Page 48 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

“She has mate marks,” Dirge said with a warning growl, eyes locked on Hudson.

“Everything okay, brother?” Finn stepped up to Hudson’s side as I shrank back.

Hudson shook his head as if confused while his eyes faded back to human with painstaking slowness.

“I’m sorry, that was strange…” His brows were drawn down as if he didn’t know what had just passed between us.

What the hell was happening? I had lived my adult life inblissful invisibility from pretty much all males that I didn’t come on to first. I only lost my virginity because I was lonely at a full-moon ceremony and approached one of the less dominant, lonely pack members first. We’d dated for a bit after that, but there was no spark when the sun was shining, and we’d broken it off within a few months.

Now three very dominant shifter males had locked onto me within a matter of weeks, and I was freaking out.

As if he could sense it, Dirge turned his back on the other shifters—a bold move, which my wolf rumbled her approval of—and put his hands on my upper arms.

“It’s going to be fine, muzica mea.” His tone was soothing, and I found myself swaying toward him. My hands landed on his chest, and the world seemed to stop shifting under me. I was okay; he was okay. Hudson had turned to confer with his pack mates, and I pointedly ignored the hand gestures toward me.

After a moment of calming down with Dirge, I nodded, and he slipped an arm around my shoulders. We turned to face the group together. Leigh shot me a supportive thumbs-up, which I returned. We were just going to pretend my hands weren’t shaking and my wolf wasn’t pushing me to shift.

The three bears broke up their discussion, turning toward us with apologetic smiles and raised hands.

“I apologize, Shay. My bear is usually under much better control than that. The rest of us will refrain from touching you, if that doesn’t offend?” Hudson said with a genial smile.

“No, that’s fine, thanks.” I let out a relieved sigh. Touching people was dangerous at the moment. Though talking was a bit easier with Dirge at my side.

“We appreciate your understanding,” Reed said with a Hollywood-worthy smile. He slipped into pack politician mode with ease, smiling widely and taking over the conversation.

I was going to have to send the man a fruit basket for that.He clapped Hudson on the shoulder as they led us away from the plane toward a path cut through a rocky outcropping that loomed high overhead. When Hudson threw back his head and loosed a roar-like laugh, I finally breathed normally.

Dirge was a staunch, comforting presence at my side as we followed the narrow, pebble-strewn path.

THIRTY-THREE

Dirge

The Kodiak encampment was sparse to the untrained eye, but the bare cave opening they led us to opened to a world of hidden wonder. Skylights dotted the ground with natural light as we walked deeper into the cave, the narrow mouth of the tunnel quickly opening into a wide, spacious cavern. The ceiling and walls were crusted with sparkling gems, as if we’d walked directly into a geode. Oversized furniture that looked hand hewn was dotted around the space, and more bear shifters milled about, talking and laughing.

They fell quiet as they noticed us, though, joviality turning to curious whispers.

“We’ll wait here for Jada,” Finn said, turning that sharp smile on us again.

Bears were strange, and my wolf’s hackles were half-raised at the light in his eyes as he appraised our group.

Unlike wolves, who found fated mates blessed by the Moon Goddess, bears mated in groups. One female to every three males. The thought of it made me want to tear someone’s arm off—which I would if they touched Shay again—but it was the way of things for their species.

If I was reading the situation correctly, Finn, Hudson, and Dax were an unmated sleuth still on the hunt for their female.

When Finn’s gaze settled on Shay for a little too long, I lifted my lip and snarled, letting the wolf’s eyes glow through mine. He was still close to the surface, and after so long in fur, I’d have no trouble calling him forward if we needed to remind a bear—or three—that wolves didnotshare.

He felt my wolf and moved on, keeping his hands carefully behind his back, clasped and out of danger. Dax, though, had a wildness to him that I recognized, and while he wasn’t looking at Shay, he was edging closer and closer to where she stood.

As if he was going to just accidentally-on-purpose bump into her.

What had Hudson told them, when they were in that circle? My wolf went from half-alert to fully on edge as the bear took yet another step toward my mate.

“Shay,” I murmured, getting her attention.

She turned to me at once, tidily moving out of the bear’s path. “Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” she asked, eyes glowing with excitement as she pointed to the crystalline ceiling.

I had to chuckle at that.

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