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“Sandwiches?” she whispers.

“Yup,” I say, laughing a little and nodding to her. “Sandwiches real soon.”

“All right!” Cole says, nodding to the girls. “Now shift! Anyone who misbehaves will displease their new Goddess, which willnotbe good.”

I grin at the sight of thirteen little girls suddenly shifting before me, turning into thirteen of thecutestlittle puppy wolves I’ve ever seen. I laugh as they all start to gambol about, all different colors, snarling playfully and nipping at each other in their excitement.

“Well, lady?” Cole says, turning to smirk at me. “You’ve got your little tiny wolf pack. Ready to mount up?”

“Yes, I think I am,” I say, grinning at my Prince – my tamed Alpha, who we both know is no such thing. He dips into alow, courtly bow and then shifts so that he appears as his wolf, lowered before me so I can climb on up. I laugh, putting Janine up on Cole’s shoulders first and then climbing on after her. I arrange Janine’s little hands so that they cling to his fur and then wrap my arms around her, taking my own grip.

Cole rises to his full height, letting out a loud bark that has all the pups swarming around him. Then he lurches beneath us, Janine crying out with excitement, and me laughing as Cole takes off into the night, the puppies all following behind.

We run for about thirty minutes, I think – but even after that relatively short time, I can see that the pups are flagging – weak, exhausted, starving. Cole barks twice and slows, allowing the pups to catch up as he moves into the shadows of a cliffside, well protected from sight. When we’re all tucked in, he lowers himself to the ground. I help Janine climb down and then follow after her, looking curiously up at Cole as he shifts back.

“Think we’re far enough away?” I whisper.

“As far as we’re going to get,” he murmurs. “They’re flagging. They need food and water.” He looks carefully around, sniffing the air. “I think we’re okay for now. I haven’t sensed anyone near all night.”

I nod, trusting him to know far better than I would.

“Let’s get the sandwiches out,” Cole murmurs, lifting his chin toward the backpack.

I do as he says, moving deeper into the shadows and settling back against the cliffside before shifting the bag to the ground. I kneel beside it, instructing the girls to sit in a circle around me. They quickly oblige, and I can almost see them salivating as I start to take the sandwiches out.

I exhale slowly, shaking my head, because I thought Cole wasnutswhen he packed eight sandwiches and as many bottles of water. But now it doesn’t seem like it’s enough.

“More than they’ve had in days, probably,” he murmurs, sitting slightly behind me, his back pressed up against the rock.

I turn, offering a bottle of water to him. He holds up a hand, shaking his head. “Let them have it.”

“Cole, you’ve been running all night.”

He grins at me and just shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. There’s water at camp.”

“Youdaredefy your Goddess?” the lead girl says, looking incredulous at Cole like this is a great blasphemy.

He just laughs, moving his eyes to the girl and shrugging. “Goddess is wrong on this one. The water is foryou.”

I sigh, not liking that he’s being so selfless when he’s doing so much work. But I pass the bottles around, starting to break the sandwiches in half and passing them around too. I watch the girls as they begin to eagerly eat and drink, noting that they are very fair with each other, all ensuring that everyone gets enough.

But I reach out a hand, stopping Diana as she leans towards Janine and tears her meager bit of sandwich in half, offering it to the smaller girl. “No,” I say, holding Diana’s gaze. “That’s for you. We’re not far from our camp, and there’s more food there.”

Diana’s eyes go wide. “Morefood?”

“Yup,” I say, smiling at her. “All you can eat. We’re going to take care of you now. I promise.”

Diana’s face falls slack at the promise of abundance. But when tears line her eyes, she looks away and starts to quietly eat her dinner, I think not wanting me to see.

As the girls quickly consume their meal, I move back to sit with Cole against the rock, leaning close against his side, pretending not to notice the arm he slips around my back. “What do we do next?” I whisper.

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head, glancing up at the sky. “Dawn will be in a few hours. I think we need to see what’smore important for them right now – rest or getting back to camp.”

We wait, letting the girls finish up, but even as they do, the answer becomes apparent. Immediately, little girl eyes start to droop, yawns stretching mouths as their exhausted bodies begin to process what is likely the first good meal they’ve had in days.

Janine comes close, snuggling against my side. The other girls do as well, most shifting into their puppy forms. I gasp, glancing up at Cole. “Is that…normal?”

He nods, smiling softly around at them. “They’ll be warmer. Probably more comfortable too.”