I could stay like this forever, surrendering to my baser instincts and become feral. A safe haven where I could be alone without another soul relying on me, without having to see the disappointment in bright eyes glaring back at me when I let them down. And I will, eventually. If I can’t even take care of my own, small pride, how can anyone look to me for answers, for help?
The temptation is too strong right now, so I veer in the direction of the neighboring town instead. It will help keep me in check so I actually go home tonight, because even if he doesn’t want my help right now, I’m not about to abandon Cole too. There’s no doubt in my mind that it would be the final blow to push him over the edge and I refuse to have that on my conscience.
The scent of blood clogs my nostrils and makes my wandering mind focus, mouth starting to water on instinct. We evolved to keep prey animals in check, so hunting starts from the moment we’re old enough to run with our pride.
I gradually slow my pace. The closer I get, the more I mind my footing. Ducking my head low and shoulders rolling with each sure step, I stalk forward, keeping my massive form low in the tall grass.
The overwhelming scents from the town add a chaotic mixture to my already frayed senses, making it difficult to discern one from another. It’s exactly why I never actually step foot over the town line, letting the others handle trade. Another waft of blood hits me and pulls my focus back to the task at hand instead of the scenery. Whatever this animal is, it’s hurt badly, and that’s all I really need to know. It will be a mercy killing, my good deed for the day. Nothing deserves to lie dying alone in agony for gods know how long.
It’s just the circle of life, and I’m very good at playing my part.
On my next step I pounce with a snarl tearing from my throat that would make grown men piss themselves. Within a split second, I regret it, retracting my claws and clamping my jaw shut as I land. Now that I’m a hairsbreadth away from my prey, the undercurrent of an undeniable scent pushes past all of the blood, something a lifetime of stories never prepared me for.
My Mate.
“Our mate, you mean,”a familiar voice sounds in my mind, and my head whips to the side to stare at a face I never thought to see again.
You’re alive.Even my mental voice sounds breathless, not fully believing it despite the evidence staring me in the face.
“And you’re scaring the hell out of Rin, so back the fuck off,”he growls and I look down at the wide-eyed woman beneath me.
The side of her head is matted with blood, but head wounds bleed something fierce, so I’m not sure the extent of the damage without getting a closer look. There’s a wadded up shirt thoroughly soaked not far away that she must have been using to staunch the blood flow and I gently pick it up with my teeth, guiltily offering it back to her.
“Ozzy, why didn’t you tell me your pussy senses were tingling?” she asks, slowly reaching out to take the offered shirt back, a slight tremble in her breathless voice. “You and your secrets. I keep telling you, they don't add to your mysterious appeal; they’re just annoying. Not a big fan of surprises,” she babbles and I cock my head.
She’s got a concussion?
Osiris mentally snorts, brushing past me to butt his head against her back, urging her upright.“No, she’s just weird. She and Cole will get along famously.”
I sit back on my haunches, baffled at the way this human isn’t a sobbing mess after narrowly avoiding getting her throat torn out by a nearly three hundred pound tiger.I hope you killed the bastard that did this to her.
His mental sigh has a low growl building in my chest.“She tripped on a root and cracked her head on a rock. It looks worse than it is.”
She struggles to her feet, unsteady, and I get a better look at the terrible shape she’s in. Her jeans are caked in mud and torn, and the sweat jacket she’s wearing is two sizes too big, slipping off of one shoulder. What skin I can see is mottled with fresh cuts, but also a variety of bruises in varied stages of healing that discredit Osiris’ declaration.
When she bends down to try and heft an overstuffed backpack from the ground, I growl in my brother’s direction as he just sits there, not making a move to help her. With the shape she’s in, he shouldn’t only be carrying the bag, he should be carryingher.
I change back, my fury combating the autumn chill as I rise to my feet, naked. “The fuck is wrong with you?” I spit, incensed and taking the bag from her. “I get you disappearing on us as much as it pisses me off, but you find our mate and can’t bother with a damn phone call? Let alone treat her like this?” His lips pull back as he bares his teeth, arching his back and hissing, but he still doesn’t try to defend himself.
The woman steps up behind me to unzip the backpack, digging around a bit before finding whatever she’s looking for. I stand stock still, not wanting to do anything to freak her out. Humans aren’t nearly as comfortable with nudity as shifters, and I’m still convinced she hit her head harder than Osiris claims. There’s just no way any sane person would be this calm right now.
She offers me a pair of men’s sweatpants closer to Osiris’ size. They’ll fit, but they’ll be tight. She turns to look at my pride brother, deferring to him as if seeking permission to speak and I hate it.
“I’m going to just go ahead and assume this is one of your friends based on the direction of the conversation?” He nods his head in affirmation and I frown, confused, but she continues before I can open my mouth. “Pack man?” Osiris narrows her eyes at her as she gives him a teasing smile. “Excuse you, but thisisthe time for jokes.” She frowns. “Because if I don’t laugh, I might cry. I’m about five steps away from just calling it quits, curling up in a ball, and letting nature take its course. I fulfilled my side of the deal, but I changed my mind. I’m not cut out for this.”
Baffled, I struggle to keep up with everything going on. “Wait a minute. You can hear him? But…you’re human.”
She looks at me in confusion. “Hear him? Like reading minds? And I thoughtIhit my head,” she tosses in my brother’s direction, wincing when she turns hers too quickly. “I know he can understand me and it gets awfully awkward having every conversation one sided, so I improvise.” The earlier part of my declaration finally catches up with her and she eyes me suspiciously. “What do you mean ‘mate’?”
I look at Osiris. “At least face me as a man. You owe me an explanation.”
My mate’s face softens, and she suddenly looks so tired, the exhaustion she claimed no longer hidden behind jokes and willpower. “He can’t.”
While she starts filling me in on everything she knows, we start walking in the direction of the house. My eyes continuously flit in her direction, watching the way she drags her feet and stumbles, but continues to forge on without complaint. It takes everything I have not to just scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way, but the more I hear about the abuse she’s endured, the angrier I get. And something tells me that a woman that’s suffered at the hands of pissed off feebs wouldn’t appreciate me acting like I have a claim to her; especially since humans can’t scent their mates like shifters can.
By the time I’m pushing open the front door, it’s almost midnight. Rin stumbles to the couch, nearly passing out before her head hits the cushion. Reluctant to keep her awake even longer, we need to at least clean her head injury so she doesn’t end up with an infection. I tell her as much, gently shaking her shoulder, and she groans, trying to push herself up lethargically.
“I can carry you if you’d rather,” I tentatively offer. “Once you’re cleaned up, you can take Osiris’ bed instead of the couch.”
