Page 9 of Feral Mates (Ruthless Instinct #1)

A pollo

Hunger.

Unbridled.

Unyielding.

Every muscle tensed.

I stood silent, watching.

Waiting.

Anticipating.

Hungering.

The impulse to feast tore through me. While not unusual as I had a voracious appetite, my needs primal, the urge I felt was entirely different.

Yet it was the same uncompromising desire that had nearly torn me apart two days before.

I swung my head to the side toward my two companions. They were experiencing the same uncontrollable yearning. I knew that instinctively. No. Not correct. I embraced what they felt.

Their needs.

Their wants.

Their rage.

Their… hunger.

How? I barely understood what was happening, yet I wasn’t alone in the rage or the desires.

Two other alpha wolves.

Two other beasts craving not only to taste, but to consume the creature standing in front of us.

Claiming her.

Sensations of extreme electricity washed through me and as I swung my head back to her face, I could smell her fear. But more. I could almost taste the same desire that had allowed me to pick up her scent from miles away.

I’d sensed her arrival.

Every blood cell had awakened as if from the dead.

I would have her.

“Who are you?” she asked. I’d heard human voices before, but none so beautiful, the lilt echoing in my ears.

The arctic wolf dragged his tongue across his jowls, which drew her attention, but she wasn’t running. All humans ran when they saw a wolf. Why was she different?

“Say something.” While her voice trembled, she dared defy her own terror by taking a step closer to the wolves longing to satisfy their needs. “What am I saying? You can’t understand me. Or can you?” She pulled something from her pocket. Seconds later, I heard a single click.

My brain processed what I’d seen. A cellphone. A necessity for humans for communication.

And for capturing the moment with photographs.

With her entire body shaking, she returned the phone to her pocket.

A moment of amusement fell into my system. Now she was wielding a weapon, a dull steel blade a mere three inches long.

The arctic wolf allowed a low and husky growl, lifting his head.

“Don’t come any closer. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her voice was soft, the lilt a thing of beauty. Humans were dangerous creatures.

That’s what I’d learned after being taken from my pack.

I should walk away and leave her.

Yet I could not.

She was mine.

No, she was ours .

Ours to touch.

Ours to fuck.

Ours to mate.

Savannah…

Her name stretched across my mind, penetrating in a way that harnessed my possessive nature. Unlike before when the days and nights had all been the same, my world consisting of feeding, fucking, and remaining alive. I was a hunter, spending my time foraging for food, enjoying the chase.

Then everything had changed.

Incarceration.

Chains.

Darkness.

Then a sudden freedom had come unexpectedly, pivoting the course of my life. The same for the other alphas.

Thinking was different.

Our needs were enhanced.

Yet our desires remained the same.

I was no longer just a wolf, but also a human, a man with extreme capabilities.

Perhaps that’s why the hunger was so intense, painful in a way that shouldn’t be.

In the days leading up to this moment, my entire life had been altered.

So had that of the other wolves. Somehow in a way I was just starting to understand, we’d been altered physically.

But more than that, we could comprehend human nature and with her, we could sense what she was feeling.

Hear what she was thinking.

Something else was living inside us. Whatever it was continued to change. And it pissed me off. The last thing I wanted was to be human.

All I knew is that we were hybrids, shifters, and hosts.

I knew that innately even though I wasn’t entirely certain how.

The moment I crept closer, her lower lip trembled, her fear increasing. Yet she stood her ground. Curious. Fascinated.

Connected.

Mating pheromones.

I glanced at my companions to see if they were able to pick up on the pungent scent.

They had, the two as confused as I was. This wasn’t possible, yet by my cock’s reaction, I knew I was right. She was lucky we’d allowed her to escape the first time. Right now, all we could think about was driving our cocks deep inside. Filling her.

Breeding her.

The need was overwhelming.

“I… Can’t believe this. This isn’t real,” she whispered, yet I could hear every word, every syllable.

“Okay, this is nuts. I’m talking to a group of wolves who could eat me for dinner.

So, I’m just going to go back inside. I didn’t mean to bother you.

I just…” She touched her lips, still swollen from being ravaged.

Her laugh was full of anxiety and she darted her eyes from one to the other of us while backing away slowly. Just before reaching the door, she exhaled. “Okay then. I’ll leave you alone.”

With that, she walked inside, slipping the lock into place as if that would prevent us taking what already belonged to us.

The other two crowded closer, their thoughts easy to read. They were the same as mine. Our connection had already grown stronger, almost as if we were one.

A shift was necessary, leaving the bodies we’d been born with, accepting the one that provided us with the ability to fulfill our desires.

The first time had been excruciating, my entire system ripped apart and put back together. Every muscle had ached, every bone stretched and reformed.

Lights.

Mental anguish.

Crippling fear.

Rapidly moving thoughts that were no longer mine.

Scientific formulas.

I closed my eyes as the shift took place. Where neither of us had been able to control the transition at first, we were beginning to comprehend how to better unleash our powers.

The earth vibrated beneath my feet, the anguish brief. Soon my vision cleared and I rose from the dirt onto two feet.

This time when I looked over at my companions, two men exuding strength and power, they nodded. Still no words were needed. Not between us.

But our mate would require reassurance.

That would come with time.

I stretched my back, rolling my neck from side to side. Even in my human form, her scent remained strong, sweet and light, a powerful aphrodisiac.

Need outweighed hunger.

Intense.

Focused.

We would take her as we’d done before. No one would ever touch her again.

As soon as we moved closer, her lingering scent was even stronger, filling my nostrils with an aroma that shocked the hell out of me. Tangy. Pungent.

What I was smelling didn’t make any sense. She was going into heat.

Not possible.

Not with humans.

Both of the other wolves were equally lost in the strange sensations, confused as to possibilities. It would seem everything I’d once believed as a wolf had been skewed.

My nostrils flared, my balls becoming heavy. And the ache in my cock was extremely painful.

The door was swung open and Savannah appeared once again. The knife remained in her hand, which she almost dropped the moment she saw the three wolves now standing as the men who’d ravaged her two nights before.

“What. The. Fuck. Is going on?” She swung the knife from one side to the other. “Who are you?” As soon as she posed the question, her expression appeared startled. “Whoa. I know who you are, at least by name. Someone gave you names. Didn’t they?”

We continued studying her, curious as to her reactions.

With a shaky hand, she pointed toward me first. “Apollo.” Very slowly she turned her head toward the arctic wolf. “Kai.” And finally, she shifted toward the wolf who’d come the furthest, his powerful stance equaled by his prowess. “Roman.”

I lifted my head, nodding once. She was correct that the monsters at the facility where we’d been imprisoned had named us. And yes, I’d been right about our connection.

The four of us. It was very strong and getting even stronger.

“Oh, my God. How did I know that?” she whispered.

“Because we are connected,” Roman answered.

She was startled by his answer.

“Holy crap. You can speak. I thought I’d hallucinated. Does that mean you three can communicate with each other? I mean without talking?”

“Yes,” I answered.

She shook her head several times. “How?”

“The only way I can describe the ability is as if we are merged.”

“Merged,” she repeated, looking away briefly. “With a single lifeform. God. I was right. I can’t believe it.”

Even though she seemed pleased, I also knew she was confused.

However, I sensed her inner resolve, a strength that defied what her mind was processing.

In addition, I could read her thoughts. A laboratory.

A scientific experiment that had been going on for months.

A breakthrough based on something she’d done.

The explanation made sense given how the three of us knew things, human aspects that had nothing to do with primal instincts.

“Wait a minute. Hold on. That’s impossible. I’m not a mind reader. But I do. What do you want?” She blinked several times.

Her heart was fluctuating, thrumming rapidly.

Kai swept his gaze to her boots and back to her face. “We want you.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Her eyes darted between us as she lifted her blade. She was a feisty little thing.

I’d seen her the first time when I was in wolf form, yet I’d understood her beauty even then. Famished two nights before, I’d been lost in the haze of lust, incapable of concentrating on her exquisite features.

She was a magnificent creature. Long blonde hair hung low on her back, woven into a thick braid. Her eyes were the color of the ocean, shimmering in the glint of sunshine streaming in through the forest. And her voluptuous breasts were the perfect fit in my large hands.

My mouth watered from the thought of sucking on her rosy nipples. Of being suffocating by them.

Sinking my cock deep inside her tight pussy.

The ache inside increased, driven by relentless hunger.

Her jaw was clenched, her eyes flashing from uncertainty while her mind continued to process what she’d seen and experienced.

She took a step forward, drawn by the same desire, yet fearful she’d lose control.

“Tell me what that means,” she demanded.

“That means you are our mate,” I told her.

A tense moment passed where her eyes first opened wide and she placed her hand across her mouth, rewarding us with a single gasp. That was followed by utter denial then finally fury. Yes, her blood was boiling.

“Mate? Um, sorry. Not interested. And our mate? As in the three of you?” She pointed from one of us to the other.

“Yes,” Roman answered. He crowded her space on one side, his cock fully aroused and throbbing.

Her gaze dropped to the thickness between his legs and almost instantly, her face flushed. Embarrassed. But she looked again, this time licking her lips.

“Thanks, but no, thanks. I think I’m hallucinating so I’m going back inside and when I return after I have another psychotic break, you’re going to be gone.”

“We will be here,” I told her.

“Ah, no. You need to listen to me. If you don’t leave, I’ll call for help.” To try to prove her point, she yanked out her phone. Still nervous, her breath was labored, but the single bead of perspiration trickling down the side of her perfect face had nothing to do with fear.

She was fighting the same deep, primal urges.

“Shit. There’s no reception.” Deflated, she shoved her phone into her pocket. “I’ll scream for help.”

“No, you will not,” Roman commanded, his tone deep and as husky as mine.

“And why won’t I?”

Kai exhaled. I sensed his patience running thin. “Because you do not want to.”

“Don’t you dare try and perceive what I want and don’t want.

My God. I’m talking to you like any of this is normal.

Think, girl. How is this possible?” She looked away, biting on her lower lip.

“There is no other explanation but the portal. A lifeform did come through. But how would you know English? Have you been watching us? Learning?”

Her mind was rattled, trying desperately to think of anything to explain what couldn’t easily be done.

The swell of her chest as her breathing remained labored attracted my attention. Her nipples were rock hard, barely hidden under the sweatshirt she’d chosen to wear.

Desire had quickly shifted to explosive, carnal need. Perspiration continued to trickle down both sides of her face.

The three of us crowded her space. “We will not hurt you. There is no need to be frightened.”

Savannah wasn’t comforted by my words, her laugh defiant. “That’s not helpful. One minute you were huge, furry, and beautiful wolves. Now, you’re… You’re…” She seemed equally embarrassed as to her thoughts.

“Finish it, Savannah,” Kai instructed.

She took a step backward, trembling more than before.

“How the fuck do you know my name? Did you check in my glove compartment or my insurance card? Is that it? You left me alone in a field after… defiling me. Then you learned who I was. Oh, God. You know where I live. Did you change the tire for me? Was that some kind of crazy apology? If so, it’s not accepted. You can’t just take what you want.”

“Yes, we can.” As I nodded, I found myself smiling from continued amusement.

“What’s so damn funny? I’m expected to believe as a scientist that you were wolves five minutes ago and you shifted into men. That’s not possible.” She was frustrated with herself, equally exasperated with being unable to grasp the rip in her usual reality.

“You crave what you tasted, the longing furrowing deep inside. You don’t understand why, yet you’re as drawn to us as we are to you.” The statement I made was true. The reason why simply didn’t matter.

At least not now.

As her body swayed, she was thinking of all the reasons to argue.

But none mattered.

“Don’t you?” Roman pressed. We crowded closer still, surrounding her on all sides.

There was nowhere for her to run.

Even if she did, there was nowhere she could hide where we wouldn’t find her.

She remained defiant, trembling. Still clutching the knife as if it could save her from what she felt deep inside.

The instant I took the final step toward her, she lifted her head until her eyes locked onto mine. She was even more breathtaking up close, the slight twitch of her nose and the furrow of her brow an indulgent, private treasure.

A moment when she was only mine.

Then it was broken when she thrust the tip of the blade against my skin.

“Stay back!” she hissed.

“No,” I growled, taking a giant step forward.