Wolf Claimed

by Sadie Moss

  Nils glanced down at the two corpses sprawled on the forest floor. “Doctor Shepherd’s orders. We’ve been studying you, but he wanted to know more. We needed shifters who could go where we couldn’t.”

  My stomach lurched. Studying us?

  “What are you talking about?”

  The blond man’s blunt features cracked open in a smile. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find you again? Come on, girl. Be smarter than that. I know you can. The shifters we caught in Washington gave up everything.”

  “If you knew where the pack was, why didn’t you attack us?”

  “Because Doctor Shepherd didn’t want your pack back in the lab. Not when there was so much more to be learned from observing them in the wild. Your attack on the Salt Lake City facility was a minor setback, but you more than made up for it by allowing him to study shifters outside those walls.”

  His words pinged around in my brain, and I suddenly felt unbearably claustrophobic despite the fact that we stood out in the open. My naked skin prickled in the cool night air. We were all still trapped, still nothing more than points of data, projects, to Doctor Shepherd.

  “How long have you been… studying us?”

  Nils smirked. “Weeks.”

  “That’s—that’s not possible! We have patrols; we’ve been out hunting in these woods. We would’ve seen you. Scented you!”

  He shrugged. “As you can see, our team is small. We masked our scents. And we know how to stay hidden. You forget, girl, we have predators’ instincts too.”

  “How can you work for Strand? For Doctor Shepherd?” I shook my head in disgust. “How can you hunt your own kind for him?”

  The large man chuckled, jerking his head to urge his men closer. They closed ranks around us, two keeping their guns trained on West and Noah while several others approached Rhys and Jackson, pulling their arms behind their backs.

  Damn it. My attempt at buying us time by distracting him hadn’t worked.

  “Because we’re not the same.” Nils stepped toward me, his gun held steady on my chest. I couldn’t tell if it would fire tranquilizers or bullets, but it didn’t matter. Either one would be a death sentence. “None of you realize what a gift you’ve been given, but I do. I chose this. I went in with eyes wide open and allowed the source to mingle with my blood.”

  “The source?” I breathed, barely following his words. My gaze darting over his men as I searched for some escape. A thick cloud of tension hung in the air, just waiting for a spark to ignite it.

  “The gift from the gods.” Nils was close now. So close I could reach out and touch the barrel of his gun if I wanted to. “The source. The creator of all shifters.”

  His words made no sense to me. What did gods have to do with the experiments Strand was conducting? Or had Nils not emerged from his change unscathed either? Maybe when his wolf was called, it had driven him mad. He certainly sounded insane.

  Before I could say anything else, he closed the distance between us in two long strides, yanking me toward him and spinning me around. He wrapped a thick arm around my waist, pressing his gun to my head. My back was to his front, and the feel of his palm on the bare flesh of my stomach made nausea roil inside it. My mates all made angry, tortured sounds as their bodies tensed.

  “I know what you did, girl,” Nils murmured in my ear. “I know you killed my entire team in the transport vehicle. Do you think you would’ve been able to do that if Doctor Shepherd hadn’t blessed you with the powers you have? Look at you. Scrawny little thing. But your wolf? She is a miracle.”

  His breath was hot, his body large and oppressive behind mine, making my skin crawl. I twisted, shoving his hand away from my stomach with all my strength.

  “Get off me, you fucking asshole!”

  I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his wrist—a black ink design of three triangles connected at their points, with an interlocking spiral pattern inside them—before he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back.

  “Lexi!” Rhys shouted, fear in his voice.

  Pain blazed through my scalp, making my eyes water. I looked over at my mates and saw the same cold certainty in their gazes that I felt in my heart. We wouldn’t all get out of this alive. Not if we went quietly and not if we fought. But given a choice between the two bad options, I would choose fight every time.

  Rhys’s gaze caught mine in the darkness. His irises seemed to glow like pools of water bathed in moonlight as he dropped his chin in a small nod.

  I didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. I just let the shift take over my body, breaking and remaking my bones.

  All around me, chaos erupted.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The force of my shift shoved Nils away from me. His gun went off as he stumbled backward, missing my head by inches as the sound made my ears ring. Every other noise seemed muffled as the loud bang of the gunshot reverberated in my ears.

  Other shots fired, but my men were fast. Rhys and Jackson had shifted when I did, using the change to slip the grasp of their captors. Shouts and grunts filled the air as Noah and West leapt toward the men who threatened them. A pained yip rose up, and my blood turned to ice—but before I could make sure they were all right, Nils swung his gun toward my head again.

  I snarled, snapping at his arm with my massive teeth. He feinted back, and I only caught the meaty part of his forearm before he tore himself away. The gun fell from his fingers, and a look of fury darkened his features.

  “You want to play, little girl?”

  The sounds of a brawl echoed in the woods around us as Nils locked his gaze on mine, his entire body shuddering. His large form grew as fur sprouted over his body, and when the shift was complete, a huge brown wolf stood in front of me. I was used to towering over other shifters in wolf form, but Nils was at least as big as I was—probably bigger. He was the size of a fucking horse.

  His lips drew back, his snout wrinkling as he snarled fiercely, drowning out the yips and grunts behind me.

  Then, without warning, he attacked.

  He barreled toward me, darting around to my side and sinking his teeth into my fur. Pain flared, and I snapped back at him, dancing away from his powerful jaws. The bite hadn’t been deep, but it hurt like a bitch.

  My heart pounded hard in my broad chest as we circled each other. I could see my mates fighting in my periphery, but I didn’t dare take my eyes off Nils. His ears twitched as he studied me, searching for an opening. He feinted right then dodged left, jaws snapping at my shoulder this time.

  I scuttled backward, breathing hard.

  Fuck. How was he so damn fast?

  He was a better fighter than I was. Every time I’d fought in wolf form so far, I’d had the advantage of size against all my opponents. But Nils matched me in that arena and was also faster, better trained, and more controlled in his movements. He fought like a man schooled in hand-to-hand combat, while I fought like a wild animal.

  He lunged forward again, and I danced away, my jaws snapping at empty air as he avoided my counter-attack. We moved like that, skidding and ducking around trees, until my lungs burned and my limbs began to weaken. Fear threaded through my veins like poison as I switched entirely to defensive actions; there was no time for offense, not when it took all my focus and concentration just to avoid getting my throat torn out by his thick, sharp teeth.

  Another series of gunshots sounded, each one seeming to pierce my heart. Where were my mates? I could hear them fighting around us, but I had no idea if they were faring better or worse than I was. What if some of them were already hurt badly? Or killed? I needed to help them.

  I needed to end this.

  Nils leapt for me again, and I paid for my momentary distraction when his teeth dug into my ear. I yipped, swiping out with a huge paw and making him stumble sideways. But he regained his footing quickly, leaping toward me and knocking me off my feet. He followed me down, snapping at my throat. I fought him off frantically, our teeth clashing as he searched for an opening in
my weakening defense.

  I was panting, the muscles of my legs shaking as I fought to free myself from his weight. He drew back, snarling, and I recognized the feral glint in his eye. Whatever directive Nils had been given to bring me in alive, his wolf only had one aim. To kill. And the wolf was the one in control now.

  Adrenaline fueled me, and I twisted under his heavy paws, casting my gaze around desperately for help.

  A glint of metal on the ground ten yards away caught my eye.

  Nils’s gun.

  He had dropped it after I bit him, and it’d gotten kicked across the forest floor in the scuffle.

  It was my only chance. I was losing this fight, and if it went on for much longer, Nils would kill me.

  Oh God, this is a really fucking stupid idea.

  My heart lurching in my chest, I shoved against the massive wolf with all my might. He staggered back a step, and I clawed my way out from under him, leaping to my feet as fast as I could. Then I pivoted, my paws slamming against the rough earth, leaving deep gouges in the soil as I sprinted with everything I had left in me. Nils was right on my tail, his larger form bearing down on mine like a runaway train.

  The dark metal of the gun’s barrel gleamed like a fallen star as I neared it.

  Closer.

  Closer.

  Almost there.

  When I was a few yards away, I pushed off hard with my back legs, launching myself into the air. I shifted as I flew, bones breaking and muscles reforming midair. I hit the ground hard in human form, my wrists absorbing too much of the impact as my fingers scrabbled for the gun. Pain radiated up my arms and rocks dug into my skin as I rolled over the hard-packed earth in an awkward, out of control somersault.

  I could hear Nils behind me, his heavy breaths mixing with the thud of his paws. Gripping the gun in both hands, I arched backward quickly, tilting my chin up and raising my arms over my head, my finger sliding over the trigger.

  The world hung upside down from this vantage point, and all I could see were Nils’s massive paws, snarling mouth, and the underside of his enormous frame as he leapt for me.

  I fired.

  Once. Twice. Three times. Four.

  The bullets pierced his body as he sailed through the air, and he let out a sharp, animalistic cry that cut off abruptly.

  Then he was coming down, momentum still propelling him toward me. I hurled myself to the side just before he slammed into the ground. His body skidded several feet then came to a stop, sprawled at a strange angle with dirt and blood matting his hair.

  I pulled myself to my feet, knees wobbling as I looked down at him. He lay totally still. Shoving down my fear, I approached the felled wolf cautiously, reaching out to bury my fingers in the fur of his neck.

  No pulse.

  He was dead.

  My legs weakened with relief and exhaustion, and I snatched my hand back quickly, still somehow terrified of him.

  I lingered there for a second, staring at Nils’s prone form in shock. Now that the bloodthirsty snarl had left his face, I could appreciate how beautiful his wolf was. I could see, just a little bit, the miracle he had talked about so reverently.

  A twinge of sadness made my stomach clench. After everything Doctor Shepherd’s lap dog had done, I wasn’t sorry he was dead, but I hated that death seemed to follow me around like a shadow now.

  A harsh cry from nearby snapped me out of my trance, and I whipped my head toward the sound.

  The fight had spread us all out in the forest, but I could make out several furry bodies through the trees to my left. I sprinted toward them, hardly feeling the sharp rocks that dug into my feet or the injuries scattered over my body. My muscles shivered, ready to shift again, but I pushed that away as I neared the scene.

  Two white wolves stood over a man, their massive jaws making sure he would never rise again. The man was naked, and he clutched a gun in one hand—another lap dog who had shifted back to human form to grab a weapon.

  Thank fuck my mates fought well together. I’d always seen them have each other’s backs, and I was sure it had saved them more than just this once.

  Their heads lifted as I approached, the blood on their muzzles shining almost black in the moonlight. The one on the right yipped, and I recognized the voice as Jackson’s. Then they both loped toward me, shifting as they moved. We were all naked, covered in blood—our own and others’—but that didn’t stop them from pulling me into a hug, sandwiching my body between their larger ones.

  “Jesus fuck, Scrubs. I thought we lost you. I saw that big fucker shift, and I—we tried to get to you.” Noah spoke into my hair, drawing in deep breaths as if trying to absorb my scent.

  “I’m okay.” I pressed my blood and sweat slicked body closer to his, feeling his heart pound against my chest as Jackson’s beat against my back. That, more than anything, calmed me down enough to ask, “Rhys? West?”

  Worry squeezed my chest like a cold fist. Please don’t let them be hurt. Please don’t let them be dead.

  “They’re coming. I see them,” Jackson murmured, craning his neck to the side. “Both in one piece. Mostly.”

  My heart stuttered, and I pushed out of their embrace. I had to see for myself before the sick feeling would leave my stomach. Jackson hadn’t lied; my two other mates limped toward us. Their progress was slow, but they were both still upright, and they didn’t seem to have any life-threatening injuries.

  Rhys pulled me into his arms, pressing a hard kiss to the top of my head as West took my hand.

  “God damn it.” Rhys’s voice rumbled against my ear as he spoke. “Strand wasn’t fucking around with the team they sent to watch us. Those were some well-trained fighters, and half of them were lap dogs.”

  He stepped back suddenly, holding my shoulders while his gaze worked quickly down my body. Despite my shock, I flushed under his intense stare—then winced when he ran his fingers over the wounds at my side. Nils had gotten in a few good bites, although my agility and thick fur had protected me from the worst of it. He hadn’t managed to get a chunk out of me, at least.

  “You all right?” My mate’s clear blue eyes shot up to my face, glinting with worry.

  “Yeah.”

  I ran my gaze down his body before turning around to inspect the rest of my men. They all looked about the same as I felt—beat the fuck up, but alive.

  “Do you think that was the whole team?” I asked, peering into the dark woods around us.

  Since my wolf had been called, I’d never felt uncomfortable being in the wilderness at night. There was a part of me that had recognized it immediately as home. But now, the shadowy shapes of trees all seemed to loom threateningly, hiding unknown dangers behind their thick trunks.

  “Dunno. I’m guessing so—at least, I hope so. Nils said it was small, since they wanted to remain undetected. They used something to mask their scent, but the more people they had, the harder it would’ve been to cloak it entirely.” Jackson shrugged, gripping his upper arm with one hand and wincing. Even in the dim light, a purple bruise was already visible on his tanned skin. “Either way, we need to get the fuck back to base. We gotta warn Alpha Elijah.”

  “He’s right.” Noah shoved a hand through his blond hair. “Even if that was Nils’s whole team, Strand will figure out something is wrong soon enough. I’m sure Nils checked in with Doctor Shepherd pretty regularly, so if he doesn’t hear from his lap dog in a day or two, he’ll know something’s up.”

  “What should we do with… Marcus and Walker?”

  I swallowed, trying to shove down the memory of Walker dropping to the ground in front of me, of the strange dull thump of a bullet hitting flesh. The hunters could’ve taken down my mates the same way, could’ve shot them from a distance before we even had half a chance to respond.

  The only reason they’d approached was because they’d wanted to take us alive. That… and Nils had seemed to have a strange obsession with us. Not the good kind of obsession, if there was such a thing. The obsession
of a man who wants to look you in the eyes as he hurts you.

  “Leave ’em,” Jackson said shortly, anger burning in his tone.

  “That’s all we can do,” Noah agreed softly. “We don’t have time to bury them, and we can’t bring them back to the base.”

  I bit my lip. It didn’t seem right. They deserved more, even if they had betrayed us. They’d offered to help us too, and I honestly believed they would have, if they had lived long enough. Now? They were just two more discarded bodies killed by the Strand Corporation.

  “There are better ways to give meaning to their deaths,” West murmured softly, grasping my arm in his large hand as he bent his head toward mine. “We need to make sure no others die because of this.”

  “Fuck! Sariah! She’s still back at camp!”

  Rhys’s eyes lit with panic, and he shifted back to wolf form, his words turning into a low whine. As soon as the change was complete, he spun and raced off through the forest. The rest of us shifted immediately and followed his lead.

  My heart pounded in my chest, harder and faster than my paws hit the ground. Rhys was far ahead of us, sprinting full out through the trees, but I could feel his worry lingering in his wake like a shadow.

  I knew he wouldn’t have wanted Sariah in the forest with us for this fight. But what if we were wrong about the size of Nils’s team? What if there were more Strand hunters in these woods, watching and stalking the Lost Pack?

  What if the base had been attacked too?

  Chapter Twenty

  My injuries began to ache as we ran, the small tears in my skin from Nils’s bites pulling and stretching with each footfall, but I forced myself to match Rhys’s punishing pace.

  Our route into the woods had been circuitous and slow—Marcus and Walker laying a trap for us, I realized now—but our way back was straight through the woods, the shortest and fastest path possible. Still, it felt like hours passed before the gray buildings of the base loomed into view. Lanterns were rarely left on outside, for fear of drawing attention to our location, so no light came from the small settlement.