Page 8 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

S avannah

Hunger.

Unbridled.

Unusual.

Unacceptable.

Yet that’s what I’d felt since returning to my apartment, an incessant need for something that remained unnerving. Even now after having spent the better part of Saturday attempting both to forget and to analyze what had occurred, I was still in a strange fog.

That wasn’t like me. I was organized. I analyzed everything I could make sense of situations that either confused or terrified others.

Not this time.

A tingle swept down my spine for the fiftieth time, tiny prickles of electricity continuing deep inside my core. While the effects were slowly ebbing from where they’d been a day before, I could feel them.

And the hunger remained, gnawing at me like… claws. Girl. You need to get a grip. What you’re thinking isn’t possible.

Normal people in a situation like this would have immediately contacted the police. Even before leaving the scene.

Not this girl.

No, this girl had fled the scene, ignoring every bit of common sense.

Was I worried about the embarrassment? Maybe a little bit. I could only imagine what story would be spun if some reporter hoping for a twisted sense of fame managed to get ahold of the police report.

Or how my fellow colleagues would react to hearing the news.

I jumped into the shower after locking the doors and checking all the windows. I’d even pushed a short bookcase in front of the door. As if that cheap fiberboard piece of furniture would keep out three burly savages.

Why had I made such an irrational decision not to try to have them arrested?

Because in the back of my mind a thought refused to leave.

The portal.

Perhaps I’d managed to configure the laser system after all.

It didn’t make any sense to me. None. However, for several weeks I’d believed there was a slight chance, very slim that beings could cross from one parallel universe to the other.

If my beliefs were found to be true, that would answer the question about why the mystery men had appeared and had been without clothes.

I’d seen them close to the facility and they certainly hadn’t been talkative.

In my thinking, whatever lifeforms existed would need a host and time to learn about humans and our world. Maybe that’s why only one had uttered a single word. I slapped my forehead. I was getting way ahead of myself with assumptions that had yet to be proven.

I had other thoughts that I’d worked on myself in my off time using formulas and knowledge gained through years of research. Beliefs that if found true to any degree would revolutionize the views on energy fields and metabolic physics.

Yep. I was that girl. The dreamer.

Today was the day I’d work through the experience enough to shove it behind me. That was the smartest thing to do or I could end up going off the deep end with my research.

“You’re losing your shit.” Now I knew I was. Talking to myself was the first clue. Delving into what Carl would call my science fiction-based logic was the second. That usually only occurred after my third glass of wine.

I stared myself in the mirror, wiping my hand across the steam until my face finally came into focus.

The hot shower had felt amazing, yet the muscle aches continued.

The dull ache reminded me of when I’d run a 5k marathon a couple of years before.

In a way I’d gone through a marathon, one involving sex with three men.

Three huge, unforgiving men.

Three gorgeous, dominating beasts.

One of the two statements was accurate.

Worse, ignoring all concepts of right and wrong, just thinking about them made my pussy throbbed. They’d been so rough, filling me so completely that I…

You need to stop this right now.

Groaning, I dropped my head, immediately gripping the counter. There was still a chance I’d had a psychotic break and thankfully, had regained my mental faculty mostly intact, so I could continue with my work.

Thoughts of my recent test results and what Carl had told me about the portal almost replaced the ugly thoughts of what had maybe happened the night before. Almost. I glanced down the fluffy white towel I had wrapped around my chest and nodded a few times as I tried to gain courage.

Pretending something hadn’t occurred was unlike me. I unfolded the terrycloth, holding my breath while I turned around to face the door while glancing over my shoulder into the mirror.

Reflections didn’t lie.

While fading, my bottom was still covered in blush-colored stripes, a reminder I hadn’t been dreaming. As I reached back to massage the ache away, my pussy throbbed for the fullness I’d felt the night before.

“Awesome.”

Nope. I wasn’t going to look at them any longer. Instead, I headed for my closet. Being naked made me entirely too uncomfortable after whatever I’d been through.

While still early on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I poured a glass of wine and headed to my desk.

I’d planned on checking my calculations over the weekend, the paper notes the only thing I was allowed to take from the laboratory given security protocols.

They’d remained untouched. Right now, I wanted to see if I could find anything online about a prison break.

For some crazy reason, I thought if I did that would make me feel better.

Yeah, to be fucked by three escaped convicts was oh-so much better than the other ridiculous thought refusing to leave my tattered mind.

More wine, please.

I sat back, scrolling through the local paper. At least living so close to Alexandria and Arlington, I had several sources I could check.

Thirty minutes later and finding nothing, I was beginning to convince myself I’d had the mental breakdown and was completely back to normal when an article caught my eye.

Three Wolves Escape the Serenity Wildlife Refuge

Sitting back, I reached for my wine as I read the article. Three wolves who had been in the process of being returned to their national habitats after rehabilitation had escaped the facility. Was that the one I’d remembered hearing about? As soon as I typed in the address, my blood ran cold.

The facility was located less than a mile from Blackwell Industries.

“Holy shit.” I allowed my mind to wander. What if perhaps the wolves had also been in the forest two nights before? Watching. Maybe that’s what I’d felt.

I rubbed my eyes before finishing the article. A slow, scattered laugh erupted from the craziness running through my mind. Now I was completely certifiable. There was no chance the three men and the escaped wolves were one and the same.

But what if they were?

There were no other details in the article that would lead me to believe I was right. Maybe I’d call them. By now they’d been recaptured. Right? I grabbed my phone, searching the internet until I found Serenity’s phone number.

The call went straight to a voicemail. For a few seconds, I debated leaving a message. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all. I would sound crazy. Maybe the facility didn’t answer the phone on the weekend.

I’d try again later.

I also attempted to ignore the nagging feeling that the men I’d encountered were not of this earth, but the ridiculous thoughts wouldn’t go away.

What if I was right? What if somehow, the energy source I’d been studying was lifeforms, but instead of entering our universe in their natural state, they’d somehow managed to use hosts on this side?

Absolute insanity.

Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about my theory.

And, if that was the case, how could wolves just suddenly turn into men? If the lifeforms were more evolved, perhaps altering their physique was typical.

The possibilities jetting through my mind were pure science fiction. But…

Nope. Get it out of your mind. You’re a scientist.

It nagged at me so much that after another fifteen minutes, I pushed the wine away and knew there was only one way of obtaining scientific evidence of my theory.

Returning to the source and to the scene of the…wild, ravenous experience.

Ten minutes later and against all rational judgment, I was in my car.

This time I was equipped with a flashlight, my charged cellphone with a high-resolution camera, a bottle of water just in case I got lost, and a Swiss Army knife.

I don’t know what I thought I’d do with it, but having the weapon with me at least provided some sense of protection.

I also had a DNA kit. If I was lucky enough to obtain a sample, I could answer my theories with scientific proof.

I was also wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a sweatshirt even though it was a warm day. Neither beasts nor men would rip my clothes off this time.

As I headed toward the road leading to the facility, I tried to piece together everything I’d learned in my mind since the start of the project weeks before. What I was thinking was crazy, but possible. But right now, jumping to any conclusions without positive proof was unscientific.

I slowed my vehicle to within a few feet of where I’d been parked earlier that morning. More than a dose of nerves scoured my system, but I finally climbed out, taking the small duffle bag with me.

After taking a deep breath, I began searching the woods. With plenty of daylight, I had high hopes.

Twenty minutes passed and I’d found nothing to indicate there were any wild animals other than the mosquitos constantly attacking my hands and face.

But I forged on, finding the river only minutes later.

It wasn’t exactly where I’d been, although I had to admit, I was getting slightly turned around.

I decided to cross over, finding a shallow enough spot so I was able to navigate the rocks without dumping my sometimes-clumsy self into the cold water.

I stopped long enough to grab a few sips of water before continuing on. Thirty or so minutes later, I was about ready to turn around. This was nothing but a wild goose chase and a potentially dangerous one at that.

Just a little while longer.

A sharp and joyful cheer left my throat when I noticed a road. Yes, it was grown over by the spring and summer heavy rains, and was mostly gravel dust, but it was definitely a road. So I followed it.

The trees grew thicker, the shadows more ominous, and soon it felt as if I was headed nowhere. But I forged on, finally catching sight of something just up ahead.

Another wave of powerful sensations crashed over me. My legs trembled, knees knocking with every step. Maybe this was all about nervous energy mixed with exhaustion.

When I came to a clearing, I took another deep breath, forced to lean against a tree. A little cabin in the woods near a lake. There were no vehicles and no sign of life. But I was cautious, even taking the time to grab my knife. A girl couldn’t be too careful.

After waiting for a few seconds to ensure I was alone, I took cautious steps forward.

As I closed in on the building, I continuously scanned the woods.

There was no creepy-crawly feeling like earlier in the day.

Just electrified tingles. All I could hear were birds chirping in the trees.

When I was near the front porch, I peered around me.

The little house definitely had that unlived-in look.

Blinds were closed and there were no flowers or flags, no rocking chairs or anything on the porch.

I took my time going up the two stairs, grimacing from hearing the creaking sound the aged wood made. After mentally boosting my courage, I knocked on the door.

And waited.

The good girl in me wanted to simply look around the exterior and leave. But the bad girl in me tried the door.

And found it unlocked.

Why did I suddenly feel like I was walking into the grandma’s house from Little Red Riding Hood ?

As soon as I walked in, I realized the house had been locked down either for the season or maybe in preparation of a sale.

There were sheets covering furniture. It appeared no one had been here for a long time.

Then why was the door unlocked?

I ventured in further, being very careful not to disturb anything.

It didn’t take me long to realize that someone had been inside and from the looks of it recently.

Areas of dust that had been disturbed, sheets removed.

I moved throughout the house, finding more evidence that someone had been inside.

Or maybe more than one.

Maybe I should look even harder to see if there’d been a prison escape. I wasn’t going to find anything here.

Feeling disappointed, I headed downstairs and to the front door.

Before I reached the entrance, as I’d felt in the morning and the night before, hair stood up on the back of my neck. My pulse immediately responded and my rapid heartbeat created a dull, but penetrating echo in my ears.

I wiped my sweaty hand on my jeans while keeping the other wrapped around the knife.

Then I opened the door and moved onto the porch.

The quiet in the forest caught me off guard. There were no birds chirping, no late afternoon cicadas. Just quiet.

Until I heard a slow rumble, deep and throaty, sensual in a way that stole my breath. I could feel them. They were here. They were waiting. They were hungering.

That was seconds before I saw them as they appeared one after another. Graceful yet defiant.

Gorgeous in a way few would understand.

Powerful in their stance. They owned the forest.

Wild and free.

And completely dangerous.

Amber-hued eyes, intelligent and unforgiving.

Their thick fur almost luminous in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.

Black. Blond. Whiskey-colored.

Wolves.