Page 41 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

And then I saw a flurry of movement, what might have been a pelt of gray, or off-white. I smelled wet dog.

My nose crinkled as I stifled a growl.

Wolves.

Every mission came with risks. On the off chance we were discovered, I knew I would have to defend Kylie to the point of injury. Given her background in the black ops, I had hope that we could claw our way out—I just wasn’t sure how much we would survive without the Jeep.

Our only way out was the front door of the shed. The window was too small for us to break through in our wolf forms. We could try to make a run for it with the rain as cover, but if the wolves had tracked us here, then they would track us wherever we went. We had to fight them off long enough to get them to back down.

I bowed my head and listened. Hard rain masked the movement beyond the walls, the unforgiving breeze sounding a lot like claws on the weakened wood. If I listened close enough, I could track the light huff of breathing, the animalistic growls and grumbles, the scents that invaded the shed now.

Three wolves were outside. That was better than five wolves, but it was still one more than we had. With the whispering palm plant sitting outside, we would have an advantage. As soon as the wolves got close enough, it would spring to life, growing and changing and multiplying to confuse the wolves.

That would buy us some time.

With minimal movement, I backed away from the window and slid my hand over Kylie’s mouth. Her eyes snapped open. She looked directly at me. A silent understanding passed between us that we were in danger. I nodded my head toward the window, held my hand in front of my face, and slowly folded my fingers toward me as if I were emphasizing my long wolf snout. I held up three fingers, pointed to the door, and tugged on my right ear.

She blinked twice. That meant she understood me. When I removed my hand from her mouth, she slowly sat up and stretched her limbs. She calmly gestured to the bags as a way to ask what we were taking. Not much of it would fit on our wolf forms. We had to pack light.

I procured two smaller backpacks from the duffels and handed her one. These were the special edition bags I’d ordered from a vendor in the underground supernatural black market. Though many wolves could make their own with the help of a witch, these were better. They remained on the body no matter what shape it took and kept the contents safe while appearing to hold almost nothing at all.

Though we had to pack the minimum, what we did pack would be safe. We gathered food, first aid supplies, and comfortable clothes for us to wear. In my bag, I placed the Nokia and the satellite GPS along with extra batteries for both that had been fully charged before we left.

Once we had our bags strapped on, I eased toward the door and listened. Damn the storm for sticking around. No wonder the three wolves had us surrounded—we hadn’t heard them approach our hideout at all. The Jeep’s tire tracks would have been washed away with how hard it was flooding out there, but that didn’t mean the wolves hadn’t spotted us earlier in our trip.

Thunder roared overhead. I unlatched the door and cracked it open. Lightning splashed white light through the window followed by another clap of thunder. I bowed forward and shifted. Kylie followed my lead, reddish-brown fur exploding over her decadent flesh as her bones contorted. She blinked at me when she was done, hazel-brown eyes dotted with drops of gold like precious ore poking up through the moist earth.

She licked my nose. I licked hers.

I can’t hear them very well,she projected to me.How are we getting out?

When I turned around, I heard the crackle and snap of the whispering palm growing. I nosed the door open and peered through the haze of rain. My protective plant was doing its job, splitting into two trees, then into three trees. They spread toward the right, blocking my view of the Jeep.

Howls vibrated the air.

I cocked my ear toward Kylie and projected mentally,Stick close to my side. Run quickly.

She nudged my hip with her snout.Look alive.

My heart thumped loudly as I replied,But play dead.

I nosed the door open wider and trotted around the rapidly multiplying ashen branches. Haunting whispers resonated through the air, emanating threats that could be felt more than they could be heard. A nearby wolf whimpered and huffed with frustration—it sounded like the whispering palms were already doing their best to keep us safe.

To my left, I saw an opening. Branches crowded around us like a tunnel, popping and snapping as they bent to hide us from our enemies. Another round of howls broke out from the other side of the thick wall where the whispers grew even louder. Growls vibrated the air, the scent of mutt thickening around my snout as I nosed my way further away from the Jeep.

Kylie was right on my tail. Sheyippedand then said through our mental connection,I think there’s one behind us!

I bounced to the right and let her pass me. If one of the wolves got through the thicket of branches, then I would be the one to stop it from getting to Kylie. Our pace quickened as herconfidence soared along with the branches twisting around us. This particular palm had been harvested for such an occasion and was highly adaptable to our scent.

Good thing Kylie had come into the greenhouse that day.

Light loomed ahead. Kylieyappedexcitedly and darted off, giving me room to sprint after her. Branches crowded behind us, gathering quickly to block the path of our enemies. We were just about to break through. We were about to be free.

Howls echoed distantly behind us. I skittered to a halt outside the whispering palm tunnel, marveling at how quickly that small plant grew out of its pot. It was a proud plant dad moment that caught Kylie’s attention. Panting, she trotted up to me and bumped my shoulder with her snout.

I wish I could take a picture, I told her.This is bigger than I’ve ever seen from one plant.

She chuckled, the sound reverberating through my head.We can always recreate it later.

---