Chapter 8

• The next morning I spent with a wolf-human, who was pacing back and forth in the cave, making different sounds with his throat. He put his hands on it and I noticed the scar from the knife I had stabbed in his neck.
• I made a face. How could he want to stay with me and do all this after I tried to kill him? Was there a problem with his memory? The turned we had caught these last two years were all wild and often killed themselves in the cells we locked them in. That's why we had started tying them away from any grids or ways to break their skulls, but here was my own wild mate, trying to learn how to use his voice to speak to me.
• I sighed. The mate bond was making him so devoted.
• “Mate,” I gruffly called out.
• He turned around, my scarf still on his shoulders. His limbs had become a bit blue over the night, but he still wasn't shifting to his werewolf body.
• My eyes landed on his hanging dick, and I groaned, rolling my eyes. Delete the image, delete the image.
• “You need clothes, and I'm taking you there today.” I stood up and sent him a hard look.
• “Cl-clo-” he tried, but his throat was so dry, he coughed.
• “Yes, clothes.” I walked next to him and grabbed his hand, leading him to the lake. It felt so weird in my hold, so firm and human. It set me on edge. His frozen fingers wrapped around mine, and I gulped. Any chance he got to tie himself to me, he grabbed it.
• Mate knelt down and drank from the water, and I did the same with the difference I cupped it in my palms. When he saw, he did the same thing.
• I took Xavier's promise ring out of my pocket that he had returned to me the last time we argued. I couldn't believe forgetting it in my pocket had turned out to be a good thing.
• I showed it to Wolf.
• “Can you track this person by his smell?”
• Wolf eyed me carefully with a clenched jaw. If he could tell it was a male scent, then I was sure he could find him... Or at least his remains or backpack. Grief washed over me and I bit my lip. I gasped when Wolf enveloped his arms around me and squeezed me into a hug. He could even hug! This creature was full of surprises! I chuckled into his chest, not allowing the tears to fall.
• “Take me to him, please. Your instincts are stronger than mine.”
• He stepped back with an uncertain expression and took off the scarf, giving it to me. He rolled his shoulders and exhaled.
• “Is it going to hurt?” I cocked an eyebrow, thinking about his first shift.
• The reels were turning into his brain for a bit. Then he nodded.
• “You can handle it.” I put my hand on his bicep and he nodded once more, as if encouraged by my touch.
• I stepped back as he closed his eyes and set his jaw in a tense lock. He fell on his fours and started growling and panting. His strong growls turned into whimpers and cries of pain.
• Seeing nothing was happening, I knelt next to him and put a hand on his back.
• “You can do it,” I reassured and he opened his eyes, ember meeting gray. My breath hitched by the humanity in them and I swallowed.
• Wolf shut his lids and after a few long torturous moments, the big wolf shook his fur in front of me.
• “Good job!” I clapped once and took my clothes off, putting them in the bag.
• In less than a minute, I was also a wolf, ready to lead us to my world. Mate's gentle caress on my neck took me out of my victorious thoughts and I looked at him. I didn't return the gesture; instead, I bit into the bag and jerked my head for him to lead.
• His ears slightly bent, but he grunted and started walking towards the trees.
• ...
• Running for a while, Wolf slowed down and started breathing heavily. I froze next to him. His body was stiff, oozing hostility and caution, and his fur stood on its end. Wen he snarled at the trees, I dropped the bag. We had company.
• I heightened my senses and finally heard the paws crunching in our direction. Just before I attacked one of the three wolves that appeared in between the trees, Mate stepped towards them and lifted his tail in the air. The wolves lowered their heads, locking their eyes with his. Confusion raked over me. They stood like this for a few seconds and I kept pacing my gaze from one to the other. They were communicating! And it was something deeper than recognizing each other! It felt like they were leading a conversation, going back and forth between each other. How? They weren't moving! But there was something in their eyes... Something like a small shift every other second. My ears perked up, straining to hear something. Anything. Whatever it was, it was going to be useful. But no. They were just frozen in their minds, silently interacting with each other.
• My mate snorted and vehemently shook his head, as if clearing it from something. The wolves growled in dissatisfaction but started stepping back. Their eyes were still on him and now me, but they retreated in between the trees and disappeared from sight. My guts dropped. They had evolved so much just for two years! It was frightening how far they could reach, especially if we didn't keep an eye on them.
• His amber eyes turned to me and Wolf made a step forward. He was still watching me, waiting for me to follow. And I did. I couldn't believe the brainwashed wolves had hierarchy, some sort of communication, and intellect. This was making my brain boom with different thoughts, confusing and distracting me.
• We ran for a bit more until it was time to take a break. It was already dark, and if I had to assume, it was around one am. I was so tired. I hadn't spent a whole day on the run in a long time. Not to mention I had just recovered from my fever.
• I dropped the bag on the ground and curled myself up on a grassy part. The weather was still cold, but at least it wasn't snowing anymore. Some of the snowy cover had started melting, which in turn made my fur and paws drenched. My mate disappeared for about an hour and when he came back, he dropped some food in front of my muzzle. I lifted my head and looked at him. He had already eaten his portion. His muzzle and mouth were red and dirty. I looked to the side and sniffed at the meat in front of me. Deer.
• Eating, my eyes caught Wolf's brown fur as he stuck his muzzle in a pile of snow and skillfully wiped the dirt off. He lifted his head, sneezing, and a bit of snow flew off his head. I chuckled and his ears perked at me. Mate strolled next to me and sat behind my back, making himself comfortable. Well, I had to get used to this. At least until we got home and I introduced him to the pack. I was going to leave him to the medical team and our scientists, and they were probably going to lock him in the cellar. They were going to save me from mating with him and they were going to give me my freedom back. Then, I was going to properly mourn for my lost loved ones. But, for now, Mate definitely made a good blanket. His warmth was much needed in this wilderness.