by RJ Blain
I took it as a hint to see if the island offered any real meat. Heaving a sigh, I loped off.
While the island was large, the only thing I found of interest was mice, and I hunted them down with enthusiasm. Unlike fish, which Wendy wouldn’t let me swallow whole, my wolf enjoyed crunching on the mice. We didn’t catch enough to feel full, but by the time I returned, I had relaxed enough to ignore my Alpha female’s growls and fidgeting.
“I guess we wait or we swim and hope to find another island—one with people on it—or shore,” she muttered, settling in beside me. She offered me one of the fish, which I rejected with a turn of my head. “You have to eat, too.”
Without a real way to communicate with her, I sighed and took the fish. Under her watchful eye, I picked its bones clean instead of swallowing it whole like I wanted.
The days passed, and with each one that slipped by, Wendy’s mood deteriorated. She stared to the east, her attention fixated on something I couldn’t sense or see. While I had, for a time, felt my mate as a warmth within, my sense of him had faded to the thin awareness he lived, somewhere far out of my reach.
When the full moon rose, I ghosted at Wendy’s heels, encouraging her wolf to take over her body without shifting forms. Wendy’s wolf liked me, which was why I lived, and I knew it. My wolf and hers talked, and with sickening fear, I realized she no longer needed me.
Wendy’s wolf reigned, and she had no intentions of shifting. With a puppy to defend and let grow, she would wait. When I whined at her wolf’s desire for solitude, she turned on me. As Sanders had in the wild, she rebuked me, although she used her fists and feet instead of her teeth. I cringed, protected my belly, and endured.
I remained, keeping a careful watch, but as I had guessed, she didn’t need me at all.
When the full moon set, I retreated to the far side of the island, watching Wendy from a distance, too afraid to approach.
The yellow never left Wendy’s eyes, and I wondered how much woman remained in her human body. My worry grew, but I lacked the courage to stand up to her. Each day, I returned to the beach, kept company with the sharks, and dragged their offerings up to the plateau to leave for my Alpha female when she wasn’t paying attention or chose to ignore my approach.
I lived on mice and the occasional bird unfortunate enough to cross my path. Hunting lacked the satisfaction it had with Sanders at my side. When the dark moon rose, Wendy ventured to the east-facing beach on her own, and as I watched from the plateau, she slipped into the waters and swam away.
Dorsal fins surrounded her, and without a single look back, she left me behind. When she went, all of the sharks went with her.
I howled my loneliness, and as expected, there was no reply.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I denned beneath the charred ruins of the station. The blackened debris hid the hole I dug, and when it was large enough for me to curl up within, I spent my days sleeping and my nights hunting. With each sunrise and sunset, my wolf took more and more control over me until I watched the world go by through her eyes.
Like Wendy, she longed for something in the east, but she didn’t trust the sharks in the water, so we remained on our island.
When the mice grew scarce, we spent most of our time asleep.
Sometime before the full moon rose, a stirring in the pack bonds woke me, and the howling of a wolf filled my head. It was a joyful, welcoming call. It wasn’t for me, so while my wolf and I were puzzled, we otherwise disregarded our pack.
Humans invaded my territory three days after the full moon set, and my wolf feared them. We hid in our den, staying still and silent to avoid detection. For the first time since taking over, she prodded and poked me to full consciousness.
Voices drew near. Without me, she couldn’t understand them. I didn’t recognize them, and in my grogginess, I didn’t understand what was going on or why she cared about the humans. In the time I had slept and she had ruled, I had grown thin with mats tangling my fur. The only plump part of me was my belly, which my wolf regarded with resigned grief.
Someone crouched outside my den. My nose informed me he was a male. There was something not-quite human about his scent, although I found no hint of the cinnamon spice of my own kind. When all I did was stare at him, he rose, turned, and called, “Found her.”
I was too tired and hungry to protest when a Fenerec male reached into my hole, grabbed me by the scruff, and pulled me out.
“That was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would be,” he confessed, tightening his grip on the back of my neck. I sniffed to catch their scents, and the howls in my head strengthened. There was no malice in their scent, and my wolf found their concern and anxiety promising.
We were too worn and hungry to fight them. While my wolf wanted to at least give them some reason to fear us, I considered it a waste of effort. I doubted I could stand without falling over, let alone sink my teeth into anything or anyone.
“That might have something to do with the fact this island is a terrible place for a Fenerec. She’s all bones,” someone—another male—replied. “Think you can carry her without hurting her?”
“I’ll take her,” a voice I recognized said, his tone far gentler than normal. Perking my ears, I sniffed to catch his scent.
“I think she recognizes you, sir,” the male holding me stated.
“Just because you can’t recognize your own tail when you’re hungry does not mean everyone else is reduced to a mindless amoeba,” Dustin replied, his annoyance bleeding into his voice and his scent. “Fenerec are social critters, and without Stud Muffin around, she’s probably lonely on top of starving.”
I sighed when Dustin took me, and while his hold put uncomfortable pressure on my stomach, I didn’t complain. Resting my head against his arm, I closed my eyes.
I caught a faint hint of my mate’s scent, and my wolf went wild in her desperation to get to him. Growling, I pulled free of Dustin’s hold on me, jumped to the metal bottom of the boat, and fell on my face as it bounced over wave after wave.
When I couldn’t stay on my paws, I howled my frustration. Dustin pressed his shoe between my shoulders, and I warbled my complaints at him. My wolf wanted me to bite him and put him in his place, but I controlled her. Pulling out a cell phone, Dustin dialed a number and held it to his ear.
“Listen,” he ordered before holding his cell in my direction. I blinked at it. He prodded me with his foot, and I yowled my irritation with the witch, followed up with a warbled demand for my mate. Satisfied, Dustin put the phone back to his ear. “Skin and bones plus about ready to burst at the seams. Once we get her on shore, you’ll need to force her to transform, because she’s far enough gone I don’t think we’ll be able to talk her into it.”
I snarled. If I transformed, I knew what would happen. I struggled to rise, but Dustin kept me pinned far too easily. I twisted around and grabbed his ankle with my teeth, warning him with a growl I would draw blood he pushed his luck.
“You will also need to pry her jaws from my ankle when we dock, please,” Dustin continued. “I think she took offense to my suggestion.”
I heard Richard’s deep rumbling on the other end of the line. A moment later, I heard my mate’s voice.
“I understand, sir, but you have a choice to make. You can risk the puppy, or you can kill the bitch and the puppy. She’s too small. Transformation is mandatory. I’ll try to help as I can, but you know as well as I do what risks are involved. Please note I said risk, sir. Yes, I’m aware it’s long after the safe time for her to shift. Yes, I’m aware the standard chances are slim. Am I the only one here with my head screwed on straight? Alphas!” With a snarl to rival a Fenerec’s, Dustin hung up. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to save your puppy. The only male with any sense at all between the three of them is Uncle Stud Muffin. He has his priorities straight. While he wants that puppy more than the rest of them combined, he needs you even more.”
There was something smug about Dus
tin’s scent, and without releasing his ankle, I stared up at him in silent questioning.
“I can’t tell if you’re the luckiest or unluckiest bitch alive, but unless I’m wrong—and I rarely am—I think your puppy will be just fine, assuming you get your skinny ass back into your two-legged form without a fuss and you stay that way this time. I’m a water witch; I know these things. Of course, it’ll hurt like hell, and you’ll hate me every single moment of the transformation, but we all have to make sacrifices, don’t we?” He smiled at me. “You did good work. Mrs. Desmond, by the way, headed straight for her mate once she reached shore, and both her and her puppy are just fine. Don’t be surprised if you get mobbed when we do reach shore. There are a lot of people quite worried about you.”
I had my doubts about that, but I released his ankle, yawned, closed my eyes, and waited.
Dustin had lied to me.
If transforming hurt like hell, I wasn’t aware of it. I had no idea what he drugged me with, but all I felt was a prick in my flank before I blacked out, only to wake up in my mate’s arms. Sanders nuzzled my neck, and the rich aroma of his pleasure and contentment filled my nose. Fingers pressed to my wrist, but they weren’t my mate’s; they were too small.
“And you doubted me,” a smug Dustin said, his tone pleased.
“I can’t believe you drugged her,” Desmond growled.
“You begged me to try to save the puppy. You told me to do whatever I needed, just try to save the puppy. Stop whining, sir. I was only following your orders.”
“All right, Dustin. How the hell did you pull this off?” Richard demanded.
“Luck,” the witch replied. “I used a concentrated blend of wolfsbane and another herb—no, I’m not telling you which one. If I do, you’ll attempt it with every single failed breeding, and it won’t work. It’s short duration without the Ketamine serving to enhance it, but that’s all I needed. With the wolfsbane directly in her bloodstream, when Stud Muffin ordered her to change, I used my witchcraft to ensure the puppy likewise obeyed.”
My mate stiffened, tightening his hold on me. “You did what?”
“Bitches miscarry during transformations because the changes in their anatomy are simply too much for the developing puppies to survive. However, I have had a theory for a while, but it’s one nigh impossible to prove,” Dustin answered. “I gambled, and I won. That said, under no circumstances should you permit anyone to get an ultrasound near her, because you’ll end up having to answer some very, very difficult questions. You should be congratulated, Uncle. You must have really taken her for quite a ride to score yourself such a lovely puppy.”
Desmond sucked in a breath. “Are you trying to tell us the puppy is a True-born?”
“I might be trying to imply something of that nature. I had my suspicions prior, since there was something odd about the puppy when I checked the pretty little princess before, but I had no way to confirm it. I took a chance and it worked. Now, I’m not going to promise there won’t be problems or the puppy will continue to survive. She’s weak, she’s malnourished, and she’s been under a great deal of stress. All I did was buy the puppy a chance. Try not to waste it.”
“Shut up, Dustin. You’re noisy,” I mumbled.
“Sara!” My mate clutched me to him, kissing my throat. “I’m so sorry.”
My tongue didn’t want to obey me, so my words came out slurred and difficult even for me to understand. “Why’re you sorry?”
Dustin chuckled. “Save your blubbering for after she’s gotten something to eat. He’s sorry for a list of crimes about ten miles long, which we’ve all heard him bemoaning right along with Desmond for more than a month. Please spare us and tell him to stuff it. Please.”
“Stuff it,” I informed my mate dutifully.
My mate’s happy laugh convinced me and my wolf everything was okay.
“Let’s get back to the hotel,” Desmond suggested, growling with his every breath. “You got me to leave my mate. While I trust my daughters, there’s no way in hell I’m staying away any longer than necessary.”
“I’ll round up Holly and Barry. We’ll hit a couple of stores and bring back enough to feed both of the bitches. Stud Muffin, get her in bed and keep her there, unless she wants a soak in the tub. I’d say call an actual doctor, but I don’t know if they’ll tell you more than the fact she’s skin and bones and needs to eat.” After muttering a long string of curses, Dustin sighed. “Do you think I can go back to my real job after this?”
“We’ll think about it,” Desmond replied. “March, Sanders, before someone else gets the idea to grab one of our mates.”
“Desmond, your daughters are with Wendy, as are Amber, Alex, and Frank. They’d need an army to get to her right now. You’ve been gone for less than an hour,” my mate replied, and with a grunt, he got to his feet with Richard’s help without letting me go. “Personally, I hope those fuckers try. I’d love to see your girls take chunks out of their hide—and interrogate them.”
“Someone in the pack betrayed us,” I mumbled, remembering what Wendy had said.
“I know,” my mate whispered in my ear. “And when we find out who, we’ll put an end to this once and for all.”
While I had two feet and was fairly confident I’d be able to make them cooperate with me, Sanders trapped me in a blanket and carried me. I considered complaining, but his scent was so full of happiness and pleasure I kept quiet, not wanting to ruin his mood with my whining.
Maybe it’d been a matter of luck, but I hadn’t killed our puppy. When I wasn’t so tired and hungry, I’d muster enough energy to feel something other than weary relief.
By the time we reached the hotel, I was half asleep. I freed a hand from my blankety prison to grab hold of my mate’s shirt in a death grip, determined to prevent him from escaping. The scent of his pleasure intensified when he noticed.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured me, kissing the top of my head.
“We’re cursed,” I complained.
“I noticed.” Sighing, Sanders adjusted his hold on me and, with a little help from Richard and Desmond, got out of the car without setting me down. “Thanks.”
“I figured asking you to let go of her long enough to get out on your own would be a bit much,” Richard replied, grinning at me. “Not that she seems interested in making things easier on you.”
“Mine,” I hissed at Yellowknife’s Alpha.
“Trust me, Sara, I don’t want him. He’s not my type,” Richard replied.
“Thief,” Desmond growled, and the viciousness of his tone was offset by the affection sweetening his scent.
“The greatest accomplishment of my life is my stealing of your daughter.”
Snorting, Desmond herded my mate and Richard into the hotel lobby, heading straight for the elevator. My mate chuckled, shaking his head. “Are you ever just going to confess you love having Richard as one of your puppies, Desmond? You’ve lost. He has you wrapped around his finger as much as your feisty little daughter does.”
“Do not make me take you out back and beat you, Sanders,” Desmond retorted, tapping the elevator button impatiently. I lost count of the number of times he pressed it before the doors dinged and opened. “I permitted that runty little puppy to court my daughter because she begged me to allow it. I was feeling benevolent at the time. He’s still a grubby thief.”
“She emptied a magazine around your head, Desmond. She snarled at you when she did it and warned you if you interfered with the male she had successfully captured, she would eat you,” my mate retorted. “If I recall correctly, she emptied the second magazine around your head, Richard.”
“I didn’t even do anything that time,” Richard complained, stepping into the elevator to hold open the door. “Nicolina doesn’t beg. If you’re lucky, she might ask. Usually, she’ll just apologize after doing exactly what she feels like doing. I think she was expressing her dislike for your overprotective possessiveness, Desmond.”
“Th
at’s my job, damn it.”
Laughing, my mate shook his head. “They’re all like this all the time. Richard and Nicolina are the worst once they get started. They’ll bicker at each other all day and night if you let them, and they’ll enjoy every single moment of it. They’re both too shy to admit how much they adore each other. Male pride on his part. Good genes on hers.” The elevator door dinged and opened at the top floor. “You’ll get used to it. We’ll pop some corn, sit on Desmond’s couch, and watch the fireworks when they visit. It’s like going to the movies, but far more entertaining.”
“Go take care of your mate,” Desmond ordered. “I’ll check in with Wendy before coming with my phone to place a few calls. Richard, stay with them. I’ll send Nicolina over to keep you company. Do you mind me borrowing your brother as a guard?”
“Wait, you’re asking me instead of doing exactly what you want?” Richard feigned a faint, slumping against the wall and pressed the back of his hand to his forehead.
“Richard.”
“Of course you can borrow him. Just return him in the same condition when you’re finished with him.”
Sanders laughed. “You two are something else. Give us an hour, Desmond. While I love you dearly, Sara, you’re in dire need of a bath.”
I laughed because it was true.
I fell asleep in the tub, and when I woke up, it was to the quiet murmur of my mate’s voice beside me. Cracking open an eye, I watched him. He sat beside me, leaning against the headboard while holding a cell to his ear.
“Come sleep,” I mumbled, untangling from the blankets to slide my hand up his bare arm.
“Ah, hold on a moment, sir,” he said before turning his attention to me. “Hungry?”
A gurgle from my stomach answered him. Laughing, he placed the cell to his ear again. “Sir, can I call you back? Ah, yes, I suppose that will work.” He held the phone out to me. “Talk while I hunt you something to eat.”
