9. Ylfa
Hunter and Patrickprotect me from the wolves as they surround us, and we’re trapped. That’s what we get for letting our guards down. That’s what I get for screaming over a goddamn book like a teenage girl.
I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on that book for years, and I finally have it.
These wolves will have to pry the book from my cold, dead hands. After all, we trespassed into their territory, and they’re not happy. But I will be damned if they take my newly acquired treasure from me.
I could do with the inspiration. I’m just like the female protagonist of the book right now. It’s up to me to save the world...
The gray wolf to the front of the group shifts, and now a middle-aged man with short, military cropped hair takes its place. I avert my eyes.
He’s old enough to be my dad, thank you...
“Who are you?” he growls. “Why have you come to our city?”
Hunter and Patrick bare their fangs, looking equally ferocious while they protect me from the new male.
But they needn’t bother. I get the vibe that this male doesn’t mean us harm; he’s just asking a simple question.
I push them aside. Patrick protests, but I cut him off and address the male. “I take it you’re the alpha here?”
He grinds his teeth, his eyes alight as his strong, dominant male scent radiates off him like cologne. But I straighten my posture, holding my gaze to show him that he cannot dominate me. To my surprise, he backs off.
He folds his arms next, glancing down at me with mild interest. “Who’s asking?”
I raise my chin. “Me.”
The male eyes me up and down, a pitiful expression forming across his face. “And I take it you’re the alpha of this ragtag group?”
I growl. “I suppose I am. My wolf is the most dominant of my party, but we’re all equal here. No one reigns.”
The alpha throws his head back and guffaws, and we all give him a moment to adjust. I’m not offended. We’re an equalitarian wolf pack, and he can snigger all he wants.
“That’s not how wolves are made, sweetheart,” he says, yanking up an old chair. Again, I avert my gaze. “One wolf always governs the rest. That’s how it’s always been. For thousands of years...”
I shrug, leaning against a shelf opposite from him. “Well, maybe it’s time for a change.”
He studies me with inquisitive yellow eyes, chuckling lightly to himself, and he sounds so rusty. His voice is hoarse and mocking, but there’s still a genuine friendliness.
He stands once again, then moves out the door. I share a glance with my mates, unsure of how to proceed.
So, is he going to kick us out of his territory? Does he mean to challenge me? I’m an alpha in my own right; I could claim his land, so long as I beat him in a fight.
But something about his cool, laid-back manner tells me that isn’t the case. I truly think he means for us to follow him.
His two right-hand men are already walking beside his naked human form as he glances back over his shoulder. “Well, you kids coming? It’s not often outsiders come to our shithole city. The humans may have abandoned this place, but their stench still lingers. If I were you, I’d stay far from the sewers...”
He produces a rusty laugh again, then leaves out the door, and I guess we have no choice but to follow.
Well, so long as he’s accommodating.
We make camp in a side street, resting on a bunch of old crates and boxes.
Butch, the alpha of the city, chomps on his meat, his two right-hand men behind him again in wolf form as we sit on opposite sides of the fire.
There’s plenty of meat to go around, even for the humans. I told Butch at first that they were our hostages, but he immediately called me out on my bullshit.
“I know you’ve all joined forces...”he’d said, and that’s when I zipped it. No point arguing.