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“Not with both of you hurt,” I snap as I haul the wolf over my back, ignoring its teeth which are way too close for comfort.
We hurry to the truck, where I toss the wolf in a cage in the back and double-lock it before jumping in the front. Jai sits in the back, and Vale drives despite my protests. We are out of there in minutes, but as we pull onto the road that leads out of the forest, we hear howling.
Turning, I spy wolves racing alongside us in the tree line. There are so many of them, they pour out of it like ants. “Definitely a pack,” I comment.
Vale grips the wheel harder. “Good, this means she’s important. Hang on.” He floors it, knowing not even we could take that many wolves.
One throws himself at the car, a black one, and Vale spins the wheel to hit him. He flies into the woods. Another leaps into the middle of the road, and Vale grunts, gunning it before it rolls out of the way. They quickly realise we will run them over, and when we skid out of the valley, the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen bounds into the road behind us, letting a mournful howl ring out.
Mate maybe?
Either way, we are out free and clear. Jai whoops as we hurry through the wilderness towards our hideaway just outside of town, which we secured just for this purpose.
“Why did she do that?” I ask, peering back at the wolf knocked out in the cage. She seems smaller like this.
“Luc?” Vale frowns, confused.
“She sacrificed herself to save the other wolf. Why?” I ask.
“Who knows, but don’t think about it. They are smart fuckers. It was probably a trap to confuse us. Remember, they might have a human form, but they are nothing but monsters,” Jai responds.
I nod, turning back to look out the front window, but something doesn’t sit right with me. Animals don’t run towards danger, they run away, so then why did this one risk it all to save the other wolf? I shouldn’t care because they are monsters and we are hunters. It hurt my brother and friend, but for some reason, the thought sticks with me, even as we pull up at the old mill we rented.
It’s secluded and has a fence around it to separate it from the woods. We added new security to the gates and cameras, and we can drive right inside, shutting the huge doors behind us. We didn’t do much in here, just added three cots, and our equipment takes up most of the room with our boards of locations.
In the centre of the room is a huge metal cage we constructed, and since I’m the only one unhurt, I haul the wolf from the cage in the truck and toss it none too gently into the bigger one. I slam the door and lock it. It doesn’t move, but I have no doubt it’s starting to wake.
It’s probably trying to feel us out.
I add another lock to the door just in case and step back. It’s big enough for the wolf to walk around in and lie down, but not much else. Turning away, I grab the first-aid kit and move to Vale, who is sitting on his cot.
He tugs his shirt up and off without a word, and I quickly treat and bandage the wound as he hisses. “Keep it clean and changed,” I remind him.
“I’ve been injured enough to know,” he mutters but then laughs. “Thanks, brother. I’m not going to update the commander yet, not until we have something. I don’t want him to send others who will swoop in to steal our hunt.”
I nod as I move to Jai, who’s watching the wolf as he sharpens his knife. I make sure to slowly approach him from thefront. His eyes snap to me, but I see no recognition there for a moment before he blinks.
Jai heals fast, almost inhumanly fast. It was why so many others were wary of him when he was younger, thinking him a monster, but it’s just a trait of his. Even so, it will need to be cleaned, so I wait. Sighing, he rips off his shirt, and I quickly wash the wounds and apply cream. He’ll heal in a day or two, but it will take Vale weeks.
Not for the first time, I wonder if they were wrong about Jai, and when I meet his eyes, it’s like he knows my thoughts.
“It’s awake,” he murmurs, making me snap out of it.
I spin to see the wolf silently watching us. I didn’t even hear it move. Its eyes are open and sharp, and I see anger in its very human orbs. Its maw is shut, but its huge fangs still flash. As we watch, it tilts its head, watching us right back.
“Good, then it’s time to get started,” Vale says. “The less time we have this mutt here, the better.”
She snaps, making him laugh.
“Make this easier on yourself and turn back. We just want to talk.” Vale smirks. “Or make it hard and we will enjoy it either way. One way gets us answers and you will have a swift death, and the other way means you’ll get some personal time with Jai here who, as you can see, truly hates wolves, and then you’ll die a long, painful death.”
The wolf simply bares her teeth in a mocking grin.
“We can make you turn, you know,” he says conversationally, walking around the perimeter of the cage. The wolf isn’t dumb. It tracks him, knowing he’s the biggest threat, but she also stays in the middle, keeping us in her peripheral so we cannot sneak up on her. “It does tend to kill you in the end, but we have heard of some wolves holding out for days, even weeks. You look strong, so I reckon you could survive long enough. Do you?”
The wolf cocks her head, then her gaze clashes with mine and then Jai’s. As we watch, the wolf inhales and narrows her eyes on Jai. He bangs on the cage, but the wolf doesn’t even flinch. “What are you doing?” he hisses.
Grinning at him, she lies down with her head on her paws and watches us. I turn away to hide my smile. This is one strong wolf, but my smirk soon fades because I know what that means.
