Page 40 of Feral Mates
“No, they can’t. We need to blend in, Roman. We need to work together.”
This time, I laughed. We were equals. There was no leader, no single alpha. If we hadn’t stumbled on Savannah, I wouldn’t be here, new abilities or not. Had I realized that as soon as any other wolf learned of the change, a target would be placed on my back? Yes. Wolves were notoriously unable to accept change.
“For our mate,” I answered.
“Are you suggesting we leave her alone? You felt the connection. You know she belongs to us.”
“You make it sound like something she wants.”
“And you make it sound as if she has a choice.”
I turned to face him. His facial expression alone gave away his complicated feelings for the human. “I don’t need to tell you that in this society, you can’t simply take what you want. That’s a criminal act.”
He chortled. “You’ve gleaned much from the balding scientist.”
“Enough to know this isn’t our world.”
“Does that mean you want to leave her?” Apollo threw out.
As I took a deep breath, I allowed an image of her face to cross my mind.
“That’s not what I said.”
“Then we will protect her as we would any mate.”
“And then what?” Kai said from behind us. “Three days ago, we woke up as wolves, prepared for whatever fucking painful test we’d be forced to endure. Suddenly, we managed to escape, only to find a different set of chains. Being human isn’t anything I wanted. I do not plan on remaining in this body for long. Savannah is human. She certainly won’t want to live in the wild. Then there’s the situation that we are three entirely different wolves from different packs. I doubt we will be able to create a pack of our own. That means we will constantly be in danger.”
“Then go ahead and provide us with your plan. I’m certain you have one,” Apollo pushed. “What do you suggest we do? She is our mate. We will not leave without her. So you don’t think other wolves will smell the difference in us? Fuck! I can right now, the goddamn odor is pungent. Wolves and other animals will try and tear us apart.”
Kai snarled, taking a step closer to Apollo. The testosterone and anger levels were high.
“Stop,” I hissed. “There are humans in the woods. Savannah could be in danger.” I moved between them, glaring from one to the other.
“There were other animals in the refuge,” Apollo reminded us.
Nodding, Kai stared off into the woods. “The air is electric. We need to follow our instincts above all else. The remaining wolvesinside the refuge were vicious. They will enjoy hunting and killing at will.”
“Humans will do the same. We are not supposed to exist. Whatever the hell we are,” I threw in, my anger increasing. I was furious that some scientist had allowed this to happen. We were no longer wolves and certainly not men. Apollo was right about one thing. We’d be shunned by our own and torn from limb to limb for being different.
Fuck this shit.
Kai looked away, shaking his head. “I don’t claim to have an answer. What I do know is that we can’t remain here. It’s too dangerous.”
“True enough,” I agreed. “Our mate is in danger. I can feel it in my bones.” A sudden flash in my mind startled me. It was as if she was reaching out. “She’s warning us.”
Kai stiffened. “I can feel the tether. She’s upset.”
“And angry,” Apollo added. “As I said, wewillprotect her.”
“Then we need to get closer to the laboratory,” I suggested. “That’s where she’s working. We can’t protect her from this distance.”
Kai looked at Apollo. “It’s close to the refuge,” Kai reminded us.
“So the fuck what?” I threw back. “If you insist she’s our mate then others will figure that out. You know what you sensed from within minutes of waking up as humans for the first time. She doesn’t understand what she’s facing.”
Apollo glanced toward the forest. “What we’re all facing.”
The three of us looked at each other, no longer needing to communicate verbally.
