Page 38 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

K ai

Paralyzing panic.

When we shifted and the scientists on the outside of the glass cage noticed we were no longer men, but beasts that could easily crush their skulls with a single swipe of our claws, that’s what they felt.

They didn’t react. Frozen like statues.

Their eyes like saucers.

Their mouths hanging open.

The scent of their terror was delicious.

Without hesitation, we lunged toward the glass together. Luck was on our side. The bastards had forgotten to electrify the cage. Not that doing so would have prevented us from breaking free.

Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving darkness, yet I could see everything clearly.

The beeping sounds of an alarm sounded off throughout the building and an emergency backup system turned on. Red lights flashed from fixtures near the ceiling.

“The backup system,” Savannah called. “We need to get out of here.”

Gunshots.

Other beasts were attacking, trying to escape. I could feel their pain. So could Savannah. She moaned behind me, even issuing a single sob.

The panic finally shifted into controlled chaos. Yet the remaining scientists had no clue what the hell to do. Finally, they tried to run, to escape the melee themselves.

That wasn’t going to happen.

They didn’t deserve to live.

Apollo and Roman attacked, lunging over the console while the men screamed. Snarls and growls permeated the room as the scientists were ripped apart.

I turned toward Savannah. She’d managed to climb through the shattered glass, taking deep breaths as she scanned the laboratory. She peered at me and I sensed every emotion she was going through. Fear. Anger. Worry.

Love.

I felt something that I barely understood, but had felt growing within. An emotion that wolves didn’t have and didn’t want.

Yet within her, the feeling was growing stronger.

“Look out!” she screamed, the sound ripped with terror.

Soldiers had entered the room, their weapons raised. One got off a shot before I could react, the bullet striking me in the shoulder. It didn’t affect me whatsoever. I raced forward, pitching myself into the air, toppling him to the floor. As soon as he was down, I backed away, pawing the floor.

Roman tackled the second guard, the sounds of screaming and thrashing filling the room, but I only had eyes for the bastard who’d stuck Roman with the cattle prod.

And who’d been the one to leer at our mate.

The flashing red lights and the utter chaos couldn’t hide his terror. I stalked him as he tried to back away, tripping over a chair, falling to the floor.

“Oh, God. Don’t.” He threw his arm over his face as if that was going to keep me from killing him.

I stood over him for a few seconds, savoring the moment as I licked my chops with my long tongue.

He tried to crawl backward, but there was nowhere to go. With a deep growl, I inched even closer, lowering my head slowly. The stench of urine filled my nostrils. Disgusting beast.

I drove my canines into his neck, jerking him off the floor. I took a few moments to shake him as the taste of blood filled my mouth before tossing him.

He was dead before he hit the floor.

“We need to go now!” Savannah called. Her rebellious side was still in effect. She rushed toward the door, refusing to follow our orders.

The three of us surrounded her, running down the corridor. She constantly looked over her shoulder, her fear palpable, but the warrior in her refused to back down. We rushed from one corridor to another. I could still sense the other beasts. They’d managed to escape their cages. They were fighting.

They were winning their freedom.

But who the hell had they become?

There was no time for second guessing or caring. We could see the exit a hundred yards away.

Suddenly, another shot rang out from behind. Apollo had been hit.

“Don’t stop,” I mentally told her, hoping she could understand.

“I can’t leave you.”

“Go. Go. Now!” As Roman and Apollo moved in for the attack, I waited, watching her, nudging her with my muzzle when she hesitated.

Snarls and growls filled the corridor. Suddenly, the four of us weren’t alone. Other beasts had made their way into the corridor.

“You’re injured,” she whispered. She touched my shoulder, her body vibrating from anger.

“I’ll heal. Go.” Thankfully, she listened, racing toward the exit while I turned just in time to knock down and tear another soldier apart. Whatever conscience I had buried deep within my psyche wouldn’t matter tonight.

This was all about getting her to freedom, protecting her with everything we had. I shook off the soldier, turning my attention to the others.

Apollo was severely injured but continued fighting. I joined him, ending the human’s life just before he managed to get off a killing shot.

Grunting, Apollo nodded his thanks. Screams and shouts erupted down the corridor, but there were no other soldiers in sight. We took the moment when the other beasts were attacking to race down the hallway and into the night.

Hours had passed, a full day of being incarcerated, chained like savages. But now, we could use the darkness as a cover. Although I sensed Thanatos remained alive. We were dangerous to him and he would use whatever methods were at his disposal to stop us.

She was in the shadows, standing tall as she stared at the building.

“Get on,” I told her.

She moved closer, taking one last look before throwing up her middle finger, the gesture something I understood. With no hesitation, she climbed on my back and I took off toward the forest, using the trees for cover.

“Go back to my father’s house,” she directed.

“If any humans remain alive, they will come there first,” Roman told her. “We won’t be safe.”

She clung to my neck, pressing her face into my fur.

“Nowhere is safe. Not right now. Just go.” Her voice was trembling, but I sensed she had an idea. At this point, we were out of options. She was human. She was our mate. We’d promised to protect her.

We ran through the forest, completely aware of our surroundings. The sense of freedom remained, a pure moment of joy in being away from the laboratory and running through the woods. It was the way wolves were meant to live, not enveloped in human form.

What the scientist had done was horrible, altering futures in a way they couldn’t understand. I remained as angry as Savannah, more so because of what the three of us had become.

There was no way of knowing how many more were like us, but once the government learned what Blackwell Industries had been doing and what they’d managed to produce, they would become obligated to hunt us down, killing us one by one.

They’d hide the atrocities. They’d squelch the rumors until their society was made safe and whole again.

And they wouldn’t care how many dens and packs they destroyed in the process.

Wind tickled my fur, the feel of her hot breath even more so. She clung to me, trusting me implicitly as we made our way back to her father’s house.

We’d travel miles, avoiding roads and humans. But it didn’t matter.

Only getting her to safety did.

Time held no meaning as we rushed through the forest. There were other creatures. Deer. Bear. Wolves. Foxes.

They all avoided us, hovering in the shadows as we passed. Yet they sensed our calls to them regarding the danger they were in.

As we finally neared the private road where her father lived, we slowed, stopping a hundred yards away.

We scanned the area with our keen eyesight, determining if we were alone.

We were. But it wouldn’t last for long.

She immediately walked toward Apollo, touching his muzzle. “Will you recover from the injury?”

“Yes, little mate.” He nuzzled against her hand. “Finish what you are doing. We need to get out of here and find a safer place.”

“I can hear you as if you were talking to me. Whatever happened, that’s because of the lifeforms living inside of you.

” Savannah turned to face us. “Don’t shift.

You are stronger as wolves. You heal much faster.

We cannot get caught again. If we are, we will not be allowed to remain alive.

I hope you understand what I am saying.”

“Don’t worry, Savannah,” Roman told her. “We should leave the city.”

“We can’t, Roman. Not until the portal is closed. If we don’t, others will suffer and there is no telling what will be unleashed on this world. I can’t allow that to happen.”

“Then we’ll need help,” I growled.

She looked into my eyes. “Yes, we will. There’s only one person I can trust. He will help us.”

“Who?” Apollo demanded.

“My father. You’ll need to trust me. He’s the only one who can provide us with what we need.”

Apollo and Roman both growled, displaying an act of dominance.

We’d learned through our lives never to trust humans.

The few interactions we’d experienced had been met with mostly tragic endings.

The single exception was the beautiful woman standing in front of us, her long hair shimmering in the moonlight.

While our instincts were otherwise, she was one of us now.

The reason why no longer mattered.

“Hurry, little mate. I can taste blood on my tongue.” We trailed behind her to the house, forcing her to wait as we walked the perimeter. Outside, there was little evidence there’d been a disturbance. There were no bodies, no trace of an attack.

“They took the time to remove all evidence they were here,” she said as if stunned.

But I sensed otherwise. “They don’t want anyone knowing what they’re doing.

They will continue trying to pin the explosion and what happened on me.

That means they are very dangerous. We’ll only have one shot at being able to destroy the portal. We need to do it right.”

Her shoulders slumped as she slipped in through the back door, stopping the moment she was inside, listening for any sound of a disturbance.

“We’re safe,” Roman snarled. “Apollo and I will remain outside. Do not take too long.”