Page 22 of Wolf Forgotten

As my human conscience continued to beat me up, I stumbled back from the deer, intense guilt threatening to send my feast back up. I plopped down heavily on my haunches and chuffed in defeat.

I felt a sudden pressure in my head and my body jolted forward as I shifted back to skin and nakedness. The chains and cage made sense now. I couldn't control this new part of me. A part of me I didn't even know I had.

I was a monster.

Chapter Ten

Eli

Cole might have been the alpha, but that didn't mean I had to agree with him. After the first night of Ivy being locked in the basement, I'd suggested we move her to the spare bedroom upstairs because if she really had never shifted before, the last thing we wanted was for her to wake up in a cage.

He said she'd be fine, and the cages were there for a reason. She'd shifted back and forth several more times, but most of her time was spent in human form. The impact of the crash really did a number on her. Plus, she was a red wolf, a rarity we didn't know the meaning of.

I'd just nodded as he listed out reasons she should be in the basement. He had valid points, but she was a female. How dangerous could she really be?

When she ran from the house, I'd followed her immediately. I had been working in the garden and smelled her fear as soon as she opened the door.

Her reaction to me in the woods was enough evidence that she had no clue about our world. Cole had already said as much after the encounter with two wolves during their helicopter trip.

How could a wolf shifter go so many years not knowing who they were?

We followed as she ran from my family's house. My face throbbed from her whacking me with a hammer. It was my fault for grabbing her when she clearly thought we were up to something nefarious.

She stopped in a clearing, and quicker than I'd ever seen any other wolf, took down a deer that probably weighed twice as much as her. Ivy was smaller than our females and thinner than a healthy wolf. She tore into the deer like it was the first meal she'd had in years. I drooled as the scent of the deer hit my nose.

I flinched and looked at Cole, who was taking in the image in front of us. She was going to make herself sick if she didn't slow down.

Cole stepped forward, and when I did the same, he growled."Stay back."

I lowered my head and backed up, bumping right into Sara who must have just arrived. She gave me an annoyed look and then plopped down.

I sometimes wished it wasn't just the alpha that could communicate with each of us. It would be handy to have private conversations with my sister.

Ivy shifted back on her hands and knees, a gasp coming from her. Cole shifted but kept his distance as she realized she had an audience and tried to cover herself.

Cole squatted next to the deer and looked it over before looking at Ivy, who was trembling. I wanted to go to her and comfort her, so I shifted back. Cole shook his head at me, but I ignored him.

"I said to stay back."He was pissed, but I didn't care. She needed someone, and he wasn't about to be that person. She wasmymate.

“Are you all right?” I made my voice as gentle as possible. I squatted near her side and put a hand on her back.

She flinched away and stood, keeping her back to us. My heart sank into my stomach. She feared us, and I couldn't blame her for pulling away from me. I'd allowed her to be locked up.

Cole cleared his throat and gave me a look that made my balls retract. I was overstepping my boundaries by not listening to his command.

“I know this is scary and confusing for you. I wish I could have told you before, but I wasn’t even sure what your deal was.” His voice held a softness and sincerity he rarely showed.

"What my deal was? You did this to me!" She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder and glared. "I was perfectly fine until you! What did you do to me?"

He held his hands up and backed up a few steps. "Nothing, Ivy. You're a wolf shifter. You have been since birth."

"That's impossible." Her brows furrowed, and her eyes looked up as if she was searching her memories, and then she laughed. "Is that why goats and sheep run from me? Or why we could never have cats?"

I snorted back a laugh, and she turned her glare on me. My stomach twisted, and I averted my gaze.

"What the fuck? We need to find out where she came from and who her parents are."Cole rubbed the back of his neck."She's also the most dominant female I've encountered."

"My wolf wants to show her his belly and get a belly rub."I probably should have kept that to myself because it was going to cause trouble. It was one thing for me to be forced onto my back, but to want to do itandget a belly rub? My wolf had it bad.

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