After the third ti I stumble while walking, the naked shifter stares at with a curled lip.
"Why are humans so weak?" he asks, his tone grating on my already frayed nerves.
I bristle at his words. Who does he think he is? "None of your business," I snap, surprising myself with the venom in my voice. Jericho said I do pretty well for a human, thank you very much. I'm just weakened.
I'll get back into shape and then wipe that cocky stare off his face on the mat.
Though, I have yet to have a legitimate win without any handicaps during our training spars… But a girl can dream, damn it.
The shifter's eyebrows shoot up, clearly taken aback by my sass. He peers at more closely, his brow furrowing. "Do I know you?"
Before I can answer, he leans in, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs at . I recoil, but he's already pulling back, a puzzled expression on his face.
"You don't have much of a scent," he says, sounding perplexed.
I catch the Grand Sage's eye, noticing a mischievous twinkle there. The bracelet must ss with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for so reason. "That's because humans like to shower," I retort, my chin jutting out defiantly.
The shifter's eyes narrow. "You don't sll like you've showered recently."
My jaw drops. Did he really just say that? The audacity! I'm about to unleash a tirade on this insensitive jerk when a bone-chilling growl cuts through the air.
My heart leaps into my throat as a massive reddish-brown wolf erges from nowhere, its teeth bared and hackles raised. Without thinking, I stumble backward, instinctively seeking shelter behind the naked shifter.
Bad move.
The new wolf's growl intensifies, the sound reverberating through my chest. I can feel the naked shifter stiffen in front of , his muscles tensing beneath his skin.
Suddenly, I'm shoved forward at the animal, nearly losing my balance in the process. The naked shifter holds up his hands once I've been sacrificed, a look of fear flashing across his face.
The enormous wolf bounds forward, placing itself between and the other shifter. Its massive jaws snap at the naked man, a growl so loud it drowns out everything else.
Around us, the other wolves drop to the ground, bellies pressed to the earth in submission. The air crackles with tension, and I find myself frozen in place, caught between terror and awe.
"Mating instincts are quite strong," the Grand Sage muses.
"Make more sense," I hiss at him, not sure if I should try to back away or stand still. Which is less likely to get the wolf's attention? It seems angry. I don't want to be within bite range of an angry shifter. Especially if they're one of those higher-rank ones.
"It'll make sense soon," he assures , looking for all the world as fascinated as a woman sucked into Grey's Anatomy.
The wolf growls again, this ti turning in a swift motion to get between and the Grand Sage, snapping impatiently in the gno's direction.
"I am no competition for you, wolf." Unaffected by the fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he gestures in my direction. "She is yours."
Excuse ?
But the wolf lets out a remarkably satisfied-sounding huff and turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking off balance. When I grab at its fur to hold up, I swear the damn thing rumbles in happiness.
"What the fuck is going on?" I hiss at the naked shifter, who looks panicked by my attention.
"Don't look at !" he snaps, before shifting into his wolf form again and cowering to the ground like the others.
Has everyone lost their damn marbles?
I awkwardly run my fingers through the angry wolf's fur, unsure of how to handle this situation. To my surprise, the beast seems to lt under my touch, its eyes half-closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from monts ago transforms into a contented rumble that vibrates through my palm.
Confusion swirls in my mind. I turn to the Grand Sage, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. Bitterness, to be clear, that he was willing to sacrifice off to a rabid wolf. "What the hell is going on?"
The gno's eyes twinkle with amusent, and I fight the urge to shake him. "If you can't figure it out now, my dear, you will soon enough." He turns to address the wolf. "We need to continue on our way. Would you mind?"
The wolf lets out a loud rumble-growl, clearly displeased by the interruption. For a mont, I think it might snap at the Grand Sage, but then it heaves a heavy sigh. Before my eyes, the wolf's form begins to shift and change.
My breath catches in my throat as the fur recedes, revealing smooth, tanned skin. Muscles ripple and bones realign, the wolf's body stretching and morphing into a human form. A very, very familiar human form.
Kellan.
My eyes widen as I take him in, unable to stop myself from drinking in every inch of his naked body. Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan's form with a reverence that surprises . My gaze travels from his broad shoulders down his chiseled chest, following the trail of hair that leads to...
Oh my.
Heat floods my cheeks, and I force my eyes back up to his face. Kellan's intense gaze locks onto mine, his eyes burning with an emotion I can't quite na. Before I can process what's happening, he steps forward, closing the distance between us in one fluid motion.
"Mate," he whispers, his voice rough and low.
Then his mouth is on mine, crushing our lips together in a kiss that steals my breath away. The heat of his skin, the strength of his embrace, the taste of him on my tongue—I'm overwheld.
Everything else is gone, flying right out of my head. The danger we're in. The strange place we've found ourselves. Even my own na.
All that exists is Kellan and this kiss that feels like coming ho.
When we finally break apart, I'm gasping for air, my head spinning. Kellan's forehead rests against mine, his breath warm on my face. "I found you," he murmurs, his voice filled with wonder and relief.
Reality cos crashing back, and I struggle to make sense of what just happened. "Kellan?" I manage to croak out, my voice embarrassingly breathy. Sure. I'm a healthy girl with an appreciation for sex. I may or may not have eye-fucked Kellan from across the room a few tis, even when I was mad at him. But this?
What is this?!
"What... how... what are you doing?"
He pulls back slightly, his hands coming up to cup my face. His thumbs brush over my cheekbones, and I shiver at the tenderness of the gesture. Every part of wants to lt toward him, and honestly? My legs are too tired to fight the urge.
So I do.
I lt right against his body, snuggling into his arms like I was always ant to be there, as he tilts my face toward his, eting his intense gaze.
"I've been waiting for you," he says, his eyes never leaving mine. "When I heard you were taken... I couldn't... I had to find you. I'm sorry I wasn't the one to save you, Lisa."
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