Page 16 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

S avannah

Canine DNA.

More to the point, Canis lupus .

Wolf.

My mind continued to wrap around the results of the test. I’d taken the sample with Kai as a human. It had come back mostly canine. Proof positive. I glanced into the restroom’s mirror, taking deep breaths. Even splashing water on my face hadn’t calmed my nerves.

Or my excitement.

I’d need to keep the findings to myself for the time being. Until I learned who could be trusted.

“I found something,” Carl said as he caught me coming out of the restroom.

“What?”

The word came less than two hours after our initial conversation and the entire laboratory was on lockdown. No one could come or go. It was anyone’s guess as to how long. Now at seven hours into the shift, tensions were running high, speculation rampant.

Rumors had already surfaced that we were being shut down. Both Carl and I used the lack of supervision to our favor.

“A memo regarding a call made to the company who installed the laser system.”

“And?” As a few employees moved down the corridor, Carl pulled me aside, lowering his voice before answering.

“It’s not definitive, but apparently there were issues with some operations. That adds credibility to what you were thinking. Have you found anything?”

“One thing. Someone has been tampering with my test results.”

“What do you mean tampering?”

I shook my head. “I had a series of results ready to provide as required. When I looked at them this morning, they were different. I always memorize my findings.”

Carl smiled as he lifted his eyebrows. “With the number of tests you’ve run over the last few weeks, isn’t it possible you remembered the results differently?”

“You know better than that. I made a backup copy in a private file. I checked one against the other. They were different.”

He whistled. “Shit. Did you make a separate copy to a flash drive?”

“I did, but you saw security this morning. I’ll be lucky to get it out of here without it being detected.”

“True.” He lifted his head. “There’s Camden. I’m surprised they allowed him off the floor. He’s headed to the breakroom. Let’s see if we can find out anything else. Let me handle this. Okay?”

I nodded, scanning the corridor to check if we were being watched.

I’d felt the same creepy-crawlies all day that I’d had days before and that morning with Dr. Blackwell.

There were security cameras in several areas, but not within our facility.

At least that I knew of. I fingered the jump drive in my pocket while Carl headed for the breakroom.

Thank God I had made a copy.

I waited for a few seconds before heading into the room, immediately moving toward the coffee machine. The two were laughing, chatting about something that had nothing to do with work. I took my time, keeping my back to them.

“What is happening? The oversight committee just showed up?”

Camden seemed hesitant to say anything. “They gave thirty minutes notice. Out of the blue. Right now, Dr. Blackwell, the board, and a couple others on the team are behind closed doors with the suits. A bunch of us have heard loud voices.”

“I’m surprised they allowed you off the floor.”

Camden snorted. “The rest of us were asked to give them twenty minutes. As in get the hell away. I don’t mind telling you, I don’t like being shut out. Not after everything we’ve discovered.”

I shifted so I could see their faces while stirring cream in my coffee. What struck me was the expression on Camden’s face. He was nervous.

“What have you discovered, because my tests have been inconclusive.” Carl was pushing. I had to give him credit.

Camden was even more uncomfortable, turning more toward Carl so no one could overhear him.

“The only thing I’m going to tell you is that what we discovered is not what anyone expected.

We’ve had some issues, strange findings and some ripples in the system.

I swear to God, it’s like the laboratory upstairs is haunted with the strange anomalies we’ve experienced.

” He checked his watch. “I better get back upstairs. I doubt we’ll hear anything today.

Since early last week, Dr. Blackwell has been extremely secretive. ”

“He’s been that way for a while.”

“More now. Did you hear the other news? You know that sanctuary near here?”

My ears perked up.

“I’ve heard about it,” Carl told him.

“Several wolves they were rehabilitating escaped.”

I tried to keep from paying any closer attention, but it was becoming difficult. My skin was prickled, my breath caught in my throat.

“I hadn’t heard.” Carl quickly shot me a look.

“It’s all over the news. Evidently, they slaughtered a group of hikers.

There’s a manhunt out with orders to shoot to kill.

Wildlife control is crawling all over the woods surrounding us.

Maybe it’s a good thing we’re locked in here.

” Camden laughed. “Well, I better get back. Oh, and you didn’t hear any of this from me. ”

A cold shiver drifted down my spine.

I should be terrified of the wolves who’d… fucked me.

Mated with me.

The thought was ridiculous, almost as much as my immediate instinct to protect them at all costs. Somehow, I needed to warn them. My skin tingled as another wave of heat shifted deep within my core.

Ours…

“You got it.” As soon as Camden walked out of the room, Carl walked closer.

“Maybe you were right, Dr. Morgan. If I were you, I’d keep those results very secure.

You might need them in the future. I have a very bad feeling you’re right in your conclusions.

Be very careful, Sav. Wolves can be unpredictable. ”

He squeezed my arm and walked around me, leaving the room. I shifted against the counter, sipping my coffee.

Oh, my God. Was it possible Apollo, Kai, and Roman had killed innocent people? I pressed my hand against my lips, holding back a moan. That couldn’t be possible. They weren’t killers.

How do you know, Sav? They’re wolves. They’re predators.

My inner voice was correct.

Whatever was happening, I knew one thing to be true.

The situation was highly dangerous.

Roman

The stench of blood permeated the air. There’d been recent kills. Whether by man or by beast shouldn’t matter.

But it did.

We were being hunted. I felt that in my bones.

My limited patience had run out.

Hunger gnawed at my gut, both for food and for her.

Savannah.

Just whispering her name brought another stark wave of desire.

Snorting, I was forced to adjust my cock under the tight pair of pants. Whoever owned the clothes had been much smaller. Wolves weren’t supposed to wear fucking clothes.

The late afternoon air was humid, the light breeze doing little more than tempering the sweat that had formed on my back and chest. The shirt I’d chosen clung to me, already stained from the hours spent outdoors.

I’d wanted to do so as my beast, but right now, it was more dangerous to remain as a wolf. The three of us had sensed people from the refuge were searching for us. Remaining in this location much longer would become too risky.

But we weren’t leaving without our mate.

The thought still unnerved me. I’d been searching for so long that even now, as unnatural as the choice, finding her had relieved some pressure. As alpha of my pack, it had been long past time to take a mate.

When I moved, the shirt ripped at a seam. Shit. If we were remaining in human form for much longer, different clothes would need to be found.

I stood at the bank of the water’s edge, staring out at the trees. My eyesight was entirely different as a human. The colors were bolder, brighter, the spectrum allowing me to distinguish reds from greens.

Colors had meant nothing to me before, only peripheral shapes allowing me to sense danger. It was apparent I still had certain wolf abilities.

Savannah’s scent lingered on my skin. I pulled my arm under my nose and as I inhaled, another sense of longing tore through me.

I’d been cynical when Apollo had suggested she was our mate.

There were no animals that could mate with humans.

I knew that from what I’d gleaned from the scientist who’d provided a world of information from his own memory banks.

Whoever he was, he had lived an interesting life.

I wondered if he understood his knowledge had provided the basis for three wolves to masquerade as humans. That’s what it felt like I was doing. This was certainly not anything I’d asked for. I’d simply wanted to escape the chains and return to my pack.

Bending down, I leaned over, lapping water with my tongue.

Cool and refreshing, even though my stomach growled.

We’d need to eat soon and from what I’d seen in the kitchen, there was little I could tolerate.

A strange sense of knowing washed over me and I jerked my head up, inhaling the musky scents of the forest.

“You should learn to use a cup or a glass,” Apollo said from behind me.

I continued until my thirst was quenched before acknowledging him. “When necessary.” As I stood, I rubbed my arm across my lips, able to taste her. “There are humans in the woods. I gathered their stench.”

Apollo growled, the sound coming from deep within his chest. “Yes. They are hunting.”

“They can’t find us.”

“No, they can’t. We need to blend in, Roman. We need to work together.”

This time, I laughed. We were equals. There was no leader, no single alpha.

If we hadn’t stumbled on Savannah, I wouldn’t be here, new abilities or not.

Had I realized that as soon as any other wolf learned of the change, a target would be placed on my back?

Yes. Wolves were notoriously unable to accept change.

“For our mate,” I answered.

“Are you suggesting we leave her alone? You felt the connection. You know she belongs to us.”

“You make it sound like something she wants.”

“And you make it sound as if she has a choice.”