Page 13 of Planet Wolf

I blinked. It was a beautiful, romantic thought. I could almost even see it, like four wild people out of literature.Giving up society. Living to be free.

Maybe we could even work out the logistics, if we could’ve actually spoken to one another.

I swallowed. We couldn’t live there forever. It just wasn’t realistic. At some point, the medicines in my system would run out, and I’d require immediate lifesaving medical care. Far more medical care than Doc could give me, with no real drugs at his disposal and just the occasional leaf for medication. I also couldn’t forget the promise I made with myself. I repeated my goal in my mind, as if thinking it again would cement it or perhaps help me manifest my plan. I would get Doug elected and the Union ousted. That was the best way for me to spend what time I had left.

Not to mention—and it was probably the biggest problem with my attraction to these men—I’d never doneitever before. What was I going to do? Just lie down on the dirt? Anxiety had always ridden me hard on the subject, which was why I’d never pursued sexual relationships in the past.

Still… these men were gorgeous. Built like they’d been sculpted out of stone, and they were all looking at me like my naked form was everything they wanted and then some. I wasn’t stupid. Circumstances were playing a role in our mutual attraction, too. I might not be who they would’ve picked if we were all clothed and in the city, but a naked body was a naked body, and we were alone in the woods.

I had to remember…What did I have to remember?My mouth had suddenly gone dry. Maybe I didn’t have to think at all. Each breath rubbed my chest against his, eliciting the most delicious cascade of sensations and tempting me further.

I could just lift my lips a little bit, and Leader would be right there. He’d… Leader pulled me out of the water so fast my head spun. They were all out, in fact, and before I could even attempt to gauge from Leader what was wrong, he moved.

His eyes turned canine and predatory, and he passed me so fast to Hunter that I didn’t have time to register what happened until afterward. Doc handed me clothes and then practically dressed me while Hunter held me still. They’d gone incredibly silent, all of them wearing the same wolfish look in their gaze.

Finally, Leader shifted, his animal form flowing over his skin as if it had been there all along. I blinked, watching him with the same awe that every shift seemed to bring to me. It was just so beautiful.

He growled, his haunches on display this time. Leader hadn’t looked like this before, not even when they’d been fighting the poison birds.

Doc wrenched me out of Hunter’s arms a second before Hunter shifted, following Leader in this display. Behind me, Doc’s body seemed to vibrate. He wanted to shift, too, I could feel it in my pores.

I pulled out of his hold. “Go ahead, if you need to. I’ll stay right here.”

We didn’t speak the same language, but he must have understood me, because he did just as I’d asked. I backed up, hitting a tree behind me, just as three black Wolves appeared. I caught my breath. Were these shifters or just Wolves? And why were they so angry?

Based on the reactions of my Wolves, I would guess they were shifters. Doc hadn’t left my side. He’d shifted, but only to stay right in front of me.

The bark of the tree bit into my neck, where my shirt didn’t cover me. It hurt but not as much as those Wolves’ claws would if they came for me. Leader didn’t wait for them to jump on him, he leaped into the air, taking the lead Wolf from the other group all the way to the ground in one motion. They tore at each other, teeth clacking in fury and snarls.

I’d never seen a Wolf fight before and it was brutal. I tried not to close my eyes from the aggression of it even as I cringed in horror. Violence had never been part of my life, and I guessed that was part of my privilege. But… this was visceral, brutal, and… the longer I watched, the more dynamic it became. My horror shifted into something else. Pride? I blinked. That was a funny emotion, but I couldn’t help but admit I was in fact proud as I watched Leader.

He was strong, tough, and he was taking down the Wolf who opposed him. Hunter darted forward. With precision, he took down one of the other Wolves. How had he known that man was about to try to dart in for an attack?

I leaned forward. Yes, they were going to take them down. Leader had torn the first Wolf to shreds, so when he turned his attention to the third Wolf, the creature ran from him. Leader took him down, too, though. I guessed changing his mind wasn’t an option today for the enemy.

I loved it.

Catching my breath, I tried to understand what the heck was going on with my own thoughts.This isn’t me. I didn’t find this kind of thing sexy—not that I’d ever seen anything like the Wolf fight before, ever.

I rubbed at my face. It was over almost as soon as it started, but what had been going on? Who were these people? All three of my guys shifted back into their human forms. I panted; they were fine. The trouble with not being able to talk with them was I had no idea how to find out who just attacked or why.

What ishappening?It seemed the question applied to a lot of levels of my situation. And why did I feel like I’d just been through the fight when all I had done was stand by protected by Doc.

He cupped my cheek and grinned at me. That feeling of being alive hit me again, and I wondered if that was what health was like, what people who didn’t live with daily discomfort could claim as their normal lives. Just the sense that I could run from here to the mountains if they wanted me to.

Leader walked over and placed his head against my shoulder. He sniffed at my neck and then grinned at me, similarly to Doc. His Wolf was close. How did I know that? I had no idea. I was just pretty sure I did.

Hunter bumped me from the side before he kissed my cheek.

They were grinning at me, at each other. It was such a happy moment considering we had three dead Wolf bodies nearby.Wait. They weren’t Wolf anymore. Apparently, when a Wolf died, it shifted back. Torn to shreds, three human bodies were strewn on the ground.

I swallowed. Okay, much of my elation fled into a wave of nausea. It was time to get out of here.

As if they read my mind, the guys grabbed pants again, and this time Leader carried me. I was so flustered from the whole Wolf attack and bodies, it didn’t occur to me to not let him. In fact, it wasn’t the only thing I wasn’t focused on in that moment. Somehow, it also didn’t occur to me that I’d left my shoes behind until we were at least an hour on our way from there.Fuck. I didn’t have shoes. I closed my eyes and sighed. I better get used to being carried.

5

We walked past dark, stopping only when my stomach rumbled again. They really didn’t seem to like it when my stomach made noise. It spurred them into action, and in minutes we’d stopped, Doctor had built a fire, and Hunter had left—presumably to go find food. I was glad they’d stopped, though. My earlier fear about my lack of medicines becoming a problem was fast becoming a real issue.

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