Page 35 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

R oman

Chains.

They’d shackled our bodies. They’d controlled our shifting abilities. They’d attempted to break our will.

They were the true monsters.

Taunting our mate by testing to see if she was fertile was the icing on the cake, as humans would say. The man she called Thanatos was pushing every button, hoping we’d react violently. That was exactly what was on our minds, yet we were cautious, trying to maintain what little control we had.

Savannah’s scent permeated the glass, her fragrance calling to us even though she was begging us through her thoughts, her eyes, and her words not to take the bait.

It was becoming impossible as the scientist she’d once respected had one of his faithful minions defile her.

We’d also smelled the change in the man. He was no longer only human, but something evil. He reeked of power and control and I had to wonder whether it was more the wishes of the lifeform nestled inside of him, molecules churning in his blood, or if he’d always had malicious intent.

Her slight whimper drew my attention and my wolf struggled to breach the surface, able to do what our human forms prevented.

I jerked at the chains, issuing a low growl since I knew there were other beasts in the building. They were as angry as we were, eager to exact revenge by sinking their teeth into the men who’d altered our future.

And our DNA.

There was another stench.

One of death.

The human monsters had destroyed several beasts after deciding their tests had failed.

My muscles ached, every tendon tense, but I was unable to budge. I could only watch as our little mate was probed and touched. She was fighting valiantly, but right now, there was no escape.

We’d need to bide our time, but the scientists had no understanding of our abilities. They only thought they knew.

Apollo was beside himself, straining at the confining manacles, refusing to obey their terms. Kai’s mind was filled with thoughts of violence and bloodshed, his wolf eager to sink teeth into a half dozen of the soldiers who’d taunted us since we had been forced to awaken from the injected slumber.

Yet the three of us knew that doing anything could result in harming our mate.

And Savannah was all that mattered.

They were torturing her, forcing us to watch as they displayed her beautiful body. What she was enduring was painful to watch, yet she was calm.

Her eyes never left ours.

In her way, she was pleading with us to remain silent.

It was the most difficult thing I’d done as man or wolf.

“We cannot allow her to endure this,” Kai said. We could still communicate without words. That would provide some level of security.

“We have no other choice,” I shot back. And we didn’t. In this form, we weren’t strong enough. Whatever drug we’d been given had made us weak.

“We need to break free of this place.” Apollo’s voice rang loud in my eardrums.

I snorted and thought about exactly what I craved doing to the timid bastard who’d been left to guard us. He was jittery, pacing the floor while sweat poured down the back of his neck. I could smell the stench of his terror.

Good.

He should be very afraid.

His life would end soon enough.

“We need to be careful.” My recommendation was met with a sharp glare from Apollo. “They could kill us.”

“Let them try,” Apollo sneered. He was becoming enraged to the point of being uncontrollable.

He was the most unstable of the three of us.

What fascinated me was that as more time went by, the more human we could become.

Thoughts. Ideas. Needs. They were entirely different than the first moment we’d become these… monsters.

Now I was no longer only craving fulfillment of my primal needs. I wanted more. Perhaps that meant I was growing a conscience. Whatever the case, having the memory bank of the human was helpful. More so than Thanatos understood.

When Savannah cried out, all three of us lunged forward again. My mind was skittering from human thoughts to those of a wolf. My needs were more primitive today because she was in danger.

“Don’t!” she called as she’d done before. I didn’t need to be able to read her mind, although I could sense her thoughts clearly. She was frightened but determined.

Always the rebellious little mate.

There was comfort in the thought. They were doing this to try to get a reaction.

Doing so would bring her harm.

“If their intention is for us to breed her, we’ll gain strength.

” Even though I’d uttered the words, I didn’t believe them.

While I could feel my wolf, his presence was as shackled as my human body.

A slight hum danced deep inside, the vibrations not only coming from the electricity the four of us shared, but from something mechanical.

There was tremendous power being used within the building. There was also a wave of energy unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It wasn’t manmade. From everything our little mate had taught us, we knew about the existence of the parallel world our mate had mentioned.

That knowledge also came from the scientist who’d briefly been connected.

I was seeing the laboratory though his eyes.

“Do you feel the force?” I asked as I scanned the room.

Roman slowly turned his head. “Yes. A central hub.”

We’d felt the lifeforms next to us in another cage.

We’d sensed their anger as well and their agitation had been all about Savannah.

They’d cared for her as she’d done with them.

I had no sense of understanding who or how, but it didn’t matter.

When it came time, we would use that affection against the scientists.

“Our little mate is right. We need to destroy the source and close this goddamn portal.” Apollo puffed up, issuing another deep howl that reverberated throughout the room, terrifying the two soldiers.

I could feel their pulse quicken, could see the wild thumping in their necks. My mouth watered from the thought of sinking my canines into their throats.

“We wait to strike,” I cautioned. “Until we know we can take her to safety.”

While the other two were angry at my thought, they knew I was right. We could do nothing while remaining in this form.

However, as a set of schematics formed in my mind, I realized whoever the scientist had been knew the building well.

We’d use that to our advantage.

The door swung open and the bastard she called Thanatos returned to the room. He surveyed the situation, the smirk on his face the same as when he’d walked out.

“Look at the chains, Roman,” Apollo said. “They are meant for her.”

The set of shackles was positioned several feet away, not close enough for any of us to reach.

Kai snarled audibly, catching Thanatos’ attention. He walked closer, studying the arctic wolf as if he was more fascinated by him than by Apollo or me.

“We need to shift first,” I repeated.

Apollo darted his eyes back and forth and for a split second, they glowed in a warm hue of amber. That gave me hope.

“What are you looking at?” Kai growled. “Are you afraid, Thanatos? Are you worried that when we return to our natural state, we will hunt you, capture you, and enjoy every second of ripping you apart?”

The man wasn’t frightened. What limited knowledge I had of a vampire explained little other than that in his current form, it was likely he could live forever. And he would be considered an apex predator.

The humans had no understanding of what we were capable of.

“Not of you,” he said, laughing as he’d done before. “You’re not as strong as you believe yourselves to be. Plus, I have methods of keeping you under control. Remember the electric fields, wolves. If you dare try and escape, the amps used will fry your fur.”

Kai jerked his chains, snarling as a human the same way he’d do as a wolf.

We all did, providing a backdrop of howls that stirred the other beasts in the building. Soon, they were all singing their displeasure as they’d done before. The wolves were all from different packs. The tigers had been brought in from servitude with a circus.

And the lions had been brought here from far away.

They were all formidable.

We would use their strength when the time came.

“And?” Thanatos asked as he continued to glare at us from his protective stance behind the glass. Little did he know how vulnerable he was.

“She’s quite fertile, Dr. Blackwell. She’s ovulating.”

A smile broke out on his face. “Well. Well. I wonder if it’s possible to breed her. What do you think, boys? Would you like a chance? Perhaps you can produce some cubs. That would be an excellent addition to my project. Imagine what I could learn from dissecting a mutant hybrid pup.”

He threw back his head and laughed and the chains creaked from the force the three of us used.

“You fucking animal,” I growled. “I will enjoy sinking my canines into your neck.”

“I’d like to see you try. You’re no match for me.” He opened his mouth, stretching his gums and exposing his mangled fangs. If the man was trying to scare us into submission, he was a fool. We were afraid of nothing.

Then it dawned on me.

Except losing our mate.

He knew that. He was using our growing bond against us. Fuck.

Exhaling, I stood tall, never allowing my eyes to leave him as he directed our mate to be unshackled from the table. She didn’t struggle, didn’t object in any way. She simply allowed them to unfasten the chains.

The moment her wrists and ankles were free, she reacted. Using a primal scream, she kicked the doctor who’d examined her in the stomach, sending him flying into the tray of instruments he’d used before. With a loud crash, he was pitched to the floor, the implements flying.

Thanatos wasn’t quick in his reactions, which enabled her to lunge toward him, issuing two brutal punches to his face.

He was knocked sideways and she took the opportunity to kick him hard.

With him on the floor, she didn’t wait to see his reaction, flying toward the console and smashing her hand on buttons.

I could hear her ragged breathing, the sound eating me alive inside. She was fearless, refusing to back down to their tyranny.

Finally, the soldiers reacted, grabbing her by the arm. She fought valiantly, managing to jerk herself free and run toward the back of the laboratory.

While we pulled at our chains once again, I could speak for the other two that we were impressed with her determination.

Even though her attempt to free us would be short lived.

“Get her!” Thanatos screamed, scrambling to his feet. “But don’t hurt her. I need her body pristine.”

“Let me go, you fucking bastards,” she screamed, still fighting even though the soldiers had her in a locked hold.

Thanatos raked his fingers through his hair, uncertain what to do.

And all I could do was laugh. It didn’t matter if the sound was inappropriate. She was a true warrior. Our perfect mate.

He turned his head. His eyes glowed in an iridescent swirl. And I could see a gleam, a thought and knew what he was planning.

“Take him,” he said, pointing to me. “Let’s show our fertile female what will happen when she chooses to ignore the rules.”

Additional soldiers rushed into the room, all carrying weapons and cattle prods. They moved into the cage surrounding us, four soldiers concentrating on Apollo and Kai while others unshackled me.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” one of the soldiers stated.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” But I did. The moment I was taken outside the cage, I reacted, punching both in the face. My strength was returning and the brutal crack as I broke the nose of one pushed my wolf to continue.

With a deep snarl, I tossed one of the guards against the wall with enough force it momentarily knocked him unconscious. His body slid to the floor, slumping over.

Then horrific pain tore through my body, a jolt of current more powerful than I’d felt before. Every muscle spasmed, my ears buzzing, but I could hear her screaming.

Very slowly, I succumbed to the agony, sliding toward the floor.

“Fuck this freak,” a guard snarled and smashed something against my back.

Apollo and Kai snarled, fighting for freedom.

Stars blanketed my field of vision.

“Stop. Now,” Savannah called. “What you’re doing is inhuman. Leave them alone.”

I had no idea how she managed to break free from their hold, but her arms were suddenly around me, her face pressed against mine. She was crying yet whispering she’d do everything she could to protect me.

Her strength and our connection eased the pain. Her touch invigorated me.

And my wolf was closer to the surface, his hunger two-fold.

For blood.

And for sex.

“It’s alright,” I told her.

“No, it’s not.” She lifted her head while still holding me. “What you’re doing is an atrocity to mankind and to helpless animals. I will find a way to make certain they’re arrested for what they’re doing.”

After squeezing her arm, I stood, ignoring the anguish and shoving aside my instinctive need to protect her and exterminate the threat. With weapons pointed toward me, eager humans hoping I’d make a move, I refused to give them the satisfaction.

The only thing necessary to terrorize Thanatos was a low growl, the sound rumbling throughout the room. Both Apollo and Kai did as well. The moment was unnerving for every human in the laboratory.

And the inhuman Thanatos as well.

“Enough,” he hissed. “Reattach his chains. And lock her down as well. We move forward. I’m finished with playing games. I will enjoy watching the four of you suffer.”