Wolf Bonded (Wolfish 1)

That terrible, foreboding feeling from earlier creeps back in. I should have listened to it. I never should’ve left the cabin, never should have gone down to the river.

Rory lets go of my wrist, which he had grabbed only long enough to get my attention and looks at me almost apologetically. I sigh.

“Okay then, Rory,” I start, “tell me what’s going on.”

Kaleb and Marlowe stand beside him and all three of them look at me as if they’re gaging how upset or freaked-out I’m going to be. They share a quick glance and then Rory opens his mouth to answer me.

“It’s …”

But before he can explain anything, I see something out of the corner of my eye. I know at once what it is, and this time, I know I’m not making it up. I’ve seen enough flashes of fur. I’ve heard their howls. It’s a wolf.

My mind might have played a lot of tricks on me today, but this … this I’m sure of.

Until what steps out of the woods isn’t a wolf.

It’s a girl. An absolutely gorgeous, long-legged girl looking like a wild gypsy. She has beautiful, vibrant hair that falls around her shoulders in messy bundles of sienna waves.

My mind must be totally, utterly fucked. I know I saw a wolf in those trees. I know it.

But …

But I can’t argue with what stands before me now.

Just as she steps out of the forest, I feel a flurry of movement behind me. At first, I think the boys are moving forward to introduce themselves—after all, this wild gypsy woman is ravishingly beautiful. There’s no denying it. One glance at her, and it’s as if all the savage beauty of the world is wrapped up neatly in a fur-lined skirt.

This is the sort of girl they should be giving attention to. The kind of girl who deserves to be argued over.

But they aren’t moving to greet her, I realize, but rather to stand between me and her.

All three boys visibly bristle and posture around me as if they’re dogs whose ridges have just raised. I start to feel like the prey in the middle of their protective circle. Kaleb’s arm stretches out behind me as if he’s reaching back to guard my back, while Rory raises his chest up and push his shoulders back as though he’s some kind of alpha male.

Even Marlowe, who’s usually less aggressive and impulsive than the other two, seems to be triggered into defense mode.

In any other circumstances, I’d find their reactions comical. Cartoonish, even.

But there’s no denying the sudden wash of strange discomfort that emanates off this girl as she takes another step towards me.

Me. It’s me she’s focused on, almost as if the other three don’t exist.

The look in Kaleb’s eyes gives me a sick feeling. I know, instinctually, that somehow this was the danger in the forest they were so worried about.

20

Sabrina

“Fancy meeting you here,” the girl says. Her voice drips with a taunt, and from the guys’ shifting postures, it garners the intended reaction.

“What are you doing here?” Rory asks. His voice is sharp. Curt. Familiar.

This is no stranger.

“Just roaming the Free Territory for a while, that is allowed after all, isn’t it?” she says.

Free Territory. There it is again. The way the girl keeps trying to look at me between the boys’ shoulders is very unnerving.

“We thought you already left,” Marlowe says to her. He’s the only one out of the three who’s managed to keep his voice even. At first glance, he appears to be standing nonchalantly just to my left, but I can sense he’s ready to spring into action if need be.

If need be … for what?