Page 28 of Ensnaring Their Rabbit

One stop. Two. Four.

I wish I’d thought to ask Brynn how many stops it was till the end of the line.

The sights around us started to change. Instead of towering cinder block buildings and tent lined hovels that packed every smidgen of free space, I started to see grass and trees. The buildings were smaller, more spaced out, with big glass panels. There were brand new playgrounds, fresh vegetable stands, and fancy clothing stores. The human side of the city.

Bitterness seeped inside me. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware of the differences between the human side and the shifter slums. I had worked on this side of the city plenty of times before we were locked up. But it was easy not to think about when that was all you knew. After being outside of it for all this time, it was a stark reality. Nothing fucking changed. Nothing ever would.

I glanced at Brynn. He was staring out the window with a dark intensity that had me wondering if he had the same thoughts as me. Riven was staring directly ahead, burning a hole in the seat in front of him. His leg was bouncing a mile a minute, and I wished I could reach out to him and let him know it was okay, that I was here and feeling overwhelmed and caged in, too.

Another stop. Three people off. Two shifters in work coveralls and one human in a business suit. A human mom with a toddler in one hand and a baby strapped on her chest came in first. They went directly to the front of the train. A couple others came on, both human and shifters. Then there was a pause. The doors stayed open. I glanced at Brynn from the corner of my eye. That had never happened before. We should be moving by now, right?

Brynn straightened, his eyes glued to the open door. Why the fuck weren’t we moving? Should we get out? No. Not dressed the way we were in this part of the city. We would be picked up immediately. Best to stay still and hope for the best.

Two cops walked toward the train, but they didn’t get in. Fuck. What was happening? Someone in a transportation uniform got off and greeted the officers. The nerves of all three of us were bouncing off the bond. I must’ve lost control of my pheromones with my panic, because a prey shifter that was sitting near me wrinkled her nose and moved to the front of the car.

Fuck, Reeve, get it together.

The cops were talking to the worker who kept shaking his head, a small frown on his face. I wished I could hear the words, but there was too much background noise. Brynn might’ve been close enough, but that didn’t help me now. I just had to trust that if he did hear something, he’d react quick enough to alert Riv and me. The cops showed the worker a picture. He frowned again and shook his head. He waved toward the open train door. Fuck, was he letting them search?

The one officer took a few steps closer and peered in. I immediately sat back, head tilted in a way that I could still see him but he couldn’t make out my features. He glanced around, but just as he was about to step in, a woman screamed somewhere in the station. The cop turned around and both were sprinting toward the still screaming woman. The transportation worker shrugged and got back on the train. Seconds later, the door closed, and we were off.

Hands shaking, I slumped back in the seat. “Thank you Goddess,” I whispered. Praying to her for the first time in forever, because if that wasn’t Goddess intervention, I didn’t know what was.

CHAPTER19

RIVEN

We made it.Sort of. We were out of the city at least, and Reeve and I were like 95% sure we were headed in the right direction. We didn’t need public transportation anymore, and the area was woodsy enough that we all shifted without having to worry about drawing extra attention. While Brynn could get away with shifting in the human areas of the city, two massive black wolves were just a little too obvious.

But now we were free to stretch our paws, and my wolf was ecstatic. He didn’t even care that I got stuck carrying the duffel bag. Brynn had fixed it up so it was like a backpack. He’d picked up a map for us at a gas station right on the edge of the city, and we were able to get an idea of where to go to find the property. My wolf didn’t need it though. He was running strictly on instinct, and even if it made no sense, because we’d never actually seen the place, my wolf insisted he knew where home was. It was similar to the reaction Reeve and I had when our uncle first showed us the pictures of the place. It was a run down cabin on overgrown ground, but we knew deep down it was ours. Of course, at the time we figured it would be us and Rella, but now we were ready for our second chance with our mate, and I wouldn’t blow it.

My wolf whined, thinking of the little sister he lost. I wished there was a way I could make it better, but I doubted we’d ever have the chance. Wherever she was, I hoped she was doing okay. I hope she didn’t punish herself for the choices that she had made, and that her pup was healthy and happy and had a better life than we had. Fuck, she could’ve had a whole litter by now. I tried to tuck the thoughts into the box deep back in my brain, because all it did was hurt. There was no way to fill that hole in my heart that my sister and potential nieces and nephews would fill; it was pointless to dwell on it. Maybe one day we’d get pups of our own, or kits, I wasn’t sure how that worked, if a rabbit could have wolves or what, or if Brynn even wanted them.

I could imagine it now, our home fixed up with little ones running around, smiling and full of joy as we gave them everything we never had growing up. Security, love, safety, and some spoiling, too.

I thought about what Reaper had said, that Brynn could be pregnant now. I didn’t notice any difference in his scent yet, but it also was so early, would we know? As much as I’d love to see Brynn’s belly swollen with our kids, I realized the timing wasn’t ideal. Then I shrugged. Whatever happened, happened. I hadn’t put a lot of stock into the Goddess and her plan before now, but it was hard to deny divine intervention got us to where we were now. All I could do was wait and see.

Reeve stopped, his snout in the air sniffing. Brynn hopped in between his legs, nuzzling the back legs before doing the same to me. Our little rabbit couldn’t stay still in his animal form, and I loved it. Seeing him without the terror of the hunt was beautiful. I ducked my head and tried to lick him, but he hopped out of the way.

Reeve huffed, getting our attention. I tilted my head to let him know I was listening. He huffed one more time and then shifted. Standing there naked and unashamed he took a second to get his bearings before speaking. “My wolf is pretty sure the property is right on the other side of the tree line. I’m going to shift back. If he’s right, I want you two to stay back by the trees, and I’m going to go ahead and check it out. It’s been a long time, who knows who could’ve stumbled upon this place.”

I whined, not liking the idea of Reeve going alone. He raised an eyebrow at me. “I know you don’t like it, Riv, but this is one of those things you can’t fight. Please. Stay with Brynn.”Protect himwere his unspoken words.

If I could roll my eyes in this form, I would’ve with that bullshit, and I think Reeve knew, because he shot me a half-smile. But I relented. If something was dangerous at the property, it would be better for Brynn to stay back, and neither of us would be okay with letting Brynn completely out of our sight. The bond was still too new, and we hadn’t had a real chance to solidify it. All three of our emotions were still bouncing around wildly, and even the short distance we sat apart in the subway and on the bus had fucking hurt. I was sure Reeve would struggle once he lost sight of us, but he knew I’d protect Mate with my life.

“Good. Thank you. Just wait here until I come back for you.”

He was fucking delusional if he thought I wouldn’t come for him if he was in danger, but my wolf form wasn’t the most conducive to fighting with my twin, so I just glared until he grinned again and then shifted back. The shift was already getting so much smoother than it had been with the collar. Just a few days and I was starting to feel like myself again. Not that I remembered what that felt like, but I felt whole. Truly and completely whole.

We followed after Reeve, Brynn slightly more subdued than he was before. He stayed close, nearly underfoot, and it was strictly my wolf’s overprotective carefulness that kept him from getting trampled. I didn’t mind though. I liked that he wanted to stay that close to me. My wolf was happy to watch his step in order to not hurt his mate.

We made it to the clearing. I hung right on the edge of the trees, like I promised Reeve, but even from there, I could see it. We’d made it. We were home.

The cabin, made out of real wood, sat in the middle of the clearing. The windows were boarded up, the door half on its hinges, and the weeds overgrown. Ivy grew up the side of the drain, and I couldn’t imagine how clogged it was. At least I couldn’t see any holes in the roof.

Reeve turned to us and buried his snout first into Brynn’s tiny neck and then mine, scenting both of us. I did it back to him as Brynn rubbed up against his hind leg. Then he gave me one last look before he was gone.

As soon as Reeve hit the property line, Brynn shifted. “Sorry, I’m too nervous to stay as my rabbit. I’d probably fucking bolt, and I know that’s a bad idea.” I huffed and licked his bare stomach. Brynn just laughed and buried his hands into my fur. It felt so good.

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