Wolf Dreams

Chapter 8

Wolf-Lazlo saw the tall man leaning over someone prone on the ground. With a flash of shock, he realized the woman staked out in a cross was Erika.

He started forward. Next to him, Prince Ruben touched his muzzle to his nose, a clear warning.

Tamping down on his anger, Lazlo forced himself to take in the rest of the scene before him. The man had staked out little Katya Holson the same way. If he allowed himself to even consider what this piece of shit human being might have done to her, he'd rip his throat out.

Ruben bumped him again, informing him that they'd move at once, in a coordinated pack. Lazlo gathered his muscles, preparing.

And then...he leaped forward.

After that, everything became organized chaos. One of Ruben's guards moved to protect the little girl, another to protect Erika. The rest of them, Lazlo included, circled the kidnapper.

Despite being surrounded by a pack of huge, snarling wolves, the man appeared surprisingly unfazed. Then he raised his hand and Lazlo realized, just as Erika had warned, he had a gun.

And he pointed it directly at the Royal Prince of Teslinko!

Without hesitation, Lazlo jumped him.

A loud crack sounded as the gun went off, then Lazlo felt searing pain; it surprised a startled yelp from him.

The rest of the wolves dove in at once. The gun went off again—once, twice. But there were too many of them, and the kidnapper went down under their snarling bodies.

Despite the pain pulsing through his belly, Lazlo managed to crawl over to Erika. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears when she saw him. Glancing down at his fur, he noticed he was covered in blood. Gut shot. Painful. And yet, somehow right.

In that instant, he realized the honor of his family was decided by actions, rather than his bloodline. His father had been wrong. Erika had always been meant to be his mate.

He managed to lick her arm softly before he blacked out.

***

Living her nightmare all over again made Erika want to vomit. But for the gag still stuffed in her mouth, she would have. Instead, she could only lie spread-eagled, tears streaming from her eyes, while the only man she'd ever loved got shot. While he'd been intent on saving her, he'd actually taken the bullet that had been meant for Prince Ruben.

She'd believed the agony she'd experienced in the dream had been horrific. But compared to this, the dream had been nothing. The reality was as painful as if she had been shot.

Even in his wolf form, she recognized Lazlo. And every bit of her dream had horrifically come true. Then, though still unconscious, Lazlo shifted, a return to his human form, and lay prone on the ground near her. Since he hadn't done this in her dream, she allowed herself a faint pulse of hope that he would live.

The man who'd abducted Katya was dead, his throat slashed by the wolves. Erika suspected his body would never be found; Prince Ruben would take care of that.

One wolf stepped into the trees and returned a man. He untied her and, after checking to make sure she was all right, directed her to help Katya. As Erika fumbled with the ties, the shifter moved to Lazlo and used his hands to try to stanch the blood. The others disappeared, presumably to change back to their human forms before summoning the authorities.

Meanwhile, Lazlo's blood continued to seep into the earth.

Katya couldn't stop shaking and wouldn't open her eyes, even when Erika spoke soothingly to her. She didn't resist when Erika gathered her into her arms and held her, rocking her gently, while keeping close to Lazlo and trying to pretend her heart wasn't breaking.