Page 96 of Stealthy as a Wolf

They were each watching me in various shades of exasperation, and I bit my lip. “Oops?”

Matty cracked first and rubbed a hand down his face. “We’re going to work on that.”

I replied with an obedient nod, knowing no other answer would be acceptable.

Matty narrowed his eyes, as if he wasn’t sure he believed me, then sighed and relented. “The van outside is our ride. We can’t risk taking our own vehicle, so we’re leaving for the Summit early and joining the SAAB protest now.”

“Smart,” Grady praised, then he and Burke collected our bags and headed for the door. The rest of us hesitated a moment, then followed. I came to a halt at the edge of the porch, took a deep breath, then stepped off and trailed after the guys, stifling a sigh of dismay at the minibus parked in the driveway. Knowing we had no choice, I trailed after the guys. Though I would miss spending time alone with the men, it was safer for us to be on the move until everything was settled.

After claiming them as my mates, I was more determined than ever to make sure we had a future together, even if I had to slaughter everyone who stood in our way to make it happen.

The drive to the Summit stretched over three hours, and the bus stopped frequently along the way to pick up more and more passengers. Soon, the back was full of bunnies and gerbils and other assorted small critters who kept having to shift to make more room.

Matty smirked when we came to one of the stops, then shifted as well and curled up against my chest. I couldn’t help but laugh and cuddle him close, loving his broken purr and the way he kneaded his paws against my shoulder. Then, for the final two hours of the journey, I took turns sitting on each of my guys’ laps.

It wasn’t how I imagined spending time with my guys, but I wouldn’t have given up those precious few hours of snuggling with them for anything. Despite the long drive, we arrived at the Summit much too soon. It was the night before the big day was supposed to start, and already, the crowd was crazy. Lines of people snaked through miles of traffic until we were moving at a snail’s pace.

By the time we parked, the inside of the bus was almost suffocating.

“This is as far as we go, folks,” Matty’s friend Natalie said in her best carnival barker’s voice as she put the vehicle into park. “The ride is over. Please exit to the right side of the vehicle and have a fun trip.”

Matty stood and totally fucking shifted in front of everyone on the crowded bus, revealing every glorious inch of his naked body as he pulled on his clothes. I dragged my attention away from him, pissed that I couldn’t enjoy the show myself and that he dared give everyone else a glimpse of what was mine.

I stood, blocking the view of his muscular form, and glared at everyone who tried to steal a peek. The guys chuckled, like my reaction was amusing. What they couldn’t possibly know was that the bus narrowly missed being turned into a massacre. The only thing that stopped me from going completely psycho was that no one seemed to pay my mate the least bit of attention.

Matty wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, ducking his head to kiss my cheek, his warm chuckle echoing in my ear. I didn’t hesitate to elbow him in the gut and snarl, “If you strip in front of anyone else but me ever again, I’ll feed you nothing but cat food for a solid week, understand?”

He nuzzled the side of my neck, shooting me a little smirk. “Yes, ma’am.”

As the guys exited the cramped vehicle, they groaned and stretched their tired muscles. Despite my comfortable seating, a perpetual kink had taken up residence in my spine. Lights strobed from inside the bus as people shifted into their human form, giving the vehicle the impression of a clown car when a good thirty people exited in a continuous stream.

The guys waited to leave until we were surrounded by a mass of people, using them as cover. They watched the crowds like they expected an attack at any second, keeping me in the middle of them, leaving me unable to see anything around their bulk. At least one of the men kept his hand on me at all times, and I would’ve rolled my eyes at the gesture if I hadn’t liked it so much.

Matty took my protection to the extreme, shadowing my every step until it almost felt like he was trying to steal the very air I breathed. While a house cat was possessive and clingy by nature, it was almost like he was afraid I would disappear if he so much as blinked. I opened my mouth to tell him to back off, then bit my tongue, feeling like a colossal ass when I remembered that his sister had vanished.

Wanting to comfort him, I reached back and locked our fingers together, giving his hand a squeeze. He scanned my face, concern darkening his green eyes, and I quickly kissed him. “Just one more day. Then everything will be settled, and we can start our new life together.”

His eyes softened, his broken purr making my heart skip a beat. “I can’t wait.”

The screech of a microphone echoed over the crowd, and we broke apart when Candace, the announcer from Soul Deep, began speaking. “We’re here on the day before the official Summit, where President Ted is said to be making an appearance. Already, protestors are flooding the streets. It will make tomorrow an interesting day, don’t you think, Stevie?”

The rottweiler next to her immediately stopped panting and straightened. He ran a hand down his suit, using his tie to cover the spot of drool on his shirt before he cleared his throat and answered, “For sure.”

He didn’t have a chance to say anything else when Candace steamrolled right over him with her bright smile and bubbling personality, not even turning to look at her co-host. “Rumors have it that new laws will be passed that will revolutionize our way of life. Don’t you think that’s exciting, Stevie?”

The rottweiler leaned over, his deep voice echoing into the microphone. “Exciting.”

Candace nodded, her sandy blonde hair framing her pretty face, her green eyes bright and shiny as the kangaroo rubbed her very pregnant belly. “On other news…”

The guys quickly steered us away from the cameras, pulling us deeper into the crowds. Unfortunately, the grounds were so packed that a group as large as ours stood out when people were forced to move around us. We only managed to travel a few blocks before I noticed we’d picked up a tail.

Hoping I was wrong, I scanned the sea of faces, then cursed when I spotted a second man trailing us. When neither man made their move, I started doubting myself.

What if I was wrong?

If I made a scene, I would only end up attracting the wrong kind of attention.

I couldn’t take the risk.

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