Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,126

were a darker shade of his coat, clearly visible, but more red than anything else. The cat's belly was pale, possibly white, but I didn't get the chance to be sure before he was moving - and fast.

The wolves along the street all began growling and barking, making themselves as obvious as possible. In the delirium that came with the first shift, Theo didn't know what they were, but he knew enough to avoid them. That sent him up the street the way we wanted. When he hit the intersection, the wolves headed to block him off. Again, they made a lot of noise, but this time I added my voice with them, and Lane was right there with me.

Theo just turned away. Nik was on his tail, keeping the pace and all but driving him forward. Ian fell back, but Lev rushed ahead, flanking Theo's other side to keep him going straight forward. There were only a couple of blocks between Heather's street and the parking area for the trails, and I was pretty sure there had to be at least fifty wolves around him, herding this boy whether he liked it or not.

It didn't take long before I was losing ground, the rest of the pack getting away from me. I'd only been a wolf for a month, and while I could do many things, running flat out wasn't one of them. I simply didn't have those muscles built up yet. Still, I moved as fast as I could, glad that my legs were working the way I wanted, and Lane loped at my side. Evidently, he'd meant it when he'd said he was with me.

Up ahead, Theo hit the trails, immediately grabbing at a tree. Even from halfway down the street, I heard the roar of a bear and saw the cat jump away, vanishing into the forest. That was the moment the pack began to split. Four different groups broke off, making straight lines for their assigned positions. Each group was a slightly different size, but they moved together, proving this had been coordinated.

By the time I reached the entrance to the trails, everyone was gone, but I could hear the wild crashing of the animals all around me. I paused, trying to get my bearings, and my eyes jumped to the horizon. For me, catching the moon had been so important. Some kind of mental pull that had taken over my thoughts completely. Bridget said it was tied to the tidal force of this virus, so Theo would feel the same thing, right?

On impulse, I moved east. That was the direction of the moon, so the way he'd be inclined to go. Lane rubbed his head against my hip, making it clear he was still there, and we chased the sounds of so many large animals moving at once.

Then a rush of barks caught my attention. A moment later there was another roar, but this one did not come from a bear. Then I saw Theo again. The problem was that the boy also saw me. He turned, those green and yellow eyes locking on my small wolfish body, and then he came toward us. Lane shoved before me without hesitation, and his form began to blur.

My mate grew, stretching up toward his human form, but not completely. He also appeared to get bigger! Theo skidded to a halt, his attack thwarted, and the massive cat hissed just as Lane solidified into his lycan form. The monster chuckled, leaned forward, and then growled louder than I'd ever heard a wolf do before.

Behind him, I was frozen, staring at the red color of his back, the tail coming from his bare ass, and the blend of human and canine features. He was beautiful like this, but also terrifying, and I wanted to make sure that he stayed right between me and the cat that would gladly kill me right now, but it was a standoff. Theo hissed again. Lane took a single step forward.

That was all it took to break the cat from his fear-induced standoff. Theo spun and bolted, heading east again, but the moment of pause had been enough for Lev and Nik to catch back up. Lane didn't seem to care. He just turned to me and squatted down.

"Ah oo ood?" he asked from that strange mouth.

It took me a moment to realize that meant, "Are you good?" but then I nodded to show I was. They could talk? We could communicate in