate pull.

*"Daniel, she needs to see you turn off the road into the forest remember,"* Shane mindlinked his Beta, *"That's if she doesn't kill us first with her fucking driving skills....Shit!"* He swore, as Sammy took a particularly tight turn and he slammed against the passenger side door.

*"Shane! What's happening?"* Daniel asked in a panic.

*"Your mate seems to think a pick up can corner like a damn motorbike, that's what's happening. Fuck."* Shane growled out.

*"Shit, right I'm coming back. I'll be at the reserve parking lot. You can track me from there."* Daniel answered, before adding, *"Shane? Please make sure she is safe."*

*"I will, Daniel. Now hurry up, we are almost there."* Came Shane's sharp reply.

"There look," Sammy stated, pointing at the trees ahead.

Shane turned, and just managed to catch a flash of Daniel's grey coat. He decided he must have underestimated  the bond between the pair more than he had thought, because at this distance Sammy wouldn't be able to see him, but the fact that she could sense him was impressive.

"We can park up at the Blue Tree place, it's only about a mile ahead now," Shane responded.

"That's great, here," she said handing him the radio from her belt, can you let Tom and Susan know?"

"Yeah, sure thing," Shane responded, grabbing the radio.

Before he called them, he discreetly changed the channel though. Giving Sammy's message to an empty one instead. As expected there was no response.

"They must be driving." He decided, before he discreetly clicked the radio off, and dropped it into his passenger door pocket. It wasnt like they would be needing it anyway, and he definitely didn't want witnesses for what was about to happen.

A few minutes later, Sammy pulled into the lot and all but jumped out the truck, running around to the back.

Shane met her in front of it, as she carried a strangr rifle across her back, ploughing ahead as she called back, "Have you got the radio?"

"Yeah," Shane answered, warily as he eyed her weaponry, "What's with the artillery?"

"It's just a tranq gun. Can't risk him getting away." She answered.

Shit. Shane thought internally.

Thinking fast, he went to lift it, deliberately yanking the scope.

"Here, let me carry this," he offered.

Sammy jerked away from him, "No, I'm fine, and please dont touch the scope. Shit it's probably not zeroed in for me now." She growled annoyed.

"Sorry, I was trying to help," Shane answered, faking sincerity.

"It's fine, honest. Now I'm just going to have to get closer to him to take the shot." She answered in an obviously irate tone.

Shane smirked behind her back, as she stomped further into in the forested reserve.

He caught up quickly, intending to take over and lead Sammy towards the lake, but he didn't have to. Sammy was already headed in that direction.

"How do you know which way to go?" He asked, showing genuine curiosity.

"This isn't the first wolf I've tracked, Shane." Sammy snapped, annoyed at being underestimated. "Besides, his footprints are pretty obvious. If it weren't impossible, I'd think he wants to be found."

Shane face palmed at Daniel's obvious trail, because Sammy was right, a toddler could follow this.

They walked on in relative silence for another twenty minutes, before Shane spotted the lake in the distance, and he knew then that this was his cue to disappear.

"Hey  you carry on, I'll catch up," he stated ambiguously.

"What? Where are you planning on going?" Sammy asked annoyed.

"Eh, nature calls?" Shane stated awkwardly, unable to come up with anything else on the spot.

"Oh, right," Sammy answered, completely embarrassed as she turned and practically ran away.

Shane laughed internally at her discomfort.

*"Right Daniel, she is on her way but she is armed."* Shane mindlinked the update over to his Beta. *"You're going to have to be quick."*

*"Got it,"* Daniel responded.

After Shane dropped the link, Daniel began to pace nervously.

He almost had a complete figure of eight treaded into the dirt from all his circuits when he first heard her.

Sammy was panting, and it was one of his most favourite noises, although normally that was down to him hearing it in utterly different circumstances.

He spotted her before she did him. Her cheeks were tinged pink, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on her brow. But the alarming part, was the rifle that was now in her hands.

Daniel swallowed, lowering his body to the ground as he lay in wait, he just needed her to take a few more steps.

She was almost there.

Just as she got to his treaded number work, he lunged. Knocking her on her back with a wince.

Sammy grunted as the air rushed out her body with a whoosh. Opening her eyes, she saw her wolf looking down at her.

However, for some reason she wasnt afraid.  She lay there, her hand barely even gripping the gun, staring up at the wolf who was staring back at her.

But, then something happened, Sammy watched as her wolf's face began to distort.

It was his fur coat, it was shrinking, then his head began to change shape.

Sammy watched with eyes as wide as saucers, as the fore legs by her head turned to muscular arms. With freckles across the biceps she recognised, and his head, it became a human one. With a human face she knew all too well. That dimple, and those green eyes.

Daniel.

Sammy frowned, "What the hell is going on?!" She demanded.

Daniel smiled, he couldn't help it, the fact that she was angry instead of terrified made him happy.

"I think that's kind of obvious, don't you, Gorgeous?" He smiled back, enjoying the feeling of her pressed beneath him.

"No! It damn well isn't! Get off me, now," she shrieked, looking down at him, "And why the hell are you naked? Again!"

"I missed you, so much," Daniel answered, ignoring Sammy's ire.

He then lowered himself fully so he was seated between her thighs and fully inhaled her scent at the junction of her neck and shoulders. The action caused her body to ripple beneath him and he sighed contentedly.

Sammy on the other hand was not content, she was livid.

"Get off of me, you complete asshole!  What kind of a joke is this!" She cried.

Her reaction stilled Daniel's enthusiasm, and he pulled back to look at her, slowly climbing off of her to sit back on his heels.

"Sammy, there is no joke here. I am a werewolf, and you are mine." He stated calmly.

Sammy's eyebrows pulled together at his words. Not the first part of the sentence, because that much was damn well obvious; but the second, and all she could think was, *how fucking dare you! I am no man's!*

"No, I'm mine!" She seethed, "And no one else's!"

With that her fingers clasped around the handle of the gun and she pulled it infront of herself, squeezing the trigger, as she aimed at Daniel's thigh, beyond her foot.

Daniel looked down in shock to see a dart, with a large purple feather sticking out, embedded into his thigh.

"You shot me?" He asked, pulling the dart from his leg as the drug began to work quickly. "What the hell was that for, Shammy?" He asked, slurring his words, "Damns hit, all shy want shis to wuv shoo." He cried out as his body began to slump and he fell face forward across her legs.

Sammy tried to pull away, but Daniel was using his remaining strength to hold onto her. She only managed to get out from beneath him once he was fully out, and he even had the smallest trail of drool coming out the side of his mouth.

She got up to walk away, she even managed two steps till she turned and looked at him. Why couldn't she just walk away?

Instead she shrugged off her jacket and lay it over him.

She stood and had a startling realization, Shane.

She sighed, annoyed at their trickery, then sat down beside Daniel, and awaited his friends arrival.

*Author's Note: Sorry for the slight delay. Yesterday was utterly manic. I including having my knee dislocated by a sheep. it went straight back in thankfully, but damn that hurts like a bitch.🤦🏻‍♀️ Anyway hope you like it.*