Page 6 of Cursed Wolf

“I want a full panel done on him by the end of the week,” the doctor said. “Also, call the wolf research center. Tell them we might have a unique subspecies on our hands.” He gave me an appraising look. “I have never seen one this big before.”

Eh, can’t say the same for you, I mused. You’re about as average as it gets, Doc.

The rest of what he said sank in, cold and heavy. Research. A panel, which meant blood tests and sedation. They may not have known I was a shifter yet, but they were going to experiment on me.

I was outnumbered, cut off from my pack in a foreign world, injured, caged, and I must have already been drugged at least once. In other words, I was fucked.

A whimper started to leave my mouth before I swallowed it down. I had to keep my head on straight, had to think my way out of this. How long had I been gone? Would my packmates be out tracking my scent trail already? It felt like only a day, but who knew how long I’d been out. I scanned the walls of the room outside my cage for a calendar, but there was none to be seen.

If any wolves were looking for me, there was at least one surefire way to communicate with them.

I didn’t think for a second longer before I threw my head back and howled.

“Oh, wow…”

Whatever reactions the humans had were drowned out by my song, the call to my brothers for help. I should have known better than to venture into the human world alone, but when it came to our mates, my kind was especially territorial. I didn’t want another male sniffing out the partner that was destined for me, but now that I was caged with no mate in sight, I could have used some damn backup.

I had no idea if my pack could even hear me. There were no windows in this room, so for all I knew, I could have been in a bunker underground. But I had to try, had to sound the alarm just in case any of my packmates were nearby. Had to warn them of danger.

There was commotion all around me, but I paid no mind and kept on howling. A door swung open, the draft of air carrying the scent of a new human who hadn’t been here before. But underneath that plain, nothing-special scent was…something else.

It intrigued me enough to the point of pausing my howls so I could focus on sniffing the air.

“Hey, big guy,” a soft voice said. “I know this is all really overwhelming, but I promise you’re okay.”

The voice was feminine, warm and soothing, like a caress through my fur. And that scent. She was definitely human, but I wanted more of that understated sweetness that was so subtle. It was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

This new human woman kept her distance like all the others. I wanted her closer, not to lash out with a bite, but to press my nose into the source of that scent. To hear her voice even closer so it would soothe my frazzled nerves.

With a soft whine, I lowered my hackles, my head, and eventually, my belly. Lying on the floor of my cage, I now wanted to appear the opposite of threatening.

“That’s a good boy,” she said, inching closer. “I know you’re scared, but we’re just trying to help you.”

When she acknowledged my fear, I warmed up to her even more. There was a coldness, a sense of detachment, to these other humans that she didn’t have. I was just an animal in a cage to them. But she seemed to understand me.

“Careful, Dr. E,” someone said. “He was really aggressive a minute ago.”

“I know, I’m watching him.”

As she approached my cage, I picked out more details. She too wore a white lab coat. The name stitched on the pocket said Dr. Emmaline. And was that…

I blinked. Squinted. Then let out a soft bark of disbelief.

A single silver thread, as thin and fragile as a spider’s web, connected her heart to mine.

My pulse jumped to a furious beat while excited yaps and barks left my mouth, but I didn’t care. I’d found her. My fated mate.

I poked my nose through the bars of my cage, reaching for her. And yeah, wow. She was beautiful. Dark hair pulled back in a bun with a few strands coming loose. An oval-shaped face with full cheeks I wanted to lick. Round, dark eyes opened wide as she watched me. Her body under the coat hinted at lush curves that my human side wanted to follow like a winding mountain road on my motorcycle.

The fact that she was human, and from a world that didn’t believe in my kind no less, was the furthest thing from my mind at that moment. My mate was here, right in front of me. She didn’t know it yet, since no one but me could see fate’s threads. But she was mine. And there was no denying that fact.

“Holy shit. Dr. E’s the wolf whisperer.”

My mate smiled, her warm, dark eyes never leaving me. “Have you guys checked his cast?”

“No, he started growling the moment he woke up. We’ll have to sedate him for all exams. He’s just too dangerous otherwise.”

No. No sedation. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, sweet mate? I dropped my head to my paws, maintaining eye contact with her.

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