Finding Snow (Fairytale Shifter Book 4) by Alexa Riley

woods at a pace that clearly isn’t human with me wrapped in his arms. I don’t say anything. The look on his face is entirely savage. Part of his face has shifted, and his eyes are completely black.
    It isn’t long before I start to hear the howls behind us, making my heart rate sky rocket. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Deep down I know Koda would never hurt me. He might not want me as a mate, but he wouldn’t hurt me. I wonder if that’s what’s driving him now. He knows he has to have me as a mate even if he hates me.
    Maybe that’s why he’s so savage. He’s lost control. More howls sound behind us, and Koda picks up speed somehow as he runs through the wood, dodging trees and never missing a step.
    “Please,” I whisper as I push my face into his neck. I don’t know what I’m begging for—for him to stop or for him to refrain from attacking my brothers, who I know are hot on our trail.
    “Mine,” he growls. His arms tighten around me. Soon the house comes into sight, the door still standing wide open. Koda leaps over all the stairs and lands inside the house, kicking the door closed behind him he puts me down and starts flipping the locks.
    I feel relief as I hear the locks click into place. I know now that a fight won’t break out between my brothers and Koda. I know Koda could take them one on one, no problem. That’s clear from his size alone. But I don’t know what he’d do with all three of them at once, and I couldn’t bear for any of them to get hurt.
    Koda turns to look at me, and it’s then I see the dart sticking out of his shoulder. I gasp and rush over to him as he pulls it out.
    “Tranq,” he growls, tossing the dart across the room. He shakes his head. “They don’t work on me anymore. I’m immune.”
    Relief and sadness hit me. Relief because I know he’ll be okay, but sadness because I know he’s immune because he was probably shot up with hundreds of tranqs when he was held captive over the years.
    He takes two steps towards me, dropping to his knees in front of me and catching me off guard. He leans his forehead against me, like he’s breathing me in. I run my fingers through his hair, wanting to calm him.
    “Go away,” Koda growls a second before a bang hits the door.
    “Snow, are you okay?” Flint yells through the door.
    “Open the door, Koda.” A deep voice I don’t recognize says. “Is he out, Snow? I hit him with a dart.”
    Koda doesn’t more. I just keep running my fingers through his dark hair, his breathing starting to calm and some of the tension leaving his body. I love that my touch can do that to him and that I have such power over this giant man.
    “I’m fine, everyone. We just need a minute,” I try to reassure them.
    “I said leave! She’s mine!” Koda growls against me, his possessive tone sending a sweet chill up my body.
    No one responds, and I have no idea if they’ve left or not, but Koda doesn’t move from his position in front of me.
    “Don’t leave me. I can’t stand it. When I came back,” his voice cracks, “and saw the door wide open and found you gone, it was the worst moment of my life. I never even felt that kind of panic when they took me. Never had a fear like that.”
    He looks up at me, and I can see the plea in his eyes.
    “I thought you wanted me gone, Koda, after I told you were I came from.”
    He shakes his head. “That’s not why I left.” I can tell he needs to say something but doesn’t want to say it.
    I run my hand from his hair down to the side of his face. He leans into my touch, turning to kiss the center of my palm.
    “Say you won’t leave me.”
    “I didn’t want to leave to begin with,” I admit. Each step I took from the cabin hurt more and more. It was like I was leaving the place that was meant to be my home.
    “Say it,” he demands, making a smile pull at my lips.
    “I won’t leave you.” I can still see the uncertainty in his face. “Ever,” I add. “As long as you want me