Page 40 of Claimed By the Feral Wolves

I lick my lips, trying not to stare. “Three dads, all ferals, my mom, and then my three brothers, so, yeah, we’re a full house, although I know it’s not like living with a pack. Living amongst humans is just different. There’s always a sense that something is missing, but having a big family helps to make up for the lack of pack. At least a little.”

She seems to be considering my words. “I’ve never spent a lot of time around humans. Are they as weak and stupidly violent as they say?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, some of them are. But they’re also complex, just like shifters. There are good ones, bad ones, and some that are in-between. You actually have to get to know them to be sure of who they are.”

“That’s… a strange notion.” She seems to be thinking. “And humans have families like ours?”

“They usually only have one dad in a family and one mom, so ferals have to be careful how they present themselves to humans. Some of my dads were said to be my ‘uncles’ to the humans, which was always weird to me.”

“I had one dad.” She laughs. “But I know that’s rare.”

I don’t care if she thinks the way I grew up is strange. I’m just glad to be talking to her. Bonding with her. “When we get married, you’ll meet my whole family. I don’t know about your other mates, but I’d love for my brothers to be involved in our wedding, somehow, if that’s what you want.”

Her eyes are wide. “Remember, I’m not looking for mates.”

Not. Looking. For. Mates.Each word is like a blow to the chest.

“And yet you’ve found them,” I tell her, trying not to sound as heartbroken as I feel at her words.

There’s something between us. An unbreakable bond. I felt it the moment she looked at me. Surely she feels it too.

I always wondered how I’d know when I found my mate, but in that second, I didn’t have to wonder any more. She’s my mate. I can feel it in my bones.

And yet, she denies me. Why? Because I’m a feral?The idea makes me want to punch myself in the stomach.

We drift along the water for a long, quiet moment. My mind races with things I should say, topics I might be able to bring up to get her to open up to me. Now that I’ve found my mate, I just want to know everything about her.

But she has absolutely no interest in me.

When I turn the boat, rotating us completely in the water, I notice that Faye turns her head so she can continue looking at the shore. There’s something in the way her body has tensed that makes me think she’s having a strong emotion. When I glance up, there’s a figure standing on the sand.

“An admirer?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. Faintly, I remember the ultimas mentioning another alpha when we first met, but it didn’t seem like Cayson and Ezra cared for him.

“No,” Faye whispers, and the tone and volume of her voice immediately puts me on edge.

I stop rowing andreallylook at her, and I realize in my excitement over being near my mate, I forgot to actually see her. But I see her now, and it’s clear that she’s terrified, her head slightly bowed, her breath coming quick, her hands trembling slightly. A cool, intense rage rolls through me, and I look back to the shore to get a better look at the figure on the shore. The person that’s making Faye feel like this.

He’s small for an alpha, almost laughably weak-looking. And he’s got a really unfortunate face, I can see that even from a distance. He’s got the kind of mug fitting every thug on the street, every drunk at the bar. No, this isn’t her mate. This is… someone to protect her from.

“Who is that?” I ask, trying to keep my fury out of my tone.

In truth, it doesn’t matter who it is—if Faye is this scared of them, I’ll tear them limb from limb without her needing to say a word. I will never ask her to explain herself to me. If she needs something, I’ll give it to her. No questions asked.

“Nobody,” she chokes out, her gaze swinging back around to me, her eyes wide.

This is the first strong reaction I’ve seen from her, a moment of truth between us, and I hate that it came at the involvement of something that’s making her this anxious. My woman, my mate, should never feel afraid. Not with me here.

“Faye,” I say, starting to paddle in the direction of the shore. “Who is that?”

“No one.”

I paddle faster, determined. I’m already a feral. What can they do to me if I beat that man within an inch of his life? Nothing, that’s what.

“Where are you going?” she asks, confusion and fear in her voice.

“To take care of this… problem.”

“No, wait,” she says, reaching out and putting a hand on the oar. Her touch is light enough that I could keep rowing if I wanted, but I stop anyway, letting the boat drift again. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, wrapping her arms around herself, her chin tucking into her chest. “That’s Kurt.”

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