Page 115 of Unforgivable

Lyri

I press a kiss to the new bull's nose. He's my height, for now, and sweet, also for now.

"New Rocky will be a complete asshole as soon as his testosterone hits."

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in," I coo at the baby bull.

"You know, he's going to be a daddy. Dee and Dum are almost fully grown-"

"Shut up, Ezra!" I shout.

Ezra roars with laughter. New Baby Rocky snorts in displeasure at the loud noise and moves backward in his stall.

"You're a jerk, Ez," I growl.

He is bent in half, clutching his stomach. Every time he looks up at my pout, he starts laughing all over again.

"He's just a mean wolf, Rocky," I say to the bull.

"Alright, my love, I'll stop," he chokes out. Slowly he stands upright again, wiping away tears from under his eyes.

"Don't you have to check something somewhere else?" I grouch.

"Nope, it's just me and you, love." Ezra smiles. The smile doesn't reach his eyes. We're both uneasy. Rhet and Thjis left yesterday morning before the sun came up. They'll travel on paws south to the GhostMaw, pick up Rhet's cousin Carmichael, then guide him back to Genom. It sucks to not know where they are or if they're safe, but it's best to make that run on paws, so no cell phones until they reach the southern border a few hours away. Then, they can shift back and drive.

We walk back to the main yard hand-in-hand when we hear a distant high-pitched whinny.

"Shit, that was Wheat," Ezra spins around quickly.

Another shriek splits the air. "And that's a mountain lion," I breathe.

"In the middle of the fucking day? Motherfucker," Ezra curses. He looks at me in concern. Racing to the tools, he grabs a long pole with a sharpened edge, a spear meant to fight on feet, not paws.

I bite my lip but nod. "I'll go back to the house, OK, Sunshine?"

Ezra steps to the door of the shed and stares out into the midday sun. "I don't like it. You'll be alone."

"Should I come with you?"

"A mountain lion attacking in the middle of the day is probably rabid, love."

He kisses me roughly, breaking off when Wheat lets out a panicked whinny again.

"I'll go to the barn, instead," I shout after him. "Bring Wheat back!"

"Alright, love!" he shouts before racing towards our panicking horse.

I hurry into the cool, dark interior of the barn. Inside, everything is quiet. I race to the back, in one of the empty stalls where Thjis keeps medical supplies for the animals. I start to gather up the ointments and bandages. Opening the fridge, I find the medication for rabies. If we administer it quickly, then we won't have to put Wheat down.

"Hello, Lyri. You look beautiful, as always."

I spin around, screaming, as Liam stalks out of the shadows. The door slams shut behind him, and I stumble backward.

"Ezra!" I scream.

"Shh, beautiful," Liam says softly. "That feral freak is taken care of. Did you know he's just a whore? Wolf like that isn't good for you."

"Stay the hell away from me, Liam. Don't you ever insult my male."

---