Deep Wolves by Rhea Wilde Page B

still seemed fit and strong. He might not have been the strongest in his clan but he was more capable than any man of a similar age. Through his calm demeanor, I could see that there was a wolf within him still burning.
    “Feel free to fall asleep at your leisure,” he smiled at me. “You won’t hurt my feelings. I’m well aware that an old wolf like myself droning on and on can wear on you.”
    “It’s okay,” I muttered. “Do most of the other clan members usually listen to your stories?”
    “No,” he laughed. “Everybody here has heard everything I had to say.”
    “So, that’s why you wanted to talk to me? Someone new to talk to.”
    “Indeed. Thank you for indulging me.”
    “I… I don’t mind. I’d actually like to know more…”
    “More?”
    The only wolf I ever managed to speak to like this was Vaughn. But he and I never talked about his past. All we talked about was the future and how we were going to be together. I held back my own curiosity because I knew that Vaughn was trying to look beyond who he was, even though I loved that part of him.
    “You were right,” I said. “Shiva has her eyes on him. And she hates me.”
    “I’m sorry, Ariel. Shiva can be a bit unsavory at times.”
    “Are all queens like that? Are they all that protective of their mates?”
    “No,” he shook his head. “Shiva is a different breed. She’s strong-willed and hard-headed. Cyrus chose her and her ego has been inflated ever since. You can imagine what it’s like when an Alpha chooses you to mate with.”
    “I… I suppose.”
    “But you have nothing to worry from her.”
    “How do you know?”
    “She only hates you because she wishes to take another lover. She’s jealous of you because of your relationship with the one called Shadow. She is not a human like you. You are not the same species anymore. You might as well be from another world. And for someone so different to attract one of her kind, it upsets her.”
    “And what about you? Does it upset you?”
    Yung shook his head and smiled at me.
    “Shiva is a different breed,” he said. “This new generation of wolves… They are more territorial. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that the Nakas are doing this.”
    “What?”
    “I can feel it, Ariel. The peace between humans and wolves is coming to an end.”
    “What? What do you mean? What do you feel?”
    “I can sense it. A dark wind is blowing. All this time, wolves have managed to live their lives without human interference. But a wolf’s instincts… They’re beginning to take control. The size of a clan like the Nakas is unheard of. There are too many of them. They have to expand.”
    “Is that why they’re doing this? Because they’re trying to push the humans out? How can you be so sure?”
    “You ask many questions, young woman,” he smiled at me. “These are merely the rantings and ravings of an old wolf who has seen a lot in his time. I’m merely stating what I sense now.”
    I knew that there were clans all over the world. The size of the Nakas was staggering. I knew that they were all over the city. Some of them attacked us. But the way Yung spoke made it seem like there was something even more sinister behind all of this. I didn’t want to think that there was more at stake beyond this city.
    “I apologize,” Yung said to me.
    “Apologize? For what?”
    “I’m sorry. I’ve upset you. I can see it on your face.”
    “No, it’s not that. I—”
    “You will be fine, Ariel. He will protect you.”
    “Who?”
    “Shadow. Just as I haven’t seen behavior like that of the Nakas or someone act so unruly like Shiva, I have never seen a wolf like Shadow.”
    I looked over at Vaughn across the clearing. He was laying on his back and sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling in a slow and steady rhythm.
    “He is unique,” Yung said. “He has fallen for a human and hasn’t converted her. That alone is curious. But just as I sense a dark wind blowing, I