Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“I hate camping. I am going to kick my cousins’ asses when they get back,” Dante mutters. “All right. We need to get out of here.”
I turn back and look at the tent where I learned about pleasure. Dante has made himself plain. He wishes to use me for a while, but perhaps a bit of affection is better than none at all. I am not ready to be done with him. I should run on my own, but I cannot leave him yet.
“Cara!” Reeve can be heard calling for his wife. His voice has taken on a desperate wail.
All manner of creatures are running for the forest now. They bump against me in their frantic flight from the ogre.
“Cara!”
The ground beneath my feet shakes.
“He’s coming this way.” Dante starts to lead me out. “We’re going to have to make a run for it. Meg, can you keep up? I don’t want to explain to your husbands why I lost you to an ogre who seems to be practicing his left-handed slider.”
Meg seems to steel herself. “I’ll keep up. You won’t lose me that easily.”
Dante’s hand squeezes mine, tightening as though he is afraid to let go. “Stay together. Kaja’s right. We only really have to be faster than the gnomes. They’re short. The ogre should catch a bunch of them, and while he’s eating his appetizers, the main course will be fleeing as fast as our feet can take us.”
I prepare to ready to run, but a thin wail breaks through the chaos around me.
“Cara, no! No!”
I turn and see the small blonde gnome who was so kind to me. She is trying to get away from the ogre. Cara runs down the road, moving toward us, but it is clear that she will not make it. Her legs are too short. She is not quick. The ogre roars and stomps his foot. It looks to be roughly the size of Cara’s whole body. He will crush her beneath that foot.
Dante’s hand tugs insistently. “Kaja, let’s go.”
In my pack, the weak are allowed to fall. They are considered an insult to the pack. If a wolf falls, it is because they are not strong enough, not worthy.
The strong wolves of my pack are the same ones who spit on me. They are the same ones who tossed me out. Cara is not strong. She has no fangs or claws. She cannot change. The gnome would be a liability during the hunt. But Cara is the one who held my hand when the world seemed filled with pain. She brought me raw meat when it was so obvious that Cara was disgusted by it. Even as she tossed the raw meat in, Cara begged me to eat. Cara cared that I was hungry. She showed me true kindness. In the pack, kindness is considered weakness.
I no longer believe in the pack.
With a single thought, I change. There is a moment of pain, but I have come to almost enjoy it. That brief flaring of heat through my system brings with it a certain freedom. My limbs shift, joints popping into place in a quick change. My hand becomes a slender paw that slips easily from Dante’s hold. I fall from two legs to four.
“What are you doing?” Dante seems so tall when I am in my two-legged form. Now, he truly towers over me. He looks down, indignation plain on his face.
I bark. I do not have time to explain. He should run. This debt is mine and mine alone. Perhaps I can also provide the distraction required for Dante and Meg to get away.
I turn and begin to run toward Cara.
Chapter Eleven
Dante
My heart threatens to explode as Kaja speeds away toward the really pissed-off, man-eating ogre.
What is wrong with her? Does she think the ogre won’t eat her when she’s in wolf form? If she asked, I would have explained that the ogre will eat anything he can catch. And the ogre is definitely going to catch Kaja because she’s running toward it.
“What happened?” Meg asks. She turns toward the ogre. She has to scream the words now because there’s so much chaos around us.
“Kaja went insane.” I reach out to hold Meg’s hand. The crowd rushes toward us. If I don’t hold on to her, I’ll lose her in the chaos. I watch as Kaja slips nimbly in and out of the crowd.
A growl starts deep in my throat, and that ridiculous beast that took up residence in my body the minute I laid eyes on Kaja is clawing to get out. She wants to run from me? I’ll show that wolf her place. She’ll be at my feet and begging for forgiveness before she can even scent the freedom she seems to want. She belongs to me.
Only one thing keeps me from immediately tearing after my wayward wife. I need a place to stash Meg.