“Arthur?”
“Who’s Arthur?” The hair on the back of her neck lifted at Draven’s question and his blank look.
How was it possible that neither of them remembered the old man?
Before she could voice her question, Draven was distracted when a few of the wolves around them tugged off their clothes and shifted with a snap and crack of bones. She winced at the painful transition, their wolves looking almost dainty next to the ferals.
Morgan glanced back at the cabin, narrowing her eyes on the old man, trying to recall any detail. It was like trying to remember a dream that kept slipping through her fingers. He had trained with the wolves for a few weeks before he just disappeared, but the fine details of his stay were just gone. She pushed away the mystery, feeling disoriented for a second.
When she turned to see where he was shooting, her breath caught.
Ferals.
Ryder said ferals were different, but she hadn’t understood what he meant until now. The wolves were massive, like stripping away their humanity released them from the constraints placed on them. Their teeth were longer, dripping with saliva—all the better to eat you with.
Their fur was denser, giving them an almost fluffy look, so it was harder to reach flesh and take them down. Their murder mitts were huge, their claws twice as long as normal, where one swipe would eviscerate their opponent.
They were deadly in every sense of the word.
It was like looking at the prehistoric version of wolves, and her eyes widened in realization. “Dire wolves.”
The awe at seeing such majestic beasts shattered when she saw her pack heading right for them.
With Ryder and Caedmon in the lead.
It was going to be a massacre.
Heart in her throat, she reached for the mates nearest her, grabbing on to Ascher and Kincade, then ripped open a portal. She launched herself forward, the other two following her lead, though Kincade cursed the whole way.
Void magic wrapped them in its hold, warmth infusing her like a caress, then they were spit out near the bottom of the porch. Traveling through the void gave the appearance of disappearing from one place and appearing in another.
Only it wasn’t that simple.
Their bodies didn’t disintegrate and reform, it was more like a rip through space and time where they stepped through a doorway. While most people found the void cold and suffocating, it reminded her of home.
Ascher landed next to her, breathing hard, while Kincade stumbled before catching his balance.
“A little more warning next time,” he muttered under his breath, unable to repress a shudder that went through him.
“Hey!” She gave him a playful smirk. “At least give me credit for not running off alone this time.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she couldn’t resist leaning into him, loving his warm stone scent. His hard body had partially shifted into his gargoyle form as he went into protection mode, but she only felt comforted by the warm stone.
“Thank you.” The words barely passed his lips before he promptly pushed her behind him, and she rolled her eyes at his back at the caveman tactic. Ascher shot her a sympathetic look but did nothing to rectify the situation.
There were seven ferals in total, though three of them appeared a little rough around the edges. One limped, favoring his right rear leg, while two others had fur matted with blood along their neck and shoulders…like they’d fought each other before whomever was controlling them managed to put a stop to it.
Which confirmed her worst fear.
Someone had purposely turned them feral.
The callousness left her sick to her stomach.
The ferals paced restlessly, seeming confused by their sudden appearance, like they weren’t sure who they were supposed to attack. A couple glanced at her, their agitation seeming to ease at her presence.
A few of the werewolves ripped their shirts over their heads and shifted. The crunch of bones wasn’t any less brutal than the wolves, but it looked more unnatural as the body stretched before filling out with muscle and bones.
Caedmon was different from the others, the change more natural, like his form just bulked up. There was a beauty to his creature, his hair full and thick, his face more expressive, sharp intelligence reflected back in his bright yellow eyes.
