poignant, it was like looking at the eyes of another human.
The thought took me aback, as did the nudging of another wolf. A male. Younger than the other. Very young, in fact. But I shifted focus onto the she-wolf once more.
I needed to act. Fast.
This was not how I’d imagined my day going, me sticking my hand carefully inside a she-wolf’s genitals that wasn’t my mate’s, but hell, life was turning weirder every day.
When I managed to get the pup out, I felt the hand grow tighter around me.
It didn’t relent.
Didn’t let go.
The pup wasn’t breathing.
The mother was exhausted.
Sabina looked frozen, like she knew both were dying, and I just couldn’t let that happen.
In my head, a sudden buzzing made itself known to me, and I jerked up, twisted around, and tried to figure out where the fuck it was coming from.
I recognized that noise.
I knew it.
Quickly, I passed the pup to Sabina, and she took it, sorrow etched on her features, but I ignored her, and instead, ran toward the sound.
I ran as fast as I could, totally aware and uncaring that some of the wolves—including the one with eyes that would haunt me forever—followed me as I sped through the trees toward the buzzing.
When I saw it, it came as a real shock. I knew for a fact that we’d been nowhere near the tree that bore the fruit that had saved my woman, but that didn’t matter.
This plane, this forest, it seemed to act of its own accord, which told me this was the right move.
I took a running jump and caught the lowest lying branch before I moved up the tree, crawling up it like a spider monkey. The second I reached a level where there were two fruits, I didn’t wait.
I grabbed them, plucking them both off the tree and ignoring the angry flies as I did so.
Putting the stems in my mouth was not pleasant, considering I knew what was inside these horrific fruits, but I had to get down.
Fast.
Time was running out.
When I plopped to the ground, the wolves yipped and barked, and the one with a streak of silver on its head and the young pup both danced around me as I started the short run back.
It took far less time than it had taken to get there, and when I arrived, I saw there was another pup beside the she-wolf.
Twins.
Mother.
Had to be, didn’t it?
Blowing out a breath at the sight, I almost skidded to a halt over the slick moss as I made it to the she-wolf’s side.
When I dropped the fruit into my palm then tore into it, I watched as the disgusting flesh was revealed to me.
Sabina’s face was proof of just how vile it was to see genuine flesh inside a fruit, like I’d spliced into my leg to reveal torn tissues and sliced fat, but I shoved it in front of the she-wolf.
Either she knew what it was, or the scent of blood in her exhausted state was too tempting to deny.
She snapped it up and ate it with a gusto that I couldn’t fault as I moved over to Sabina and tore into the second one.
I dabbed my finger into the flesh, wanting to laugh when Sabina almost gagged, but I put it to the pup’s tiny mouth. The small creature was more like a ball of goo than a little wolf, but it lapped at my finger.
A miracle in itself, since I knew newborns didn’t seek milk for a little while.
As I refreshed my finger, dabbing more and more blood from the fruit into the tiny pup’s mouth, I heard them.
That buzz that was close to a pneumatic drill in strength.
Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I saw their approach, saw the wolves start to dance out of the way, even as their yips and howls serenaded us at their disgust over the swarm approaching us.
Moving from Sabina, I took the other pup that had been born and placed it against its mother’s belly.
It was stronger, but still weak, so I did as I had for its sibling and nourished it with a few drops of blood.
When the buzzing grew louder still, I dropped the fruit in front of the mother, letting her snatch it and chomp down on the ‘treat’ before I grabbed the pup and placed it beside its twin.
Then, I got off my ass, dragged Sabina into a standing position, and hauled us both away.