Lupine

by Hanleigh Bradley

  I look up into his eyes, scared about what he’s about to tell me. What if he’s hurt?

  “Breathe Lupine. He’s fine. Camden’s got him.”

  I feel my entire body slump in relief.

  “Where was he?”

  “A fox den in the woods.”

  “The woods?” I bulk. “How did he go so far?”

  “It would seem he found a den of baby foxes when we went for that picnic,” Kalen explains.

  Rushing back to the orphanage, I can’t wait to see Edmond. I won’t feel more at ease until I’ve seen him for myself, checked him for injuries and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  He’s waiting for me on the doorstop with Camden.

  “Edmond!” I call out, running towards him but he cowers behind Camden as if he fears he’ll get in trouble. “Let me see you. Are you hurt?”

  He shakes his head and I’m not sure if he’s answering my question or telling me he won’t let me see him.

  “What have you got there?” I ask.

  He’s clinging to something or several somethings as far as I can see.

  “Can I keep them?” he asks, holding up a baby fox. “They don’t have a mommy… Just like me.”

  Shit! Is this little boy trying to make me cry? How am I supposed to say no to that?

  “You’ll have to look after them,” I say sternly.

  “I can do that,” he replies eagerly.

  “They’ll have to sleep in the shed outside,” I say. “They’re wild animals and we shouldn’t try to keep them in the house. It’s not fair.”

  “Deal.”

  I wipe a smudge of mud off his nose before telling him to go get his new friends settled in. Then I turn to Camden, giving him a grateful smile.

  “Thank you for finding him,” I say, struggling not to cry.

  “You’re welcome,” he tells me, pulling me into a bear hug, his arms tight around me and my ear pressed against his chest.

  I don’t know what I’d have done without my wolves today.

  A Friend in Need

  The next day, Amon is due to leave for the academy. I’ve given in and allowed Wren to drive him there. I’m trying my best to be understanding about their concerns for my safety. If it makes them feel better, I can stay within the town boundaries.

  Mere moments after they have left, I’m already thinking about what I’ll do with the weekend when Amon comes home.

  I try to busy myself with jobs around the orphanage. Jacqueline is happily playing with Artemus and Lucian in the living room as I go about cleaning.

  It’s almost lunchtime when my phone buzzes. Expecting it to be Wren to say that he’s on his way home, I’m surprised to find a message from Saxon. We’ve been exchanging infrequent messages for a few days and had made plans to go out for another coffee next week, so I’m surprised to hear from her.

  ‘Lupine, can you help me? It’s an emergency and I don’t know who else to ask…’

  Grabbing my keys, I dart out of the kitchen and down the hall. I head straight out the door without saying goodbye to Jacqueline.

  I drive across town to Saxon’s house. The guys won’t be happy about this. They’re so untrusting.

  Pulling up out front of Saxon’s apartment, I climb out of the car and check the apartment number on my phone before stepping forward to press the buzzer. I wait but there’s no answer. Pressing it again, I’m surprised when the door unlocks without anyone answering.

  I practically run up the stairs as I feel my concern for Saxon build. Her door is ajar, and I let myself in. The room is dark; the curtains closed.

  “SAXON?” I call out.

  There’s no response. I move through the apartment still calling her name, my pulse quickening. She’s not in the kitchen or the bathroom. The apartment is eerily quiet and I definitely feel uneasy.

  The door to Saxon’s bedroom is closed. I wrap my hand around the doorknob, preparing myself for what I might find inside. Pushing the door open, my eyes immediately find Saxon.

  She’s tied to a chair, her head lulled forward, unconscious and bloody. And making their way towards me are two wolf shifters. I turn abruptly when I hear a noise behind me only to find three more behind me. They’re closing in on me and there’s too many for me to fight off.

  I’m never going to win if I try to fight. I search the room around me for another escape route. I need to save Saxon though and I’m not sure how to do it.

  One of the shifters makes a grab for me and I try to shake him off, pushing him away, but he’s a lot stronger than I am. It doesn’t take much for them to get a good grip of me and then I’m being tied to the chair next to Saxon.

  “Bastards! Let me go!” I scream, hoping that Saxon’s neighbors might hear me and call the police. Where is Officer Stevens when you need him? Maybe if I complain about Beethoven at the top of my lungs, he might hear me…

  My screaming doesn’t bring the police to us, but it does wake up Saxon.

  “Lupine?” she cries out. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t… You shouldn’t have come.”

  “Never mind that now,” I say. “We need to get out of here.”

  “How?” she sobs.

  “I don’t have a clue,” I admit. This is all sort of new to me. I’ve never been tied to a chair before.

  “I was thinking I could climb out the window,” Saxon says between sobs. “I just need to get my hands untied. It’s not easy but I think I can do it.”

  Nodding my head, I listen to make sure the guys outside haven’t heard her. I try to loosen my own ties, fidgeting my wrists.

  “Done it!” she whispers as her ties drop to the ground.

  “Quickly!” I whisper back. There’s no time. “Go and come back with help. They’ll have heard you.”

  “No. I’m not going without you.”

  She comes up behind me and undoes my ties too, then she’s rushing across the room to the window.

  “Did you drive?” she asks. “Give me your keys.”

  I nod my head, doing as she asks. Then we’re both climbing out the window and I scale down the wall, while Saxon makes a jump for it.

  “Fucking hell! How did she do that?” I ask myself.

  “Kangaroo shifter,” she says with a smirk. “Jumping is sort of my thing.”

  “How did you get into trouble with the wolves?”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” she says with a shrug. “Let’s get out of here.”

  She unlocks my car and gets into the driving seat. She puts her foot down immediately and then we’re off, the wolf shifters looking down from the window, swearing.

  “I’m so sorry I got you involved in all that,” she says, still speeding up.

  “We should call the police,” I say, looking through the mirror, scared they might be following us.

  “No point… It won’t help. I just need to move towns again.”

  “Where are we going?” I ask, turning back around in my seat to face forward.

  “We need to hide.”

  “We need to go to the orphanage,” I argue.

  “It’s not safe. We can’t lead them to the children.”

  I can hardly argue that point.

  “So, where are we going?” I ask again.

  “The woods… It’s easier to hide in the woods.”

  Nodding my head, I search for my phone. I need to tell the guys what is going on. They’re going to be livid when they realize I’m missing. Even though this is hardly Saxon’s fault, I’m definitely in for an ‘I told you so.’

  I can’t find it anywhere.

  “What’s the matter?” Saxon asks.

  “I’ve lost my phone.”

  Saxon shrugs off the news and pulls the car into a dirt road and stops the engine abruptly. Climbing out of the car in the middle of nowhere, I don’t know what we’re going to do. We walk for a little while until we’re surrounded by trees. My legs are growing tired and I’m getting more and more scared.

  Just what sort of people has Saxon
got herself involved with? I need my wolves, but I have no way of calling them. This is a literal disaster! I need their help. My shoulders are shuddering with fear and the sky is darkening, partly from the density of the trees here but also just because it’s getting late.

  “Saxon, where are we going?” I ask, my voice breaking.

  Saxon turns abruptly, pulling out a gun. She points it directly at me, a look of hatred on her face. That expression takes me by surprise. It’s a complete contrast to the polite, friendly girl I thought I was getting to know. Was this all a trap? Did she befriend me on purpose?

  What the fuck? Now Wren really is going to say ‘I told you so.’

  This can’t be happening! What am I going to do now? I need a plan and I need it fast because otherwise that bitch is actually going to shoot me!

  A Nice Enough Girl

  “Sorry Lupine. You seem like a nice enough girl,” Saxon is saying. “I don’t have much choice… My boyfriend wants you dead.”

  Whatever respect I had for Saxon is lost with that sentence. When you are willing to kill someone just because a man told you to, there’s something wrong with you. I don’t bother listening to her, my thoughts drowning out her words. But boy, does she have a lot to say!

  “Rossi says he needs you dead,” she says.

  At least, I know I only have one enemy… Her boyfriend isn’t some other random wolf that just so happens to want me dead.

  While she’s distractedly reeling off her life’s story for me, I make a snap decision. It might not be my wisest idea, but I lunge for the gun, trying to push it out of her hand. She pulls the trigger and I feel a searing pain in my side. Flicking the gun out of her hand, I stumble back. My hand moving to my side. Pulling it away again, it comes away bloody.

  Our eyes meet, and I know we’re both about to do the same thing. If I don’t get that gun before she does, I’m as good as dead.

  I pounce for it where it lies only a few metres away, pushing her off as she does the same. My fingers wrap around the weapon, and I turn to face her, still lying on the ground.

  I don’t want to do this… I don’t want to kill her. But I need to protect my family.

  “He won’t let you get away with this,” Saxon tells me with a snarl.

  “We’re just evening out the score,” I say coolly. “He killed my mum… my dad…”

  I pull the trigger before she can say anything else. I need to get help. I’m bleeding and I can’t stand around gassing with a kangaroo all day. Dropping the gun, I stare at her dead body, my ears ringing from the sound of the gunshots.

  Looking down at my bloody hands, I tell myself to get to my feet. I need help. I can’t be that far from the witch’s house. The mud sticks to my hands as I stumble to my feet and begin to stagger through the trees. I get weaker the further I go and in less than ten minutes, I’m beginning to feel my body drain of energy.

  I’m not sure I can even make it to the witch’s house.

  ***

  Waking with a start, I find myself on a makeshift bed.

  “Stay still, Lupine,” the witch says in a softer voice than I’ve heard her use before.

  “I killed her,” I whisper, shame filling me as tears stream down my face. “I killed…”

  “Not your fault, dear,” she says. “Besides, you saved this little one.”

  Her hand comes to rest on my stomach, taking me by surprise.

  “I’m pregnant?” I ask in complete disbelief.

  “This is a very special little wolf,” she says, smiling widely.

  I feel a warmth in my side where the bullet hit me underneath the witch’s hand.

  “You were very lucky you were able to walk as far as you did,” she tells me as she fills my gut with her magic, healing the wound.

  “What do I do about Saxon?”

  “The dead kangaroo?” she questions.

  Nodding my head, I force myself to sit up.

  “Slowly,” she grumbles at me, helping me up into a comfortable position. “Leave her to me. I’m pretty good at hiding things.”

  I laugh at that. “You’ve been hiding me for long enough,” I agree.

  “Until now it would seem…” She pulls an unhappy face. “I don’t understand how they found you.”

  “I met Saxon on the road to the Academy.”

  “Oh… That will do it…” She shakes her head. “I’ll extend the boundaries of the spell. We can’t have that happening again. The Rossi family will return and we need to be ready to protect your little wolf.”

  I nod my head in agreement.

  “I’ll deal with the wolves in town too,” she tells me sternly. “I’ll get them to leave.”

  “Thank you,” I reply. “You’ve been protecting me my whole life and I don’t even know your name.”

  She laughs. “My name is Evanora.”

  “You’re not as scary as all the rumors say,” I tell her.

  “Don’t go telling people that though…” She gets to her feet. “I’m going to head out and sort everything. You need to wait here where it’s safe.”

  “The guys… They’ll be worried.”

  “They’ll wait,” she tells me tersely.

  Logically, I know she’s right, but I hate to think how worried they will be. It’s all my fault. I can’t believe I fell for Saxon’s trap. I should have known better than to stop the car that day. The creep twins had tried to warn me… But she’d looked so helpless.

  My hand moves to my belly. I can’t believe I’m pregnant! I’ve been dreaming about that baby wolf for days now, but still… I thought that was just because of what Kalen had said about our future child.

  “Hey little wolf,” I whisper, patting my tummy gently. “I’m your mommy.”

  Tired, I close my eyes, resting my head against the wall behind me. In my mind, I see that little wolf again. She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, and I feel a desperate need to meet her.

  When my eyes open again, I’m no longer alone. I’m surprised to find Wren and the others in front of me. They all look bloody terrified and Evanora doesn’t look particularly happy to have them in her home.

  “Time to go home, Lupine,” Kalen says gently, coming to sit next to me.

  “I’m sorry for making you all worry,” I tell them seriously.

  “Guys, outside now!” Wren says with a seriousness that surprises me. “I want to talk to Lupine.”

  They look like they’re going to argue but give in, showing him the respect that they’ve grown used to giving him.

  “I’ve been lying to you,” he whispers, his eyes downcast.

  “What about?” I ask, taking his hand and pulling him towards me. He falls to the ground in front of where I’m sitting, his face in my lap and I think he might be crying.

  “I’ve always known where you were.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Ever since your mum died… So maybe four years… I’ve known. She told me. She wanted me to find you but I…”

  His eyes meet mine, and he looks haunted.

  “I wanted to… I planned to… but…”

  “But you liked being alpha?” I ask gently, causing him to look away, unable to keep my eye.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I drop to the floor next to him, wrapping my arms around him. “I really don’t care. I don’t care how long it took you to come for me. All that matters is that you came.”

  “But…”

  “Nope… I love you,” I tell him, cupping his face with my hands so that I can kiss him passionately. “Now take me home. I think Evanora has had enough visitors for one day.”

  He helps me to my feet, brushing his tears away with the back of his sleeve.

  “Thank you, Evanora,” I say happily. “You should come visit us sometime.”

  “I don’t make a habit of going into town,” she tries to refuse, “but maybe when…”

  She pointedly looks to my belly, causing me to break into a wide smile.

  “I’m going to hold y
ou to that!”

  My Wolves

  Apparently getting shot gets me off baby chameleon duty. Tonight, Jacqueline is having Lucian in her room, leaving me and my wolves to our own devices. They’re all being ridiculously gentle. They don’t seem to understand that Evanora healed me and that I’m perfectly fine.

  Kalen is kissing a trail of kisses down my stomach; he hesitates when he reaches the small red mark that’s left over from where I was shot.

  “Are you sure you’re up to this?” he asks.

  I growl at him. I’m not going to let them stop every two seconds to check that I’m not in pain. It would be one thing if I was actually in pain, but I’m not! Evanora did a great job and I’m perfectly fine. I just need a damn good orgasm.

  “PLEASE!” I beg him angrily.

  He grins at me, before lowering his head between my thighs so he can lap at my clit before diving his tongue deep inside me. My hips buck instinctively. This is exactly what I need!

  Wren crawls over the bed so he can come and kiss me, his hands on my boobs, massaging the globes under his strong, powerful palms. His mouth on mine makes my lips tingle.

  I feel like my body is on fire. I want to scream out as the desire builds, but we really can’t afford to wake up the kids.

  When Kalen removes his move from between my legs, I whimper. “I was enjoying that.”

  “You’ll enjoy this more,” he promises, cupping his dick in his hands with an arrogance that is surprising coming from him. He’s right, but I don’t tell him that. Instead, I simply open my legs wider, allowing him to enter me as I wrap my legs behind his thighs.

  There are hands all over me, each of my wolves touching me, bringing me closer to orgasm as Kalen picks up speed. My hips buck up in response to his thrusts and I’m definitely not quiet. Wren decides I’m far too noisy and stuffs my mouth full of his cock.

  Bobbing my head up and down, I do my best to maintain a rhythm. It’s challenging when all I can think about is how good Kalen’s dick feels inside me. I’m so close. Desperate for relief.

  They make me feel worshiped in a way I’d never have imagined even possible before meeting them. Kalen crumbles on top of me as we both find our release. It’s not over there though. Multiple orgasms are a definite bonus of having so many mates to please.