Page 68 of Scarred Savages
My face burns hotter, but I resist the urge to yank the bunny out of its hiding place. That would only make this more awkward, if that’s even possible.
“It’s not funny,” I hiss, though the situation’s absurdity isn’t lost on me. “It’s just… scared.”
“Oh, yeah, terrified,” Axel agrees, wiping tears from his eyes. “That’s definitely fear making it dive into your shirt. Not opportunism at all.”
“Axel,” Hudson warns, though his own voice sounds strained with suppressed amusement.
I glare at them all, one hand coming up to cup protectively around the bunny’s exposed half. “You’re all sick. You know that, right? This poor creature is probably traumatized from living with you lunatics.”
“Trust me,” Damien says, finally turning back around with a smirk firmly in place, “that rabbit is exactly where it wants to be.”
Something about his tone makes me narrow my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Ethan cuts in smoothly, shooting Damien a look. “Just that the rabbit seems quite comfortable with you.”
As if to prove his point, the bunny wriggles deeper, a contented movement that makes me gasp at the ticklish sensation.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, carefully extracting the bunny despite its squirming protests. I hold it up to eye level, giving it a stern look. “That was inappropriate, Fluffy. We need to talk about boundaries.”
The bunny’s nose twitches, its eyes fixed on mine with what looks disturbingly like mischief. For a second, I’m reminded again of Oli—the same playful glint I’ve seen in his eyes when he teases his pack mates.
“You named it Fluffy?” Axel asks, setting off another round of poorly suppressed laughter.
“It’s descriptive, not creative,” I snap, cradling the bunny’s back against my chest, more carefully positioned this time. “And it’s temporary until Oli tells me its real name.”
The pack exchanges looks again, some silent communication passing between them that I can’t decipher.
“Right,” Hudson says finally, setting his mug down with a decisive clink. “Let’s just eat. We need to get back out there,” he says. Then to me, “Luna. We’ll let Oli explain when he’s… less indisposed.”
19
Luna
Notebook: Sometimes heroes look like broken things that refused to stay down.
“Today, we’ll show you the compound,” Ethan says as we walk across the lawn. “You can meet some of the tenants.”
I nod, curious to see more of this place, and the kind of people Hudson and his pack protect. As we approach a large woodenstructure, I spot a few people milling about—males, females, even a couple of kids playing in the grass.
“This way,” Axel grunts, leading me around back.
My steps slow as a massive barn comes into view. A broad pasture stretches beyond, filled with animals—birds pecking at the dirt, a few majestic horses grazing, cows, goats, and even… is that a hippo in the water?
But when I slow down and look closer, my breath catches. Jagged scars. Burns. Missing limbs.
My stomach drops as realization crashes over me.
“They’re all shifters,” I whisper, the words tasting like disbelief and rage all at once. I’d heard rumors about non-wolf shifters, but I’d always thought they were just that—rumors. Myths. Bedtime stories.
Ethan nods. “Some say they’re lesser shifters. But we don’t discriminate, no matter their form. Most of them were cast out by their packs for not being born wolves. Abused. Forgotten. We give them a haven.”
“They’re seen as inferior,” Axel mutters, his usual manic energy subdued. “Abominations. They’ve been through hell, and then some.”
Ethan places a hand on my shoulder. “We rescue who we can. Give them a place to heal.”
Tears sting my eyes, these poor souls. I want to wrap them all in my arms and never let go. My wolf presses forward, aching to comfort them.
“I can’t believe it,” I choke out, tears burning behind my eyes. “How could anyone do this to them?”
