Hunter - Book 2 of the Hunted Series

Chapter 20 - Instinct

While I was curled up, struggling with the wolf for control, and half tempted to let go... this was our puppies they'd threatened... it was then that one of the humans came in to give me dinner. He didn't see me at first, or smell me, too busy setting it down off the tray, muttering about being treated like a servant. Didn't expect for there to be an injured wolf in the bathroom. But he did spin around as I leapt, an automatic response that sealed his death.

Teeth closed around his windpipe as I knocked him back onto the bed, my weight on him, tearing. Blood flew up, a gurgle from the hole, and then he went still. Didn't even have time to reach for his gun.

I spun around. The door was open. Usually there were two. There he was, fumbling for his gun, panic in his face as he saw a big wolf race out of the room, face and chest covered with blood. After five weeks of playing possum with them, and two days after being raped, this was probably the last thing they expected. I was on him before he could get it out, struggling with the catch, and he didn't even get to yell.

I froze and inhaled, slowly, checking the ground, listening. Two upstairs, one downstairs. Three werewolves had scents in this hallway, leading to three separate cabins like mine. I ducked my head in them, padding softly on the carpet covered floor, finding bedrooms. The scents would all go to a room beside mine, I found, two sleeping in the other rooms. The last one cabin I checked was locked and when I put my nose to the crack to inhale, I smelt her. A woman. Not even a werewolf. Just a human girl. That meant that I was the only werewolf on board now.

I went downstairs. It was hard, the stairs narrow down here, clearly designed for people and not a wolf with a belly full of wriggly pups, but I froze as I inhaled the scent there. It was the doctor in his room, pacing up and down, I could hear his mutters about something. The other rooms had human scents but were empty now.

A shout came from above me, making me tense, and I knew they'd found their buddies. The doctor slid out of bed and came out the door, only to freeze when he saw me, arms going up.

Even the wolf didn't want to attack him. I growled softly, a low warning growl, fur going up as I slowly made him back up into his room. Stay put. Don't leave. The second he sat down and stopped moving, I stopped growling, and he seemed to get it.

"I won't move."

I moved upstairs, slowly, pressing into the shadows, as feet hurried up and down, kicking open doors like they were in some kind of action film. That just told me where they were. They probably had their guns pointed straight out too. They'd probably called for the werewolves to come back, so I had to move fast, but not like them.

I slunk out a door at the end of the cabin and found myself at the lower cabin's diving area. Waited on my stomach, feeling the little pups wriggle and dance, the fury of a wolf mother more than ready to do whatever the hell I had to.

A boat was coming. I heard it, and so did they, relieved shouts and greetings. It would dock here near me. Another element of surprise for me, for a while, but it wouldn't work well forever. Three werewolves against one pregnant wolf was not a good odds.

One of the humans ran out, with not a gun but a crossbow, it lowered on one side as he waved a light, blinding himself. I almost snorted at how idiotic he was being, catching his gun hand, literally swinging him hard against the edge of the boat. He fell overboard with a scream, dropping the crossbow, which I carefully picked up and threw into the deep water. One less weapon and human to worry about. I crouched, the boat came closer, hearing the injured man try and swim back up to a ladder, panting with pain and the cold of the sea. He found me, again, just hidden behind the wall there, found teeth snapping at his arm and throwing him back into the sea.