Garrett's Choice by A.J. Jarrett Page A

air and immediately shifted to his half-human form. He eased up on to his feet and took a cautious step toward the dark mass lying half in, half out of the creek. He wanted to be prepared just in case this was a trick by the witch trying to infiltrate his pack. Garrett couldn’t afford to be blindsided especially with his mate standing right behind him.
    At all costs Garrett had to keep Lachlan safe.
    In the distance Garrett could hear Wes howling, and it was getting nearer. Garrett should wait for Wes, but an overwhelming sense of doom had him walking forward to assess the situation.
     
    82
    AJ Jarrett
    As Garrett drew closer to the scene laid out before him, he instantly knew something was severely wrong. The copper scent of blood was heavy in the air, almost so that Garrett could taste the substance on his tongue. Glancing about, his eyes landed back on the water. It was flowing red. Whatever lay humped over the edge of the creek was either dead or in the process of dying.
    “Who is that? I can smell blood in the air,” Lachlan’s rough, rasping voice asked from beside him.
    “I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out. Keep your eyes opened for any signs of an attack. This could be that witch’s doing.” Garrett stepped closer to the motionless body on the ground. The sound of water trickling over rocks would have been soothing had he not known that a body lay only a few feet away.
    Garrett bent down and rolled the wet form over. He gasped when he saw the lifeless eyes of one of the younger females staring back at him. Her throat had been ripped out. The wound was so deep and vicious it went clear down to her spine. Between her breasts lay a gaping hole where her heart should have been. Whoever did this wanted to make sure it killed the girl.
    “Lachlan!”
    Garrett stood up so fast he felt dizzy. He turned to his mate just in time to see another female running toward him. As the moonlight lit up her face, Garrett recognized that it was Clara.
    “Clara, oh my god what happened?” Lachlan held the woman close as she sobbed into his chest.
    Garrett glanced down at the lifeless body one more time then turned his attention to the hysterical woman in his mate’s arms.
    “They came out of nowhere. Lacy and I were just running, enjoying the night. We never heard them coming. I…tried.” Clara’s voice hitched, and she gasped for breath. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she tried to explain what happened.
    “Shh, calm down, Clara.” Lachlan pulled her close again, trying to soothe her any way he could.
     
    Garrett’s Choice
    83
    Garrett looked in all directions trying to figure out what had happened. Typically when dark warriors attacked, they didn’t leave survivors. Something about this didn’t feel right, but Garrett couldn’t be for sure.
    “Oh my god, Clara, you’re bleeding.”
    Garrett walked back over to his mate and a crying Clara. Her right cheek had been slashed open, and the wound wasn’t closing. Silver. It was the only thing that would cause a wound not to heal properly.
    “Clara,” Garrett said as calmly as he could. “I need to know what happened here.”
    Clara looked up at him but kept her head resting on Lachlan’s chest. Her eyes were wild. Garrett feared she was suffering from shock.
    After a few deep breaths, Clara started to speak. “Lacy and I were running like we usually do, together. We liked to run on this side of the property because most of the unmated males don’t come this far out. We can run without being bothered.” Clara broke down again and started to cry.
    “Clara, I know this must be difficult for you, but I need to know what happened.” Garrett placed his hand on the back of her head, trying to will his strength into the young woman.
    Sounds of footsteps met Garrett’s ears. He recognized Wes’s scent coming toward them.
    “We were running, and then the next thing we knew we were surrounded. There were so many of them we couldn’t escape. We tried to