Prey to the Heart

by Kristen Banet

  5

  Abigail

  It was three days later when Abigail decided to go out on a hike, at a bit of a loss at what to do with herself. She had been planning on another appointment with the half-brothers, but Brenton had called her. Apparently the Pride was being given protection by the SSTF and needed to get that settled before they could spare the time for any appointments. Brenton spent nearly thirty minutes just telling her she still had work, and this wasn’t the end. He still wanted her there talking to his Pridemates, but they needed to work out security details. The Pride was getting threats over their escape from the compound and their own drama.

  None of it was Abigail’s business, but she understood Brenton’s need to let her in on it and make sure she knew she still had a job. She was only in this town because of him.

  She texted Riley to try and explore this new strange friendship agreement they had, asking how things were. She didn’t ask if Riley wanted to do anything because, from what Brenton had said, none of the Pride was going out. He did let Abigail know that Riley would need Abigail more than ever, though. The young woman’s long-lost father was a member of the SSTF protection detail.

  Abigail sighed. Yeah, Riley had too much going on in her life, so Abigail just wanted to touch base.

  “Hike it is,” Abigail sighed again, looking down at Riley’s short, clipped response about being ‘FINE.’ She wasn’t fine, but Abigail couldn’t storm the mansion today. “Now, did I bring anything to go hiking?”

  She frowned at her suitcases. No, she didn’t - nothing specifically for hiking, anyway. She knew there was a small outdoor sporting goods store. She had more than enough money to grab anything she could need, like boots.

  She threw on a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, and hoped that would work for today. A thick yellow sweater and black wide-brimmed hat finished it off. She wasn’t planning on anything strenuous, but if she was going to be here in Wild Junction, Colorado, for a long time, she would need to invest in something more durable. She was probably going to end up hiking a lot in her down time.

  Twenty minutes later, she was at the beginning of the trails just outside of town. It was midday and Abigail didn’t see anyone else around, which was perfect. She looked over to her bag in the passenger’s seat and ran through her mental checklist.

  “Cellphone, maps, wallet, water, and snacks,” she reminded herself. “Yeah, I should have everything. Let’s go explore.”

  She got out of the rental and pulled the small backpack along with her. She inhaled the fresh mountain air and sighed happily. It had been too long since she’d been able to enjoy some wilds. The city, as wonderful as it was, didn’t give her this. It was something she hadn’t had since childhood. It reminded her of when she was young and could go out with members of the Herd. Their little town was in the mountains, too.

  She locked the car and headed off down the wide, worn trail. She wandered, listening to the birds and wind rustle the trees.

  Gorgeous, she thought. It was beautiful. The leaves were falling, the last bit of autumn fading away. The breeze was chilly but as she kept walking, her body warmed up.

  She wondered how far she should go. She had more than enough time to kill and the wilds were calling her. She cut down a tiny trail that went deeper into the woods. She could hear a small stream somewhere and followed the trail to it.

  The doe in her was in heaven. Forty-five minutes into her hike, she felt the doe beg to shift for the first time in months. It wanted to enjoy the sun and breeze just as much as she did.

  She hit the stream and debated for a moment. There was a clearing near the stream and no one around that she could hear. She might as well spend a few minutes in her doe form. It had been too long since she lived a moment as her doe.

  She dropped her backpack next to a large stone and began pulling off her clothing. Every article, she folded and laid on the rock to keep clean. Once she was nude, she looked around the tiny clearing and the stream. Then she shifted.

  Hands and feet became hooves and she fell onto all fours. The shift was nearly instantaneous and suddenly she was shorter than she once was. In doe form, she was only thirty-six inches at the shoulders and nearing only four feet at the top of her head.

  She flicked her tail around, adjusting to the sensation. It had been so long since she shifted that when she took her first couple of steps, it was like she was a fawn again, wobbling around like her knees were weak. Once she grew comfortable though? She was off like a dart.

  She bounded around the spring, keeping her clothing in sight. She laughed and bleated at the feeling of being herself again.

  Finally, she grew more adventurous and decided to walk further up the stream. She jumped in puddles that were near it and tossed her head around like she was just rediscovering the world. She could smell the fresh air clearer now and waded into the water a bit as the sun went high.

  She didn’t know how long she was there enjoying the beautiful scenery, but she did know she would be out there often. This was something she hadn’t realized she was missing, and it made her heart swell.

  She barely heard the twig snap and turned her head toward the location. Probably another deer or a small creature. She looked away again when nothing else happened and bent down to take a drink from the stream.

  Another rustle had her head up again and she watched that spot intently.

  “Hello?” she called out, using the shifter ability to talk mentally. No response. She couldn’t smell anything either.

  But she could hear it better now, whatever it was. She stepped back, leaving the low stream and went up onto the bank.

  “Hello?” she tried again, throwing her mental voice out as far as possible.

  “Abigail?” A quiet answer, a shout from a distance. Thomas? She turned towards where that one came from, but it wasn’t close enough to be the noise.

  She turned back to the noise and tensed. The scent hit her nose as the wind changed.

  Mountain lion.

  A real one.

  Her muscles tensed and quivered as she took a few more steps back. Calm, she needed to remain calm. If she bolted, it would chase. It was probably stalking her.

  Abigail quickly realized she was probably going to die. This was why the Herd went out in groups, normally with a local solitary predator like a bear to keep an eye on them.

  They were prey. Figuratively and literally.

  She didn’t have the tools, size, or strength to put up any fight. All she could was run deeper into woods she didn’t know.

  “Abigail?” Thomas’ mental voice called out again and Abigail had one option. His voice was closer this time. He was coming towards her. That was good news.

  “I’m being stalked!” she called back. “Mountain lion!”

  “On our way!” Thomas told her, with a determined set in his voice. “Run to us if you need to run. Bring it our way.”

  “OKAY!” she nearly screeched as she could now see it, peeking between some foliage. She needed to move. It was going to pounce.

  It did, just as she took off. She tore through the underbrush, heading towards where Thomas had called to her from, and it stayed on her. She missed being slashed once.

  It was a short chase and she broke through the underbrush and nearly stumbled as a wolf tore past her in the opposite direction. Snarls and growls could be heard.

  She just kept running. Now that she was moving, she wasn’t going to stop. She couldn’t. She needed to know the predators were gone, that she’d escaped. Instinct took over and she just kept running, flying down a path she didn’t know.

  “Abigail!” James’ voice tore through her mind. “Abigail, stop!”

  She couldn’t. She could smell the wolves. She wasn’t in charge anymore, not really. Her doe half had taken the wheel and was pumping her so full of fear that she couldn’t stop.

  “Abigail!” Antonio’s voice cut in, and she nearly barreled into a grey and tan wolf as it jumped into her view.

&nbs
p; She stumbled, her heart going wild as she realized she was going to be eaten. This wolf was going to take her down.

  “Abigail?” James said again from behind her.

  She watched the wolf in front turn into a man, but the doe in her couldn’t change its mindset. He still smelled like a wolf, even if he didn’t look like one. Her nostrils flared, and she stood completely still, the definition of a deer caught in the headlights.

  “Abigail,” Antonio coaxed, reaching for her. “It’s okay, Abby. Abby girl.” She shivered, anxious, as his hand touched her nose. He stroked it and she slowly calmed down. “You’re safe. We aren’t going to hurt you. Thomas chased the mountain lion off. You’re safe. Shift back into human form, Abigail.”

  She didn’t like the Antonio she’d met in the mansion, but this one used all those things she didn’t like and calmed her down with them. Playful, jade green eyes that were now full of concern. He gave her a tentative smirk, closing the space between them even more. He moved to her side and ran a hand down her back. He was affectionate and sweet, knowing exactly what to do to get her right where he wanted her.

  “Human form, Abby,” he whispered. She shifted back, and he caught her from collapsing from the exhaustion of the run. “I got you. Give it a few minutes. Your human body needs to adjust to the strain you put on it in doe form.”

  “I just wanted to enjoy the mountains,” she mumbled.

  “I bet,” Antonio chuckled. “We got you. You’re safe now.”

  “How is she?” Thomas called out and Abigail turned towards his voice. James had been waiting silently, and Thomas was now approaching to stop next to his Packmate. She realized a new problem she had with her rescuers.

  They were all nude.

  “She’s getting there,” Antonio answered, now rubbing her bare human back. She stepped away once her legs stopped feeling like jello and crossed her arms to cover her small chest. They were just letting it all show, without a care in the world. And Antonio had nearly been cuddling her without worrying about anyone’s nudity.

  “Come back to our new place and have a drink,” James spoke up. “It’ll settle your nerves.”

  “I’m fine,” she said quickly. “I just need…to go find my things and get back to my hotel. I’ll have a glass of wine there.”

  “Abigail,” Thomas cut in sharply. “You were just hunted. We’ll walk back, get your things with you and your car, but I think it would be best if you sat down and settled with some friends.”

  “I’m not a child, Thomas Marek,” she retorted.

  “No,” Thomas chuckled. “You’re prey, Abigail Harris.”

  She didn’t have a remark for that. This exact reason was why the Herd had always gone out for a roam with a predator standing watch for them. Always. She’d messed up and she knew it.

  “You can help me get to my car,” Abigail mumbled. “But that’s it. And I need…a moment. I’m…”

  “Okay,” Thomas sighed. “We’ll sit down for a few minutes and let you gather your nerves and energy again. Anything you need.”

  “Yeah, Abby, we got you,” Antonio chuckled, smiling at her.

  She studiously kept her eyes up, but the wolves all began to sit down on the short grass. She moved around uncomfortably, wondering if she should sit and how she should go about doing that.

  Wolves were just so…free with their bodies. Most predators were. They shifted so frequently that they were raised nearly as nudists. They had no care over what they were showing. Abigail could see the tell-tale signs of strong wolves in the bite and scratch scars all three of them had. They’d all fought and won several fights. None of them were disfigured in any way, just battle-worn. The nastiest of any of the scars was a deep bite on James’ shoulder. It looked like he might have gotten grabbed and shaken, tearing the punctures wider than they normally would have been.

  Abigail could see more than scars, though, as they began to talk aimlessly with each other about making sure to mark their property and surrounding piece of territory to ward off predators. They were fit, like they worked out several hours a day. Standard form for predators in their prime, but still quite startling every time she saw it. She could appreciate it, too. Her rescuers were stunning specimens. In a lot of ways.

  “You going to sit one day?” Antonio asked her, looking up with that smirk. She hadn’t noticed that his left cheek had a dimple yet.

  “Um.” She clammed up as those green eyes sparkled.

  Thomas was chuckling from his spot next to James. She looked over to him and noticed a calculating look in his blue eyes. James was the only one who didn’t seem to be watching her, instead laying back and looking at the sky.

  “Have a seat, Abby,” Antonio said. “We’re all shifters here. Take a load off. When you have the energy, we’ll make the walk back to your things and car. Promise.”

  “None of us are going to eat you,” Thomas teased, giving her a small smile.

  That sent thoughts into her head she hadn’t wanted. She watched his nostrils flare and that small smile turned into a bigger one as he raised an eyebrow. She had assumed too soon that Thomas was any different from most wolves. He knew the sexual power he had, the near predatory nature of it, and he reveled in it just like the rest of them. She narrowed her eyes at him and he began to chuckle, but nothing more was said. Not even Antonio said anything to the scent she’d put off. She looked down at him and frowned.

  “Abby?” she inquired, wondering where that had come from and trying to ignore Thomas.

  “Yup,” Antonio confirmed. “Abby. That’s your nickname now, because it’s cute like you. Like I’m Tony because Antonio is much too adult, and James is Jay because we had two guys named James in the inner circle.”

  “Alrighty then,” she mumbled with a sigh. “Antonio is too grown up for you, huh? How old are you, 12?”

  “Ouch,” James laughed. “He might as well be.”

  “I’m forty-five, thank you very much,” Antonio laughed, but she could hear the indignation he tried to throw in.

  “And you, Thomas?”

  “Forty-four,” he answered, still giving her that big smile. “James is our old man. He turns fifty in a few months. You?”

  “Forty,” she told him.

  They were all in their primes and had decades ahead of them. Shifters lived to roughly two hundred years old on average. They were just healthier compared to humans, and something about their biology made them age much slower. They grew up at normal human rates and slowed down after finishing puberty. Then, around a hundred, they would enter the late middle ages in appearance and stick there for a time. The easiest way to explain it was they aged at half the rate of humans, doubling their lifespan.

  “Look at us,” Antonio joked, pointing around them. “All older than the Pride. Those guys are fucking kids, yo.”

  “Aren’t they?” James groaned. “Fuck, I think the cougar is the oldest. Like twenty-nine or something.”

  “They are quite young for their reputation,” she agreed, swaying a little on her feet. Her thighs hurt terribly, and she looked down to see them shaking.

  “Sit down,” Thomas finally cut back in, pointing to the earth. “You standing there is starting to annoy me.” Meaning he was an Alpha tired of seeing her push herself.

  “I’ll sit if I want to sit,” she huffed back. He wasn’t her Alpha. She was prey, she wasn’t required to have one.

  “You’ll get even more tired just standing there and we’ll be out here even longer,” James sighed. “Sit down, enjoy the sun. It’s a nice day out.”

  She knew he was right but sitting meant she needed a new way to cover all her bits. She lowered herself to the ground and stretched her legs out then crossed them at the ankles. She hunched over and crossed her arms back over her chest.

  “Comfortable?” Antonio snickered. “There’s no reason for all of that. We aren’t going to ogle you.”

  “Well, Thomas and I won’t. Antonio might be lying to you,” James spoke up again, st
ill laying back and staring at the sky. He had one leg bent at the knee, leaning away as the other stretched out. It left a delicious view. “Some of us have manners.”

  Manners, he says, laying out like that.

  “I would never lie to a pretty woman,” Antonio sounded hurt, wounded.

  Abigail couldn’t resist giggling, covering her mouth as she ducked her head to hide it. Her cheeks warmed at the compliment, and she didn’t really know what to do with herself.

  These guys had rescued her and now they were all teasing each other. It was nice, and she was relaxing by the second around them. They weren’t hitting on her; they weren’t reminding her of things she didn’t want to remember. Wolves were always easy-going compared to felines and nearly any other shifter she could think of. Except in a fight. Wolves weren’t easy-going when it came time to fight.

  “What’s going on behind that pretty hair, Abby?” Antonio asked quietly. She gave him a smile, peeking through the hair that had fallen over her face.

  “I was thinking about how easy-going you wolves always prove to be,” she admitted softly. “It always astounds me, as a person and as a professional. After everything I’ve been hearing about with what you’ve been through, you can sit out here and have a laugh.”

  “We’re wolves,” he said. “Was it hard in the compound? Yeah. It was rough as hell, but we don’t fall over to mourn our losses. We live for them. We honor them.”

  “I know,” she replied. “But certainly you would want to talk about it eventually.”

  The wolves all looked at each other and she let her gaze land on the blue eyes of Thomas, only a few feet away from her. He returned her gaze and nodded slowly.

  “It’s one thing,” he began softly, “to lose a brother to a fight. You have a body to bury, a wolf to care for in his last moments, when the fight’s over. A moment to get to say goodbye. It’s another to watch him get carted off in a cage, knowing he won’t come back and he won’t have the chance to fight for himself. To see his skin on the wall, knowing he didn’t really stand a chance, and not able to take it with you, to bury it and give him rest.”