Page 17 of X-Clan The Origin

With a low warning growl, I took off back in the direction I’d originally indicated, and headed straight for the Infected.

Their excited screeches reminded me of nails on a chalkboard, drizzling ice through my veins.

I fucking hated that sound almost as much as their stench.

My wolf charged forward, ready for battle. But rather than slash at the Infected, I ran through them, knocking them down and creating a path for Riley to follow.

She did.

Or she tried to, anyway.

The Infected were so starved that they immediately converged on the gap, landing on top of her and trying to sink their teeth into her fur.

She released a ferocious little snarl and bit back, shocking the hell out of me.

When one of the Infected snagged her leg, she yelped and sank her fangs into his neck.

Her animal has taken control, I realized. Either Riley had willingly given the beast the reins, or the wolf had taken them out of a need to survive.

Regardless, I took advantage of the change and slashed out with my claws to help free her from the masses. Then I turned on another approaching horde and took several down with violent swipes of my paws.

Riley joined me, her snout sprinkled with drops of blood.

I grunted, telling her to follow me again, and took off through another crowd.

This one went down easily as both our wolves worked in tandem to create a safe path.

I stand corrected,I thought as we broke through the final mass.This was easier than using a gun.

But there wasn’t time to do a victory lap because more Infected were already heading toward us.

I glanced back at the airport to acquaint myself with our surroundings and find my sense of direction again.

Riley growled, drawing my attention to her. She was staring down another pack of Infected, her teeth bared.

Definitely her wolf, I mused. Perhaps that was where all that feisty energy came from.

I nipped at her to grab her attention, then angled my head in the direction I wanted to run.

She blinked at me, as though coming out of a daze, her gaze running over my form once more. A little whine fell from her mouth, confusing me.

It was a distinctly submissive sound.

Betas and Omegas both bowed to Alphas on instinct, but something about that noise piqued my animal’s interest. It’d almost resembled a plea.

For what? To run? To help her escape? To help her human regain control?

I wasn’t sure.

Her dark orbs shone beneath the early morning sun, providing me with a glimpse of the human beneath the fur. There and gone in a second. She seemed to be fighting her animal.

So perhaps that was what she needed my help with—harnessing her beast.

Isn’t that something she should already know how to do?I wondered.That’s what pups learn at the age of five.

Regardless, there wasn’t time to debate it or help her now. We needed to go.

I released a low purr, similar to what I’d done on the plane, the vibration instinctual and yet so incredibly wrong. Alphas purred for their intended mates or pack members who required it. And Riley certainly wasn’t my intended, nor was she even a pack member.