Mary walked into the camp. It was empty now, except for a few staff who stayed around to maintain the grounds. They wouldn't see her unless she wanted them to.

  ?She moved through the camp like a shadow. Her ears open. Her senses on alert. It was because of that she sensed him come into camp.

  ?He walked with no fear. No attempt to conceal. No recognition of any kind of threat. Every step spoke of his confidence. His heart beat the slow, steady drumbeat of the true alpha predator. A nightmare walking. Mary rushed to meet him.

  ?She moved swiftly. She knew he would sense her. His senses being what they are, he had probably been tracking her. Thank God he had found her before anything else.

  ?She went into the woods and stepped out into a clearing. There on the other end was a wolf. He was six feet tall at his shoulders. His body thick with muscle. His eyes pierced her.

  ?"My love," she breathed, taking in his magnificence.

  ?The Wolf growled and ran to her. She embraced him, rubbing her face against him. Both deeply inhaling each other's scent.

  ?"My love, please. I would see you human for now."

  ?The great Wolf cocked his head to the side as if confused. He hadn't worn a human form in many years.

  ?"Please, love. I know you don't like it. But I'm here to find the guilty. Not just kill everyone and let God sort it out."

  ?The Wolf's face turned, looking offended. Mary was careful. Daniel had never hurt her. But she was never so loose-lipped or foolish to imagine he couldn't.

  ?She stroked his face. "Please, love," she whispered in his ear. Appealing to his love for her. Not her sway in their kind. It didn't work on Daniel anyway.

  ?His bones began to crack and shape. His head and tail shrank. And his fur fell to the ground. He grunted before his form changed.

  ?There in front of her was a naked man with wild, unkempt reddish-brown hair. His black eyes burned with animal fury. Every inch of him massive, lean muscle. His human form still managed to tower over Mary, a tall woman in her own respect. He was beautiful and terrifying.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  ?"You're going to need clothes, my love. If you're going to come with me."

  ?Daniel snorted at the idea. "I don't want to be here!" he growled.

  ?She smiled. "But I need you to be, my love." She stroked his face.

  ?She loved him. But his love for her was something else. Primal, fiercely loyal, and like everything Daniel, it was dangerous.

  ?In earnest, she would rather have had him stay with her kind. She hoped his concern for Sarah would keep him a few more weeks. But his love for his daughter outweighed his love for her. Mary didn't need to ask. Once Daniel was certain she was alright, he left her with the pack and searched for his wife. All this she knew intuitively.

  ?They went to a nearby cottage that was closed now but was a residence. There she found him some clothes and they left. Him dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt.

  ?"Does she live?" he asked.

  ?Mary was taken aback. Her mate rarely used words and almost never had to with Mary. Not that their bond was psychic, but rather he was an apex predator. He was the apex predator. His thoughts weren't complex. But his young daughter had thrown a wrench into that simplicity.

  ?"Is that your question or Sarah's?"

  ?He shook his head. "She has been crying for days over that girl." He grunted.

  ?"She lives. And she is strong."

  ?He nodded.

  ?The walk back to the camp was quiet. "I'm trying to avoid the humans for now," she told Daniel. Daniel tried to avoid humans always. By living far from them. And killing the ones that were stupid enough to get close.

  ?Daniel walked off without comment. Mary didn't bother trying to correct him. He would be cautious or he wouldn't. Ultimately he would likely try, out of respect for his mate. But a creature with no concept of fear can only be asked so much.

  ?She walked the grounds a few times, exploring every inch. Crossing paths with her mate.

  ?"Humans," Daniel said. "How do they eat like this?"

  ?"A vegetable now and again won't kill you, love," she joked.

  ?"Smell," he said, taking out a piece of what looked like meat from his pocket. It wasn't meat.

  ?"Do humans still have cows?"

  ?Mary laughed. But the strange meat-like substance piqued her interest. "Where did you get this?"

  ?"I was in the kitchen. Hoping to find steak. As I have not had cow in a long time. It looks like cow. To a human nose, it may smell that way. But none was cow. The same was true of the chicken. This meat has never drawn breath."

  ?Smelling the meat, Mary realized the distinct smell. She wouldn't have had she been here on her own, unless she tried to eat it. Daniel's senses were much stronger than hers.

  ?"Take me to the kitchen."

  ?When they arrived, Mary saw the door had been ripped off its hinges. She sighed to herself quietly. Accepting the fact that at least he hadn't alerted the maintenance team yet.

  ?The kitchen had the fake meat all over the floor. Along with other food from the freezer that got in the great Wolf's way. "Very stealthy, my love."

  ?Daniel looked at her, confused. "I avoided the humans."

  ?She chuckled. "That you did, love." Mary found some plastic baggies and put samples of all the meats in it.

  ?"Isn't there a grizzly in this area?"

  ?Daniel nodded.

  ?"Think he could raid this for us? I don't want anyone to suspect us."

  ?Daniel shrugged and left. Clearly not truly understanding the subterfuge. Why would someone starve a werewolf? Even a young one.