Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 50954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
“No!” Will was resolute. “I am not going to the forest. I am not. I am…”
His arguments were cut off as Maddox grabbed him by the hair and bent his head into a submissive feeding position which sapped Will’s rebellion immediately. Maddox was not quite the same in Gideon’s presence. He kept claiming that Gideon was dangerous, but it seemed to Will that it was Maddox who was dangerous.
“Boy,” Maddox purred, the tips of his fangs brushing along the pulsing line of Will’s exposed neck. “You will do as I say. You do not need to fear losing me. You will always have me. This is a short separation, nothing more. Trust me when I tell you I will reclaim you.”
Will trembled in his master’s grip. “I don’t want to be without you. I don’t think I can survive without you.”
“Henry will look after you. I have already sent word, and some of his loyal pack are going to transfer you. It’s time we say goodbye, my boy, not forever. Just for now.”
5
The trees were very tall here. Last time Will was in a wooded area, his father was trying to make him eat the unfortunate remains of a hapless gas station attendant. This time was worse. This time he had to leave the man he loved with a monster from time immemorial and scamper about in the leaves until he was told otherwise.
He was not in a good mood. He didn’t like Henry’s guys. They were fine, but they were also wolves, and the company of wolves always made Will feel inadequate. He wanted to be back with Maddox, in Maddox’s bed. He wanted to be wrapped up in a loving embrace and filled with his master’s rod. It wasn’t just that he was losing his home and possibly his life, if they were caught. He was also about to suffer a dry spell the likes of which he could not tolerate.
He was set free a few miles from the actual campsite. He was then informed he had to find it himself for reasons that he did not care about and made sense only to them. Will undressed, put his clothes in his bag, took his wolf form and followed his nose, his bag clenched in his massive teeth as he raced through the undergrowth, following the faint but unique scent of Henry, the pack master.
It was good to take this form. He’d never have admitted it in his human state, but there was something freeing about taking his beast form, being all he was. Being a wolf was easy. There were no expectations, and his instincts and need to belong were more oriented toward his kind. Henry’s scent felt like the promise of stability and safety.
Covering miles as if they were nothing at all, he sought his quarry with agile eagerness and soon barreled into the alpha’s presence, knocking Henry over in the process.
“Easy, boy!” Henry laughed, regaining his feet as Will shook himself human again.
It felt like forever since he’d seen Henry. The tattooed alpha was a tough disciplinarian, but he could also be a good guy when he wasn't being actively pissed off.
“Welcome to the woods.”
Will found himself reluctantly relieved to encounter Lorien and Henry again. Among all the strangeness, they were familiar. They felt like home, though he somewhat wished they didn’t. The time he had spent alone with Maddox was perfect. He’d wished they could have stayed on vacation forever.
Will looked around the deep, dark forest and felt his animal instincts rising as his human stomach sank. He’d been hoping for a cabin, at the very least. Instead, a lone tent greeted him, a sort of battered green structure flapping limply in what little breeze there was.
“Where is everyone?”
“I’m not keeping my pack out here where they might be hunted down. They’re safe at home, raising their pups. Living their lives.”
“So it’s just the three of us out here, clinging to survival?”
“You’re a wolf in the woods,” Henry reminded him. “This is your natural habitat.”
“There’s no toaster here. What am I supposed to eat? Why are you going through my stuff?”
Henry jiggled a plastic bag. “Maddox sent sliced and freeze-dried human jerky for your animal appetites. For everything else, there’s deer.”
“Oh, God. No. I just want some fucking toaster pastry,” Will cursed. “I’m going back to the city.”
“Where a force of insatiable evil wants to kill you?”
“Where there’s toasters. And pastry.”
“Oh, hey,” Lorien said. “It’s you.”
Lorien also looked uncomfortable, Will was glad to note. He didn’t want to be the only one unhappy with the woods. Lorien was filthy. What had probably once been impeccably fashionable clothes were now not only dirty but ripped and torn besides. He looked like he had been pulled through the forest backward. He also looked hungry, Will noticed. There were not a lot of humans to feed on out here. Dark circles were starting to appear under his eyes, a certain hollow look that did not bode well.