Page 10 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

Well, at least I wasn’t the only one.

“Okay, we’realltouchy today.” Samuel raised his hands in a calming gesture, shooting a confused, what-the-hell look at Reed.

“As I was saying, there has been a request for his early release,” Kane said again, mild censure in his tone at the interruption. “We believe he’s returned because his fated mate has been found, and what we first interpreted as the attack of a feral wolf was actually his attempt to protect his mate.”

There was a heavy moment of silence, and then everyone was talking at once. Brielle hung on to my hand like it was going to float away, and her grip was the only thing keeping me still as the testosterone level in the room went through the roof.

“Can a feral wolf even recognize a mate bond?”

“That makes himlessstable. There’s no fucking way!”

“How do you know?” The last, calmer question from my best friend brought the angry exclamations to a sudden halt. Every head swiveled, none daring to talk over the high alpha’s new mate.

Kane sent me a questioning look, but I could no more speak past the hedgehog lodged in my throat than I could sing opera.

“Several things. One, look at him. As soon as she spoke, he settled, even in his feral state. For another thing, her wolf is not feral and has also expressed the desire to claim.”

“Even so,” Samuel interjected, “he can’t actually claim her unless he comes back to himself. As long as the wolf is in control, he’s going to be dangerous. Not just because he’s feral—he hasn’t harmed any human or shifter during his years in the wild, which we all know. But a new mate bond that hasn’t been solidified by the claiming? He’s going to be unstable, aggressive, and on guard until they go through the claiming rites. If any male touches her—even by accident—he’s going to try to tear their arm off.”

I drew in a breath through my nose, the weight of those words sinking in. He wasn’t wrong. New mate bonds were precious, but it was also a fraught time for any relationship. Until the bonding ceremony was completed, cementing the lifelong bond under the Moon Goddess, another wolf could challenge for mating rights, just as had happened with Brielle and Jasline.

Dirge’s wolf waited calmly, his black fur matted and overlong, red eyes glowing menacingly even in the wan fluorescent lighting, and the knot in my throat finally eased as resolvesettled into me. He might look terrifying, sure, but I knew in the core of my being that he wasn’t here to hurt me, or anyone else in our pack. “That’s not going to happen,” I said.

The males all turned to look at me for the first time, and Brielle gave my fingers a little squeeze of support as I continued. “Kane and I walked into the room already and he didn’t react. He’s got control, even though he’s not shifted back yet. And if someone will volunteer to go back in with me, I’ll prove it.”

Silence was the only answer for one heartbeat and then another.

“I’ll go,” Reed said, meeting my gaze with equal dread and determination. “He’s my brother, and I want him released as much as you do. He may not be able to shift back without help, and time around his pack will strengthen those bonds again.”

“It should be me,” Kane said. Reed bristled under his alpha’s assessment.

“He’s mybrother, Kane.” Reed raked a hand through his hair, standing from the chair and stepping into the open space between all of us.

“I know. And that’s why it needs to be me. You’re too close to it.”

Reed growled, the sound starting low, then building as his anger crested and his eyes began to glow ice blue.

“If the situation were reversed, would you want me to turn away your help? I’m strong enough to hold him, even if he snaps. I hold the power of the pack bonds now.” Kane tapped his chest, the place where he must feel the immense tangle of power fed to him through all the packs who pledged loyalty to him.

The growling dropped lower in Reed’s chest but didn’t stop even as he nodded. Reed turned his back to us, letting his head hang loose on his shoulders as he white-knuckle gripped the back of the chair.

“Okay.” The word was hoarse, a strain for the usually composed male.

Kane nodded, then turned to me. “Shall we?”

I looked at Brielle, checking to make sure she didn’t object to me putting her mate in danger, but all I saw there was compassion.

“You got this.” She gave me a quick hug, and then we were back in front of the heavy steel door. Nerves swarmed in my stomach, a sickly sensation I wanted to shake off like water after a swim.

“Whatever you have in mind, move slowly and keep your calm,” Kane suggested as the keypad chirped and the lock slid open.

But I didn’t focus on that. My hand was already on the handle, pulling the door wide so I could see Dirge.

My mate.

The thought still didn’t feel real. Maybe it wouldn’t until he was able to shift—to speak to me, to hold me. I craved his touch in a way that went deeper than anything I’d ever experienced, even as a child dreaming of the parents I’d never had.

I needed Dirge with an intensity that bordered on physical sickness. Moving far too quickly, I closed the distance between us, dropping to my knees heedless of the bullet wound in my stomach and the hard concrete floors. I buried my fingers in his fur, letting my forehead fall against his.

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