Page 40 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

S avannah

My father was considered a hero.

He’d served in the Marines receiving two medals of honor during his four times being overseas. When he’d left military service to the country, he’d been recruited by the CIA, spending his years chasing the bad guys.

And he’d caught plenty over the years.

With one exception, and to this day, not being able to find the monster who’d gunned down my brother had left him riddled with guilt.

The grief had eventually forced him to resign from his position, taking retirement early. He’d always been my hero. Now he was breaking all the laws and rules he’d sworn to protect to try to keep me safe.

And to help protect the three wolves who’d been forced to become men at the same time.

I’d told him only so much. Not because he wouldn’t believe me.

My father knew the single lie I’d told as a nine-year-old had nearly broken me.

I’d stolen a bag of M&M’s from a local store, lying about it until he’d found the wrapper in the trash.

Instead of punishing me, which he probably should have done, he’d used it as a teaching lesson.

He’d required me to work off the cost of the product by doing yardwork. He’d then required me to confess my sins to the store’s owner, who had forgiven me after I’d handed him a handful of the money I’d earned doing chores.

I’d never forgotten the lesson or how my father had handled the situation. From that day on, I’d never stolen or lied to anyone.

And he knew I wasn’t about to start as a twenty-nine-year-old woman.

That’s why when I’d expressed my need for help in a huge way, he hadn’t so much as hesitated. He’d given me directions on where to go for safety and what he had planned on doing to help me out of the crisis.

Even from thousands of miles away.

That was my dad.

My first hero.

Now I had three others. They’d protected me. They’d rescued me. They’d risked their lives to keep me safe. Yes, because I was considered their mate, something I’d yet to fully grasp in my mind, but there was more behind the brooding faces and deep hunger.

They cared about me.

The human and their mate.

There was something exhilarating about riding on the back of a wolf.

Kai was so strong, so wild, yet so gentle in his motions.

Even when we’d faced another attack. I was still in shock from the knowledge that other shifters existed and that they’d come to our aid.

How that was possible I’d hopefully be able to study in the future.

Right now, it couldn’t matter.

Only getting to safety and seclusion did.

I knew in my gut Thanatos was still alive. I could feel it as certain as I’d felt the lingering moments of death of other beasts. They’d tried to escape only to face another form of monsters.

Humans.

Sadly, I’d sensed there were still beasts being held in cages at the lab, but right now, we couldn’t free them. We needed to think about our own safety.

We’d found a place to hide deep within the woods, surrounded by a river on one side and a clear view of anyone daring to try to smoke us out of our position. We’d remained there for hours, listening and waiting.

But no one else had dared follow us.

Perhaps they were terrified of the power the three wolves contained.

They were stronger than before even with the injuries. They’d integrated more of what they’d learned while in the portal and in their new bodies. They understood humans better, although I couldn’t say they valued or appreciated mankind more than before.

How could they?

Humans were out to capture them.

Night had given way to morning by the time we reached our destination. It was a little farm nestled in Culpeper, Virginia, close enough to DC while being far enough away to avoid traffic and prying eyes.

It was here where a man my father had served with both in the military and in the CIA lived. My father considered him trustworthy and that was good enough for me.

Convincing the wolves was something else altogether.

As soon as we reached the entrance to the farm, I saw the name engraved in a wooden plaque on the sign positioned on the long fence enclosing the property, I slipped off Kai’s back.

We were all exhausted, drained from what we’d been through as well as thoughts about how we could handle ending this chapter of our lives.

My fear was that it would end in their deaths and I refused to allow that to happen.

I also wondered if I could find a way to reverse the procedure, but I had a feeling the lifeforms inside them were growing, increasing their strength as well.

I also had no idea what that could mean, but at some point, I’d need to question all that I knew.

Not now.

Sergeant Mark Zinger now lived a quiet life, working the farm and tending to his alpacas.

His wife had recently died of cancer. That’s what my father had told me.

I stood staring at the long driveway, trying to figure out what to say to the man.

My father had likely mentioned what little I’d told him, but how could I explain the existence of three shifters without him wondering if I’d lost my mind?

“You should shift,” I told them. “I think it’s best if we approach with you being human instead of in wolf form.”

“It’s dangerous,” Apollo growled, the mental tethering even stronger than before. Another scientific anomaly that continued to fascinate me.

“Not here. Not now. I promise you that we’ll all be safe.” My wolves remained agitated. I couldn’t blame them.

I stroked behind Apollo’s ear as the other two watched me carefully. When I moved to Kai, he snuffled then let off a slow, husky growl. Roman simply sniffed the air as he scanned the perimeter.

“It’s safe,” I pressed then took a backwards step into the driveway, encouraging them with my hands.

Roman was the first to shift and as always, the transition was mesmerizing to watch. Not purely from a scientist’s point of view, but from a place of caring so much about them. Being able to enjoy both sides of them was a gift. It was something I’d need to keep in mind.

I was also worried about the other animals that had been affected. The poor creatures were stuck in limbo, and there was no way of knowing what they were aware of.

If my theories were correct, the lifeforms inside could easily learn from everything around them, making them highly intelligent and easily adaptable to any situation.

They could take a character from a science fiction novel and create the alien right down to the coloration and pigmentation of the beast’s skin.

The possibilities were endless and amazing.

Yet destructive.

The ground beneath my feet vibrated as Kai and Apollo reluctantly shifted. They were much more powerful in their wolf forms, but Sergeant Zinger would need to hear their stories and wouldn’t be able to communicate with them like that.

I’d yet to develop a theory on how I could possibly understand what they were thinking or saying, but I considered it another gift.

Apollo took a deep breath while studying me. At least he finally took a step closer. When he was by my side, I turned around and slipped my hand into his. So huge. So warm.

Just being near them made me feel more protected.

As we walked up the driveway, several alpacas approached, also sniffing the air once they detected predators. Yet they weren’t afraid. As if they knew there was good in all three. I even took a second to pet one of them. Maybe I was trying to ground myself. Not everything had changed.

Not yet.

We were near the porch when the front door opened and a man walked out. He’d aged tremendously since the last time I’d seen him, his face hardened by experience and time. But when he noticed me, his features softened. In his hand was a rifle, which he lowered.

The wolves remained tense.

I moved toward the sergeant, nodding my head. “It’s good to see you, Sergeant.”

He snickered. “Call me Mark, child. I’m no longer that man. It’s good to see you too. You were this big the last time I did.” After he held out his hand only three feet off the ground, he wrapped his arms around me for a hug.

All while still staring at the naked men crowding his front porch.

“I wish our visit was on better terms, but things have gotten a little crazy in my world.” I pulled back, throwing my head over my shoulder. “Mark, meet Apollo, Kai, and Roman. I don’t know what my father told you, but you’re going to need to keep an open mind when I tell you everything.”

His chuckle was as if he’d already been scratching his head.

“Your father told me enough to have me wanting to take a shot of whiskey this early in the morning. We’ll talk because I need to know what the fuck is going on, but first things first. Boys, you’re going to need some clothes while you’re here.

I can’t have you scaring off my animals. Come on in.”

I remained on the porch while Kai and Roman followed Mark inside.

When Apollo looked the other way, I enjoyed creating an animalistic sound of my own. “You’re hardheaded, Apollo, and that doesn’t bode well with me.”

He slowly turned his head, lifting a single eyebrow. “Be careful, little mate, or I’ll take you over my knee and give you a long hard spanking. You need one right about now.”

“Ha. Not a chance.” I flicked my braid in his direction and moved inside. Thankfully, he followed. Before I closed the door, I studied the beautiful property, the farm serene and the location safe.

For now.

We followed Mark toward the back of the house into a large family room with windows overlooking his backyard.

Even before I walked in, I knew the television was on, the morning news droning on about Blackwell Industries. I bristled seeing my company photograph plastered across the screen with a tagline in bold underneath.

Suspect Still at Large

Suspect. This time seeing the way my career was being dragged through the mud hit me hard, a lump forming in my throat.