“Shit,” she breathed, knowing a wolf when she saw one.
The other one prowled closer, coming at her from the side. It snarled too and crouched a little, probably preparing to launch its body at her. They were stalking her and she was their prey. Her instincts screamed it. Danger.
No one had warned her about wild wolves running around the woods. She backed up, tottered but regained her balance, glanced back and realized she’d run out of space. She could jump into the water, pray the wolves wouldn’t follow her in, but she couldn’t swim. The drop to the water wasn’t far, perhaps three feet to the dark river, but she had no idea how deep it would be.
“Easy,” she crooned, turning to face them. One sharp breath and she tried to steady her shaky voice. “Stay!” The firm tone made her proud.
They inched closer, both growling low and deep. They are going to attack me. She could sense the danger as if it were a smell she could inhale. Both of them tensed, their big furry bodies lowering slightly in the front in preparation, but another howl eerily pierced the night.
Both of them turned their heads toward the direction from which it had come from. Beauty allowed her instincts to take over and she sprinted to the right along the river’s edge. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her bare feet.
They were in pursuit. Their labored breathing and heavy bodies crushing leaves and twigs assured her of that. She wasn’t sure in which direction the cabin lay but kept moving as she dodged trees and bushes. One good intake of air and a scream finally burst forth.
The wolves were gaining on her, too fast for her to outrun, despite the advantage of her altered genes. The river wasn’t an option but she did see a low-hanging branch ahead. Desperation made her try to jump for it and rough bark tore into her palms. She wasn’t strong enough to keep hold of it though and crashed to the ground hard on her belly.
She rolled into a ball, the only thing left to do, waiting for the wolves to tear into her. Her arms covered her face and her palms covered her ears. Something big landed next to her and she whimpered.
“No!” The masculine voice was loud and brutally harsh.
A heavy weight pressed against her ass. Beauty wanted to cry when a hand pinned her shoulder to keep her in position. The snarling wolves were close but Shadow didn’t move away from her. He was using his body to shield hers.
“Go,” he snarled. “Find rabbits.”
One of the wolves whined.
“Go!”
They retreated, crashing through the woods loudly. The hand on her shoulder left and the weight leaning against her ass moved away. He was breathing heavily. Hot tears filled Beauty’s eyes and she knew how close she’d come to dying.
“You’re safe.” The voice came out less animalistic and a new fear shot through her. That wasn’t Shadow.
She slowly moved her arms, peeking up, and made out the shape of a man crouching a few feet away. He was big.
“They are gone,” he informed her, his tone softening. “Don’t fear me.” He moved slowly, offering her a hand. “Take it. Let me help you up. You’re in no danger.”
“Beauty!” Shadow shouted her name.
The guy next to her turned his head and growled.
She gasped in air. “Shadow! I’m here!”
That prompted the man to snap his focus back on her. “He should watch you better. Take my hand. The ground is cold and I want to make sure you weren’t hurt. I don’t smell your blood. I was following them when they began to act strangely. I just didn’t know it was you they wanted to hunt.”
He didn’t attack so some of the fear eased. “Who are you?”
The hand dropped away. “Torrent. You’re the Gift Female. Why are you out here alone? You could have been dinner to that wolf pack.”
“I sneaked out,” she admitted. “Shadow didn’t know. I thought it would be safe if I kept close to the cabin.”
“Beauty!” Shadow was really close and seconds later he rushed to her side. He landed inches away in a crouch, snarling at the man. “Get away from her.”
Torrent backed up slowly. “I saved her from a wolf pack.” He sounded angry. “You need to watch her more closely. It’s not just Species residents she needs to be protected from. We have a lot of wild animals running loose. Didn’t they warn you?”
“No.” Shadow’s voice was still rough.
“We have tigers, lions, bears, and wolves roaming the Wild Zone. We offer shelter for them here at Reservation when humans find them too dangerous. We’d rather handle those animals than see them destroyed.” The other man crouched too. “I’m Torrent.” He paused. “Someone should have told you about them, Shadow.” He glanced at Beauty. “She admitted to sneaking out. Prevent that in the future. It’s only luck that brought me out tonight. I just returned with a new wolf and discovered the pack sniffing after something. It was her. I tracked them while they hunted to make sure they weren’t after one of our other rescued animals.”
Beauty sat up, dusting off dirt. Shadow stood and offered her a hand. She took it and was gently pulled to her feet. He kept hold of her.
“You brought a new wolf here?”
Torrent sighed. “Humans sometimes take in wild animals, believing to make pets of them. They abandon them or turn them over to shelters when they realize they can’t be tamed. We started a program to accept the ones slated for death. The residents needed something to do and enjoy caring for them. I am the one sent out to pick them up and release them here at Reservation. It’s my job. Tonight I drove to pick up a wolf cub rescued from an abusive owner. I knew one of the female wolves would take him under her care. He’s quite young.”
“Thank you.” Shadow bowed his head as the other Species straightened. “Beauty will not go out alone again.” He turned to stare down at her. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
He sniffed loudly. “You were terrified.”
“They were chasing me. I thought I might have to jump into the river but I don’t know how to swim.”
“You need to learn.” Torrent cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you now. I’m going to go check on the cub and make sure the pack has returned to their territory. I’ll ask a few of our males to keep a closer watch on them to make sure they don’t return to this area while you’re visiting.” He paused. “Teach her how to swim. All the animals here are too well fed to waste their time wading into the river to fetch their food. She would have been safe from them if she’d gone into the water.”
Shadow’s hand clasped hers a little tighter. “I don’t know how to swim either.”
Torrent hesitated. “I’ll return tomorrow after lunch and teach you both. It’s a needed skill.” He turned and walked into the darkness. A wolf howled in the distance.
Chapter Seven
The small hand in his reminded him that Beauty waited for him to address her. He watched the Species male leave and didn’t miss the dark shapes that trailed him from both sides. The smell of the wolves was strong enough for him to estimate there were at least half a dozen or more.
Shadow fought to control his temper as he forced air in and out of his lungs. Rage was a strong emotion. No one had warned him about the dangerous wildlife that could harm them. Of course that came in second to the fact that the female had left the cabin. Another male had to save her. All the things that could have happened nearly sent him into a fit of temper.
“Shadow?”
Her whispering his name didn’t help matters. He’d woken to the sound of a faint scream, knew it was her and she wasn’t in the cabin. He’d thrown open the window, slid down the roof and landed on the ground hard. Desperation and fear for her safety had heightened his senses as he’d crashed through the woods following her scent.
His feet were bleeding but he ignored the pain. He spun, glaring down at her. “You are lucky those wolves didn’t tear you apart or that male didn’t hurt you. Do you understand?”