10. Vivianna #2
“You have no reason to trust me, but I need you to come with me. We came to rescue you from Vadik and your father,” Rikkart explained. “If you’re willing to come with me, we will protect you.”
Wait, who’s we?
Don’t care, I say go for it, girl!
What if he’s lying?
I would be able to tell—he isn’t lying.
Can I talk to him while I’m a wolf? I know it didn’t work before, but is it possible?
I don’t think so. My guess is that we need to shift if you want to talk to him. If you do that, just know you’re going to be in your birthday suit.
Yeah, I don’t care how sexy he is, or how horny you are, that’s not going to happen.
Killjoy.
I took a step forward, bumped his shoulder with my snout, and stepped back.
I hoped he would get that meant I was going with him.
The smile on his face made me think he understood.
Just then, the black wolf bounded up to us, sliding to a stop and showering us both with the tiny pebbles that made up the driveway.
Irritated with his carelessness, I let out a growl and gave a small snap in his direction.
“Sorry, Koit takes some getting used to,” Rikkart explained. “We have to go now. I’m not sure how much longer the others can stall them. I’m going to shift into my wolf so we can get out of here faster. You up for a run?”
Oh, hell yeah, we are! I’ve been waiting forever to go for a run. I could feel my wolf bouncing us on our paws in excitement.
Rikkart smiled again, a look that was really growing on me. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He turned to the black wolf—Koit, I think he called him. “Watch our back and make sure no one follows us back to where we left the cars.”
Koit bobbed his head and turned away from us to keep an eye on what was going on.
When I looked back at the hot alpha, he was stripping off his clothes.
This was the moment my wolf and I had our first fight.
I tried to turn our head away, but being in wolf form, she fought against me, having more control over our body.
Seriously, this guy is going to think I’m a pervert, I snapped, trying to force our eyes lower but ending up going from his muscular back to his sculpted ass.
Oh, this is much better, good call. I do love a good ass.
I groaned mentally. I, too, appreciate a nice ass on a guy, and this guy had one for the books. While I was distracted by the naked man in front of me, I didn’t hear running feet on the gravel till they were close enough to see.
Whoop, we gotta go! I said before I took off, kicking up gravel as I ran forward.
I had no idea where I was, but my wolf and I knew that we needed to get out of this place, and fast. I ran across what looked like a courtyard as I followed the main gravel road towards a tunnel that looked like an exit.
When I got closer, I noticed the gate had been shut and there were guards stationed, waiting for us.
I veered to the left and took off towards the wall that surrounded the place.
What are our chances of making it over the wall?
Eighty-twenty. I like our odds. We just have to time it right.
Fuck it, here we go!
I dug my nails into the ground as we sped towards the wall, picking up speed.
At the last moment, I lunged forward, pushing off with my back legs.
I rocketed upwards, and just when I felt like I was losing momentum, I clawed against the wall, shooting me up the rest of the way.
Pitching forward, I hooked my front legs over the top of the wall and kicked with my back legs, shimmying over the top of the wall.
My landing was less than graceful, but I didn’t break anything, which was all that mattered to me.
We did it! We made it out alive! Now to figure out where we were and where to go next.
Hey, you smell that? It smells just like Koit and Rikkart. This must be close to where they entered. We can just follow the trail back to where they came from.
I put my nose to the ground and started running, the trail easy to follow since it was so fresh.
Feeling confident in the direction they came from, I lifted my head to take in the surrounding area.
The place that I’d been held was on a little island in the middle of a lake with one strip of land, wide enough for two cars, connecting it to the mainland.
The open ground was filled with wildflowers and tall grasses, making it easy for me to blend in with my golden-colored coat.
My wolf reveled in the joy of running, and when a bunny popped out in front of us, I didn’t have the heart to keep her from chasing after it.
Unable to catch the bunny after chasing it for some time, we both lost interest in the game.
It was then I realized that we were completely lost. We’d traveled so far from the scent trail that I couldn’t tell what direction to go off in.
I couldn’t follow my own trail, either, because I’d crossed over it so many times. My scent was everywhere.
I’d figured there would be a learning curve to this whole wolf thing, but wow, this sucked.
I saw a tree line in the distance; it would be good cover if I had to manage on my own for a while. Heading in that direction, I tried to focus in on the scents I could gather from around me. That’s when I noticed another wolf’s scent coming from off to the right.
Not wanting to get caught off guard, I changed my path, staying downwind and crouching low in a patch of tall, golden field grass.
I stilled my breathing, so it barely made the grass around me move.
There was a light breeze running through the field, but I didn’t know how perceptive wolves could be.
The strange wolf moved closer, weaving from side to side as if looking for something.
Was he looking for me? Was he one of Vadik’s wolves? If he was, I intended to give him one hell of a fight. I wasn’t going back to that hell hole alive if I had anything to say about it.
Moments later, a large, silver-furred wolf stepped into the clearing in front of my grassy hideout.
He put his nose to the ground and sniffed, then his head shot up, looking around the area like he knew I was there right under his nose.
He put his nose back to the ground and slowly moved around the area, getting closer every second.
I was out of time to decide what I was going to do.
No deciding. You’re an alpha. Act like one, my wolf snarled at me, giving me the push I needed to shut off my human ethics.
I was a strong, independent woman, and I could save myself.
I rushed out of my hiding spot and tackled the unsuspecting wolf.
I latched onto his neck and rolled him over onto his back, shaking my head violently to try and tear out his throat.
I would not be taken and used by anyone ever again; whoever tried to would end up as my prey.
The wolf under me began to shift, and the fur in my mouth turned into flesh. A hand reached up and cupped my cheek, petting me gently. I looked down to see warm brown eyes looking back at me with sympathy.
“Vivianna, I’m here to help. There’s no need to be afraid,” he said, rubbing his thumb gently against my fur.
I let go of him, instantly stepping back and catching sight of the mangled flesh of his throat.
Oh god! Look what I’ve done! Let me out. I need to be human again. I need to check on him—I can’t let him die.
I could feel my panic rising as I fought against my wolf’s hold on me.
Slowly, painfully, I felt her pull away from me, letting my human side rise to the surface.
I could only imagine that if Velcro could feel pain, this is what it would feel like.
Finally, I was back, naked and crawling over to the man I’d just mauled.
“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, my hands shaking as I reached out for him.
The man smiled at me, a soft, forgiving smile, understanding showing in his eyes as he lifted his hand to my cheek once again. “It’s okay. I’ll heal. There's no need to cry, Vivianna. You’re safe now, the others are right behind me.”
I clutched his hand to my face and wept.
I think I cried for many reasons, but the biggest reason was that for the first time in years, I actually felt safe.
I heard rustling behind me, but I didn’t move, didn’t look away from the only lifeline that I had to hold onto in this moment of weakness.
Something soft was draped over my shoulders, and someone crouched next to me by the bleeding man’s head.
“Vivianna, it’s going to be okay. I need you to let go of Tavas so I can get you both out of here,” a voice said, the man grabbing my wrist and pulling Tavas’s hand out of mine. “That a girl. Now I’m going to pick you up—you’re in no condition to go running through the woods barefoot.”
I blinked and nodded my head, drawing the blanket tighter around myself.
He scooped me up and cradled me to his chest tenderly as if afraid I might break.
I leaned into his warmth and his comforting scent of frankincense and sandalwood.
Lulled by the warmth of his body and comforting fragrance, I felt my eyes begin to close.
All the fight that had flooded my body melted away, but I struggled, trying to reason if I was truly safe or not.
You’re safe. These alphas will protect you while you sleep.