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“No thanks.” Good thing she brought her own snacks and freeze-dried food. She opened a gun cabinet. “A Yarygin pistol.” She took it out and added a magazine. “Reminds me of my Glock.”
“Yes, you can borrow it.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
Chapter Six
Nik set the helicopter down smoothly in the middle of a meadow. He unbuckled and turned to her. “Ready, comrade?”
Emma nodded. She stepped out with her backpack and pulled out a navigation device. “Do I even need this?”
“No. I have their scent.”
She tucked the device back into her pack. “Okay, lead the way.”
Nik also had a small daypack. The type with a harness designed for a werewolf. He began to strip and smiled as Emma blushed and turned around.
“A little warning, please.”
“If you are going to work with werewolves, you must get used to nudity.” He stepped out of his pants. Good thing she averted her eyes this time. His blatant erection would have created an uncomfortable situation. Why couldn’t he think of her as just a comrade?
“Some things will never change. Humans are modest, but I’ll do my best.”
Nik shivered in the chill. When in human form, they could tolerate extreme temperatures. The shock of it made him appreciate the extra fur. Not that it helped ease his hardness. He stuffed his clothing in his pack and snapped on the harness. Once he shifted, the harness would expand to accommodate his larger frame. “After I shift, I can only communicate with canine gestures.”
With her back to him, she said, “No problem. I’m quite familiar with non-verbal wolf communication.”
“I will keep the pace slow, but if we get separated, blow your whistle.”
“As long as you remember I’m weighed down by a thirty pound pack.”
“See those mountains to the left?”
Emma turned, but stared only at the mountains. “Yes.”
“We will go up that trail. At the top, I’ll signal the pack with a welcoming howl that I’m approaching their territory.”
“I’m ready.”
Nik shifted to wolf form. The thick fur warmed him instantly. He flared his nose. Odd. He scented only five individuals. Were they too late?
He walked at a steady pace up the mountain. He was impressed Emma kept up without insisting on resting. Nonetheless, Nik stopped halfway to let her catch her breath. She took the opportunity to drink water.
Nik cocked his head to the side, in a gesture asking if she was ready.
Emma put the water bottle away. “Lead on.”
He liked her tenacity, bravery, sweet aroma and kickass body. He wouldn’t mind being her pet wolf. Wrong as it might be in their society, his wolf had a strong desire to learn more about her, both in and out of the den.
Finally, they reached the ridge. Nik sat and howled.
A few moments later, several howls answered. The howls were not hostile, but not welcoming either. Cautious.
Slowly, the pack appeared out of the thick forest like ghostly figures. Snarling and growling. Their pungent odor signaled their fear. His larger bear size form would frighten any beast. Their fear intensified as Emma made her way toward them. Then he understood. The beta male stepped closer then bowed his head to Nik. In the language of the feral wolf, he spoke to Nik. Their alpha pair was dead.
Emma set up the tent while Nik, back in human form, donned his clothes. The wolf pack stood a few yards away. They watched, but fortunately, did not run away. She was more than curious to find out what Nik had communicated with them about.
Nik joined her. “The pack said men shot the alpha pair and took their bodies on a sky bird. Their word for helicopter.”
