Chapter 6

Shemika was storming through the woods, her anger almost palpable. She was irate that she had to be out there, searching for Ylenia’s ridiculous ingredients. After more than a decade of “collaborating with Ylenia,” she’d never been sent on such a wild goose chase.

She was worried that her furious stomping would ruin her nail polish or damage her sandals. She vowed to make Felix pay for this. She’d show him and Marius how efficient she could be, then she’d lodge a complaint with Dancescu. Perhaps, during their next intimate encounter, she could stir up his jealousy by hinting that Marius had proposed to her.

Shemika was clueless about half the items on the list. Ylenia had only given her vague descriptions of the two most crucial ingredients. So there she was, stomping around like a madwoman.

The weather was colder than she liked. It would have been freezing for a human. Her outfit was not suitable for the weather. She was wearing a light pink, bedazzled bra-sized top, upper arm cuffs, and a light pink skirt with slits down both sides. The worst part of her day was her mismatched toenail polish, a vibrant shade of red.

Shemika was alone in the woods. Felix had been allowed to shadow her within the compound, but he had stayed behind, glaring, when she stepped outside the gates. He had promised to check if she had collected the necessary items.

She was annoyed by his audacity. Why was he so insistent on her doing field work when he clearly had so much free time? Enough to follow her around like a pesky pet.

She was relieved that she hadn’t seen much of Marius that day. His duty was to hunt for the pack, so he was probably somewhere on the south side of the compound, hunting game for those who couldn’t hunt for themselves. The elders and the young ones.

She was seething with anger. She kept thinking about how unfair it all was. She should have been relaxing with a magazine, not trudging through the woods. What if she stepped in mud? She was wearing sandals, for Goddess’s sake. Mud would ruin her perfectly manicured feet.

Shemika was so engrossed in her thoughts, and so inexperienced in the wilderness, that she didn’t realize she had wandered into another pack’s territory. Any other member of her pack would have noticed the change in scent, but she didn’t.

Shemika took the list out of her adorable saddle bag. It was light pink, like the rest of her outfit, and shaped like a heart. She had fallen in love with it when she saw it online. It had taken longer to reach her than it would have for a human, since anything sent had to go to her P.O. box for Simion to collect. He was one of the few wolves who regularly left the pack. His duty was to bring back groceries and deliveries that the pack couldn’t get in the mountains.

“Stupid little baby men,” she muttered, squinting at the list of ingredients. She didn’t notice the people watching her as she walked deeper into their territory, heading toward their front gate.

Shemika froze when she heard a twig snap in the distance. She looked up from the note in her hand and scanned the area for the source of the noise. She saw a figure lurking in the distance and clutched her note tighter. She planned to run, but she wasn’t as fit as the other wolves.

She turned to run but bumped into a solid chest. She slowly looked up into an unfamiliar face.

A man. He grinned slowly and gestured, causing several other men to emerge from the trees. “Look at this, it’s a lost little she-wolf,” he murmured, bringing her hand to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and grinned again. “What’re you doing out here, little wolf?”

Shemika was speechless, unable to think of a response as the group closed in around her. She could see their lust for her on their faces and in their pants. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when his gaze moved to her lips with a hunger that scared her.

She’d been with many men, but never with—

She quickly counted the men. Six. There were six men. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She couldn’t even remember words.

The man in front of her, presumably the leader, leaned in close to her. “You are a stunning specimen, for sure,” he muttered, reaching out to stroke her hair.

Shemika recoiled from his touch, still struggling to find her voice. She didn’t know how long she’d been gone or which pack she’d wandered into.

“Do you think we could get a little taste?” a man behind her asked, his voice whiny.

The man in front frowned, looking over her shoulder. “No, Yulian. You know we have to take her to the alpha. Who knows, maybe he’ll give her to you,” he said sarcastically. He turned back to Shemika and smiled, more kindly this time. “Tell me, little wolf. Will you come with us willingly?”

She looked up at him, trying to think of a way out. Her mind was blank.

Finally, though she couldn’t find the words, Shemika slowly shook her head.

“Ooh, I see,” he laughed warmly. “You won’t go willingly. That’s unfortunate. For you, that is,” he said, and knelt down until his shoulder was level with her stomach. He hooked his arms behind her knees and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Shemika’s voice returned and she screamed. She couldn’t see much from her position, but she felt them start to move.

The man’s hands stayed on the back of her thighs, and she was surprised, and somewhat relieved, that he wasn’t trying to grope her exposed legs. He could have easily grabbed her butt.

Before she knew it, she heard the man carrying her talking to another man. From what she could gather, they were at their pack’s gate and were entering their compound.