Page 7 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

“But it progresses through physical intimacy…” I trailed off, realizing I wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t just experienced himself. “How am I supposed to form a mate bond with someone who won’t shift from the wolf?”

Kane pressed his lips together in a grim line. “You can’t, not unless he’ll shift. Feral wolves have been saved over the centuries. Not many, but it has happened.” He spoke gently, like I was a scared fawn poised to dart away. That lead from my chest had sunk to my bones, making me feel heavy and sluggish.

The possibility that I’d found my fated mate at twenty-six only for him to be feral and leave me alone for the rest of my life was too cruel to consider. The centuries of loneliness ahead of me stretched in a seemingly endless, bleak expanse. No family of my own, no children.

It was the worst fate I could imagine after growing up in foster care. I’d already lived it. No roots, no loving home to come back to after the end of a long day of harassment and teasing at school. Just me against the world.

The darkness of an unbonded wolf slowly sinking in, driving me insane as the centuries wore on.

I had Brielle and Leigh now, of course. But Brielle was already mated, and in time, the pups would come. Leigh longed for a mate with a fervor that was undeniable, so I was sure she wasn’t far behind. They’d go their own ways, build their own families, and then I’d just be another pack mate, the single one.

The third wheel forever.

It took all my willpower to shove those thoughts aside. Getting Dirge back wasn’t hopeless. I had to cling to that and let the rest go, or else I’d drive myself insane.

“Can I see him?” I finally asked.

Kane was silent for a long time. “I should say no.”

Pain lanced through me, and not from my slow-healing bullet wound. If Kane really wanted to keep me from Dirge, he was strong enough to do it. I’d be no better off than Dirge, flinging himself against an immovable wall.

Unless I wanted to use my relationship with Brielle against him, but that felt wrong.

I steeled myself for the argument, but he saw it a mile away and lifted a hand in warning.

“Ishouldsay no. But I think this is a special circumstance. You may see him, but you need a second, in case he doesn’t respond in a way we expect. Dirge is an incredibly dominant, powerful wolf, and that was before he went feral and spent three years living in the wild. He was head enforcer for our pack before the change—top five in my father’s pack before he left to come with us to Alaska—and he’s more dominant than Reed.”

“So…”

“So, I will be coming along. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” The word was out before it processed in my brain, a pure reflex. I craved my mate on a cellular level, and anything that got me a step closer to him, I’d say yes.

“Okay, then. He likely will respond badly to me being close to you. I will precede you into the room, step to the side, and allow you entry. I’d recommend waiting until I’m in the corner before you step inside. Freshly mated but unbonded males are easily set off at the best of times, and this is not the best of times.” He shot me a wry smile before striding out of the room.

I followed hot on his heels, despite knowing I was going tohave to wait to go in after him. Something inside me urged me to hurry, to close the distance between us.

“Remember what I said,” Kane warned before punching a pin code into the digital lock on the thick steel door. I shifted my body subtly to the side to try to catch it, but only saw the last three digits. It unlocked with a heavyclunkof metal bars sliding back into place inside the door, and then he let himself inside.

The door closed behind him but didn’t relock. My hand was trembling on the handle within a second, but I forced myself to wait. No snarls or sounds of fighting came from inside as I counted to ten as slowly as I could manage. As soon as my count was up, I pushed the door open.

The scent of filthy, unwashed wolf hit me like a brick wall, but I didn’t care. Because for the first time ever without being surrounded by gun-wielding enforcers, I was standing face-to-face with my mate.

SIX

Dirge

Waiting was torture and against every demand raging inside me. But after a few minutes of calm, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Two sets, maybe three. The urge to fling myself back at the door—or better, position myself just inside it, so I could force my way out when it opened—was overwhelming, but I leaned on my humanity to keep my muscles locked in place. This room was monitored, and if I moved, they wouldn’t come in.

That certainty was the only thing that saved me when the door opened, and a dominant alpha strode through, the scent ofherwafting in with him.

I wanted to rip his throat out.

But this was probably a test, a fact I remembered well from my years as an enforcer. Unstable wolves were dangerous, and if I couldn’t control myself, they wouldn’t let me out. So, I clamped my jaws shut and kept staring at the door, ignoring him as he walked to the far corner of my cell. I recognized the scent of the alpha; the name Kane floated up through my memories like a leaf on a still pond.

He was a friend of my brother’s, from back when he wasstill a young sapling I could overpower with one hand tied behind my back. But now… a dominance like no other rode him. He’d matured, and his power had multiplied a hundredfold since I’d last seen him.

But what did he have to do with my mate?

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