05

I jumped into a bush. Hell broke loose when the shifter soldiers advanced toward me from three sides, screaming like demons.

Why did I choose to hide in that bush? Now I had to cross more than fifty meters to get to the river.

"Don't hurt her!" Chop growled, joining the chase. "Just block her!"

Canary shouted behind me: "Catnip, stop. We can talk this over and sort it out."

Growls emerged behind me. Damn it, did they bring dogs too? I glanced over my shoulder and saw a pack of wolves. The soldiers had shifted into their animal forms to increase their speed.

In a blink, a huge black wolf appeared in front of me. I nearly crashed into him and hurt myself. When I skidded to a halt, I fell on my butt.

Before I could get my indignant butt off the ground, a dozen wolves surrounded me.

"Shoo! Idiots!" I yelled, brandishing the knife at the wolf pack. "Ganging up on me? Come closer, and you'll see how good I am at stabbing."

I was bluffing, of course. I hoped I wouldn't need to test if I was good at stabbing people or not. I needed a better escape plan, like talking my way out of this situation instead of fighting my way out.

The black wolf growled at the others, and they backed up a few steps, but he had no intention of getting out of my way.

The beast looked at me and inhaled, affection overflowing in his gray eyes. I immediately recognized him as Chop's wolf. His beast seemed to like me more.

Something dark stirred inside me and wanted to come out. Could it be the wolf that Chop and Canary sensed within me?

The black wolf growled encouragingly, wanting my beast to come out and play with him. But I didn’t know how to transform into a wolf, and I didn’t want to try shifting in front of everyone, in case I made a fool of myself by doing something wrong.

The hunters called me Death Bitch and Abomination. My hand turned into blade-like claws. I didn’t want to give this group more reasons to think of me as a freak that needed to be put down.

I controlled everything inside me, and the moment passed.

The black wolf took a step toward me, sympathy in every movement and gesture. I extended the hand that wasn’t holding the knife, ready to scratch behind his ear or simply sink my fingers into his silky fur, but the beast stopped halfway, as if a force was holding him back.

He growled and shook his fur as if fighting to break free.

It occurred to me that the man inside the wolf was taking control, and he didn’t want his beast to get too close to me.

A gust of wind passed, and where the black wolf had been now stood Chop in his glorious nakedness. Every muscle and line of him exuded masculine power.

I blushed and averted my eyes, but I couldn’t shake the low buzz of warmth in my belly.

I bet a lot of women drooled over him. Maybe he already had a few women. Perhaps that’s why he acted hesitant with me, despite desiring me.

Fate had placed him in my path. But I had the nagging feeling that we were wrong for each other—not biologically, but in other ways.

A young shifter soldier brought the Alpha Heir a set of casual clothes, and Chop stepped away to quickly dress himself while yelling at me: "Drop the knife before you hurt yourself, girl."

I bet giving orders was the only way he knew how to talk to people.

Two wolves were about to pounce to disarm me, but Canary blocked the aggressive wolves.

"Catnip," he said, flashing me a charming smile. "That little knife is a toothpick against a shifter, so you might as well give it back. It was a gift from a kind lady."

I looked at him. It was a knife decorated with rubies on the hilt. I could sell it for good money if necessary.

"I'm not giving it back," I said. "Finders, keepers. Call and see if she answers you."

Canary raised an eyebrow.

I surveyed the snarling shifters around me. It was time to pretend to be meek, retreat, and negotiate.

"I wasn’t running away." I waved a hand. "Where could I possibly run to? It’s dozens of large grown men and wolves against a single girl."

The wolves growled as if I had insulted them.

"I just wanted to wash my face, and all of you got upset." I smiled at Canary. He tried using his dazzling smile to catch me off guard, and I didn’t mind returning the favor. He looked at my face, momentarily speechless. "I’ll go with you if I can keep this dagger that a kind lady gave you. I can also be a kind lady. And you said yourself it’s a toothpick, so you don’t need to worry about me carrying a toothpick in my pocket. Besides, in a camp full of big, bad men, I’ll feel a bit safer sleeping with a sharp toothpick under my pillow."

"No one in my camp will harm you." Chop passed through the wolf formation and glared at me again. "Come. We’ve already wasted enough time."

He said it as if the delay was my fault. Wasn’t he charming? But it wasn’t smart to tell him what I thought now, especially in front of his men. I still had some sense of self-preservation.

"Let’s have Cadmus take a look at Catnip first," Canary said, pointing to the bandage around my thigh.

This Cadmus must be a healer.

Chop frowned, but a flash of concern crossed his eyes. "She kicked hard and ran fast, so I thought... yes, have Cadmus check her out." He gave me another look. "Find a new set of clothes for the girl." His gaze lingered on my bare thighs longer than appropriate before he remembered his manners and self-control. He looked away and moved away from me, trying his best not to look at this dirty, forbidden fruit. "After that, we’ll leave immediately. We’ll camp in the neutral zone of a human city tonight."

"What human city?" I asked. I didn’t mean to expose my ignorance or vulnerability, but there was no avoiding it. I needed to know where I was. I needed to learn more about the world. Any information would help me decide my next course of action.

I didn’t want to remain at the mercy of the shifters for long.

"Now she wants answers." Canary laughed. "I’ll tell you, but you’ll have to tell me your name first."

"Shade, I told you not to flirt with the girl," Chop said threateningly.

"You’re ordering a dog not to bark," Gray sighed, as if he were the one suffering.