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Run now! Go!
As if my feet take control of my willpower, I yank away from Adam and shift the banana leaves out of the way to step out of the shelter.
“Oh, no,” I whisper, spotting our lookout group fast asleep near the smoking fire.
And then I see the wolf stalking toward them.
I don’t get the chance to open my mouth to scream before a huge grey wolf launches from the sand and lands on top of Creed, sleeping next to Penelope. Creed hollers, trying to push the wolf off him, but it jerks down and bites his throat. My heart sinks into my stomach. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Take Eliana. Head toward the water.” Davian grabs my hand and places it into Adam’s. “Tristan, go with them. Chase and Evander, grab anything you can. If there are too many, head toward the water.”
A deep growl sounds from behind us, and I spot the familiar wolf from the forest. It’s Kellan’s pet. I know it. I recognize the wolf’s strange blue eyes. The wolf stands in our way, kicking up sand as it lunges and retreats over and over again.
“Help!” Penelope screams, her voice striking me in the soul.
I can’t help looking in her direction, only to see the wolf attack her next, grabbing her by the ankle and dragging her. A masculine voice shouts as another wolf attacks the other shelter. We’re surrounded.
“Fuck!” Evander yells, swinging a stick at a wolf trying to sneak up on us. The wolf locks its jaws on the makeshift weapon, and Evander spins, tossing the beast toward the waves.
Penelope’s shrieks vanish, and I jerk my attention back to where the fire no longer burns. I cover my mouth with my hand, my stomach twisting. This is not happening. I can’t believe this is happening.
“We have to help them,” I say, my voice shaking.
“No, we have to go. They’ll come after us next.” Tristan’s words shock me. “You know damn well they’d abandon us. Come on, let’s move. Stick together.”
I’m torn between doing the right thing and the right thing for me. I wouldn’t want someone to abandon me like that, but then again, I can’t fight wild animals.
I can’t even protect myself from humans. It’s why I’m in this position.
“He’s right. Maybe the wolves will give up. We can come back when they leave.” Chase takes my hand and twines his fingers through mine. “We have to get past that wolf. I think he’s too chicken to attack without the rest of his pack. He might just be waiting for them to finish. They’re smart animals.”
The fact that Kellan’s pet wolf hasn’t attacked confuses me. It attacked me in the forest. I wonder if he’s been commanded or something. I don’t think Kellan is a survivor here. He did mention that he was born here.
Just before I can nod my head to agree with Chase and Tristan, a long, low howl echoes through the air. It sounds as if it comes from the forest, but I can’t tell how far away it is. It’s not very close...I think.
Several wolves bark and howl in response, and I stiffen as five...no, six, dart from our shelters. They charge in our direction, and Davian scoops me up into his arms, using his height as a way to protect me to the best of his ability. My heart thrashes as the rest of our small group clutches onto their makeshift weapons.
I don’t want to die.
I don’t want to be mauled.
“I’ll hold them back. Get to the water. Now!” Tristan shouts, rushing toward the wolves. He yells and swings the stick, trying to scare the wolves.
Davian kicks through the sand toward the waves, swinging his branch at Kellan’s wolf as it tries to block us. He trips and sends us both into the ocean, and warm water engulfs me, dragging me into the surf a few feet. I let the wave carry me as I orient myself and manage to pop back to the surface, planting my feet into the sand. The waist-high water lifts me up and down, and I watch as Tristan continues to swing his weapon at the wolves surrounding him.
Another long, deep howl echoes over the thundering whitecaps around me, and the wolves spin and dart toward the trees. I can’t believe they’re leaving. Thank God. It’s hard to grasp the concept of these wolves being anything other than wild, but with how they don’t keep attacking until we’re all dead? Are they trained? Was that howl an actual wolf or was it something else? Maybe the men that abandoned us here have a special wolf call.
Tristan shouts, swinging the branch back and forth even though the wolves vanish. A sob escapes my mouth, my mind and body seemingly reconnecting. Tristan might’ve wanted to sacrifice the others to save himself—ourselves—but he was also willing to sacrifice himself to save us. His actions leave me confused about my own moral standing. I never thought I’d agree to just abandoning people to save my own ass...well, abandoning people I haven’t known long.
Damn, I’m messed up. How will this affect things moving forward? Will the others know and try to start shit? Will this divide us, or will they understand...if they’re even still alive?
A low rumble steals my attention from the lifeless bodies in the sand. I can’t see them clearly through my blurry gaze, my eyes stinging because of the saltwater. The familiar grey wolf paces back and forth, keeping its distance from us. Whimpering, the wolf turns from vicious to pathetic. Fucking beast. It shouldn’t be cute and scary.
Tristan straightens his shoulders and faces Kellan’s pet, still lingering in the sand. The wolf tilts its head and looks at me, its blue eyes sparkling in the light of the early morning sun. I wish it didn’t stare at me like I could be its possible next meal, licking its lips and releasing a bark. I startle, hopping back even more. And then the wolf dodges around Tristan and follows behind the rest of his pack now gone from sight.
A hand clamps onto my shoulder, pulling me around, and I meet Chase’s gaze. His jaw twitches as he gives me a once-over, not checking me out but instead silently making sure I’m uninjured.
“Are you hurt?” he asks, confirming my suspicions. I’ve already learned to decipher his expressions, his ones of desire far sexier than his frown of concern.
