The Wolf Without (Book 2 of The Wolf Within Series)

What Just Happened

**Dakota's POV**

HB: Well shit.

AB: That's all you have to say?

HB: What? I didn't know this would happen!

AB: You didn't know?? You have the gall to act surprised when I literally told you this very situation was bound to happen?!

The large man before me blocked every ounce of light coming from the other end of the tunnel. I had to crane my head backwards to look into his eyes. As I did so, he clicked on a flashlight and shone it right in my face. The sudden brightness hurt and I had to shield my eyes briefly before I tried to look up again. Unfortunately, all I could see of his face now was limited to his mouth and chin. His smile eerily entertained by what he saw before him.

"Jeez that's bright." A voice behind me muttered. The voice was at least an octave higher than the man's but edgy and clearly annoyed. I wasn't sure if the comment was in my defense or theirs but I was too scared to look behind me with this giant man in front of me.

The man's mouth frowned briefly in what I thought would be a stern response to his cohort's chastising remark. "Why are you here?" He asked in a voice which confirmed he was certainly aggravated and I assumed, or maybe hoped, it was directed at the person behind me.

When he saw me cringe slightly under his scrutiny his sly grin reappeared. I felt a pit in my stomach grow as he leaned forward, slowly and deliberately, in an attempt to further intimidate me.

HB: Holy hell, what a creep!

The woman behind me giggled mischievously in response to my instinctive need to lean away from the imposing man before me. For her amusement, she shoved me hard enough to force me a step closer to him. At this point I could hear his breathing, which apparently only happened through his mouth as I got an awful whiff of what I assumed to be tuna salad coming from it.

HB: What the heck!? Surely, she is aware that this Neanderthal is giving off nothing but serial killer vibes here? I thought she was on our side!

AB: On our side?! I told you! These people are gonna kill us! They are deliberately messing with us! Just listen to me and let me take care of this!

"Well?" The man barked suddenly. I jolted in response to his booming voice, which echoed around the tunnel. He was so loud; the echo distorted the one-word question to the point that it seemed like wave of sound instead of a question. At this moment I realized the question from before had actually been for me and not the person behind me.

"I'm lost." I answered in a tiny voice. My ears hurt from his booming inquiry and I dreaded another question exploding from his mouth. Instead, the man's lips pressed together and formed a thin line in display of his skepticism.

HB: He doesn't believe us AB. Let me take over.

AB: NO! You've done enough. I've got this.

"I've been wandering around the forest for hours looking for another trail to bring me home. I was an idiot and left the trail and couldn't find my way back. I'm so happy I found you two. Can you help me get home?"

The person behind me responded as the man in front of me leaned back slightly seeming to consider my response. "Oh really?" came the woman's voice from behind me. It was thick and syrupy with what I presumed to be fake concern. "Then how did you end up in this tunnel?" she demanded sharply.

"Well, I've been so tired for that last couple hours—" I began.

"Yeah, and?" She hastily interrupted.