Page 99 of Feral Mates
There was no way of knowing how many more were like us, but once the government learned what Blackwell Industries had been doing and what they’d managed to produce, they would become obligated to hunt us down, killing us one by one.
They’d hide the atrocities. They’d squelch the rumors until their society was made safe and whole again.
And they wouldn’t care how many dens and packs they destroyed in the process.
Wind tickled my fur, the feel of her hot breath even more so. She clung to me, trusting me implicitly as we made our way back to her father’s house.
We’d travel miles, avoiding roads and humans. But it didn’t matter.
Only getting her to safety did.
Time held no meaning as we rushed through the forest. There were other creatures. Deer. Bear. Wolves. Foxes.
They all avoided us, hovering in the shadows as we passed. Yet they sensed our calls to them regarding the danger they were in.
As we finally neared the private road where her father lived, we slowed, stopping a hundred yards away.
We scanned the area with our keen eyesight, determining if we were alone.
We were. But it wouldn’t last for long.
She immediately walked toward Apollo, touching his muzzle. “Will you recover from the injury?”
“Yes, little mate.”He nuzzled against her hand.“Finish what you are doing. We need to get out of here and find a safer place.”
“I can hear you as if you were talking to me. Whatever happened, that’s because of the lifeforms living inside of you.” Savannah turned to face us. “Don’t shift. You are stronger as wolves. You heal much faster. We cannot get caught again. If we are, we will not be allowed to remain alive. I hope you understand what I am saying.”
“Don’t worry, Savannah,”Roman told her.“We should leave the city.”
“We can’t, Roman. Not until the portal is closed. If we don’t, others will suffer and there is no telling what will be unleashed on this world. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“Then we’ll need help,”I growled.
She looked into my eyes. “Yes, we will. There’s only one person I can trust. He will help us.”
“Who?”Apollo demanded.
“My father. You’ll need to trust me. He’s the only one who can provide us with what we need.”
Apollo and Roman both growled, displaying an act of dominance. We’d learned through our lives never to trust humans. The few interactions we’d experienced had been met with mostly tragic endings. The single exception was the beautiful woman standing in front of us, her long hair shimmering in the moonlight. While our instincts were otherwise, she was one of us now.
The reason why no longer mattered.
“Hurry, little mate. I can taste blood on my tongue.”We trailed behind her to the house, forcing her to wait as we walked the perimeter. Outside, there was little evidence there’d been a disturbance. There were no bodies, no trace of an attack.
“They took the time to remove all evidence they were here,” she said as if stunned. But I sensed otherwise. “They don’t want anyone knowing what they’re doing. They will continue trying to pin the explosion and what happened on me. That means they are very dangerous. We’ll only have one shot at being able to destroy the portal. We need to do it right.”
Her shoulders slumped as she slipped in through the back door, stopping the moment she was inside, listening for any sound of a disturbance.
“We’re safe,”Roman snarled.“Apollo and I will remain outside. Do not take too long.”
“I won’t.” She moved into the darkness, turning on a light over the oven in the kitchen. I followed behind her, watching her every move.
She was beautiful in her actions, careful in advancing further into the house. Her defiance remained strong, her resilience remarkable. Yet I sensed a profound sadness deep within her. As she walked from room to room, she touched several items.
A piece of furniture.
A lamp.
