Page 6 of Untamed

When I'm far enough away from my packlands, from the attackers, I'll rest and check if the pup is male or female. What did the female call it? Sare? Sarg? I curl my arms around the pup a little tighter. Whatever its name is, this pup is now my responsibility.

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The world brightens around me. I check the trees, the position of the sun, make sure I'm heading south, still. All of the moss is facing me, facing north. I'm heading south, but I think last night I may have been heading east, too.

I stumble. It's snowing harder. I should find shelter and sleep, but all that's here are trees. Not even a cave. Last night, or yesterday, maybe two nights ago, we slept under an outcropping of rock. It was almost a cave.

A shudder moves through me. Not a cave. No more caves for me. I don't know if that cave back home saved my life or destroyed it.

The pup nibbles on the sleeves of the fur.

"Hungry?" I ask it. My voice is raspy, too weak for an Alphason.

The pup stops chewing, looking up at me with a guilty expression.

"We'll stop soon," I promise it.

I find a little hole made from the roots of two trees that have tangled together and risen from the earth. Crawling inside, I look out at the snow, at the world. My eyes see nothing but white for a moment.

My tummy rolls over. I want my Pa. With shaky hands, I take out some of the jerky and give it to the pup. It eats eagerly, dark eyes watching me as if I'm gonna snatch it back. I nibble on my piece. We need water. Tons of snow, no water. The waterskin only has a few mouthfuls of water left. I give it all to the pup.

When my legs have stopped shaking, I stand back up. This isn't a good den to sleep in. We could freeze out here, even with the furs.

The pup toddles to the edge of the hole with me. At least it can walk. I take two steps when my knees buckle. With a soft moan, I collapse into the snow. The world is a whirlwind of lights and white. A snowstorm.

A flash of blue in a large shape makes me cringe away. I try to use my body to shield the pup from view. Strange scents assault my nose. Not my pack. Maybe my attackers. Or a new threat.

It smells of my dumb blue suit. Dyes and cloth from the south. Oil and smoke, too. Lots of things that don't make sense this far north.

"Thjis!" I hear a male's voice call out. "Yo! Come here. You wouldn't believe this shit."

Large hands roll me over. I snap my teeth in the face of this unknown male.

"Easy, there, pup," he murmurs. Sharp blue eyes look me over. I'm a little mesmerized by the color. Not something I've seen too often in my pack.

Another male trundles over. He's massive with eyes that are normal brown. But there's nothing ordinary about the dark skin. I've never seen this color, not a light red or brown, but even darker as if he rolled around in charcoal.

"Fucking hell, Rhet," the new male crouches down and immediately takes my hands in his.

I growl halfheartedly, the sound rumbling in my chest, hurting.

"Pick him up. Let's get him back to the truck so he can warm up. No signs of frostbite on his hands, that's good."

The dark-skinned male picks me off of the ground. The male with blue eyes tucks the furs around me. They turn away from the hole, away from the pup.

"Sarg!" I croak out. A little pup-squeak echoes my call.

"Holy shit," the other male laughs out loud, the sound getting carried away by the rising wind. "It's a little guy. Fuck! He's a biter."

I see the bundled little pup in the other male's arms and relax. My head feels like I've been underwater too long.

The world sways to and fro until sharp light blinds me. "Easy, pup. Get you settled. Then we'll talk about how you two ended up miles from any pack." The big male puts me down on smooth leather. I inhale, scenting three males, all grown-up wolves, and Sarg.

A rumble, an engine purring to life, then we're moving. A straw slips through my lips. "Drink."

I obey, letting the big male unwrap my furs, move my arms and legs, look at my toes that went numb hours ago. His curses like I've never heard. Even my Pa doesn't... didn't... have language like this.

When the truck stops, another voice joins the first two males.

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