Stepping away from Arabella's fearful gaze, I approached my mate by the wall. I gave him a warning glare, to which his eyes seemed to sparkle. He leaned against the wall, patting his thigh for me to climb. I gripped his shoulders, placing my right foot on his thigh. He placed his hands out, motioning for me to place my other leg on it.
This was a more PG version than previously, and I gripped his shoulder and the wall before placing my left foot onto his hands. Talking me through the motions, he pushed me up so my right foot moved from his thigh to his shoulder. I shook slightly, nerves clutching at my heart, but I knew he would not drop me. He was strong and agile, and I doubt he wanted me to break my spine.
Caleb once again was waiting for me at the top, and when Asra stood to his full height and boosted me higher, Caleb was pulling me up. My breath hitched when I landed on the top, my thighs clutching at the wall.
Looking down, I urged Arabella to copy. Asra kept his steely eyes on her as she hesitantly stepped up toward him. He softly urged her to step on him, and she looked up at me with unease.
"He won't drop you." I promised. "If he does, I will bite him."
Asra grumbled. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Tulip."
I couldn't help but grin, shaking my head with amusement. Arabella eyed me strangely before shrugging her shoulders and climbing up Asra. Moving through the motions, he lifted her smaller frame easily until finally Caleb grabbed her and pulled her up so she sat before me.
"Hi." I mused.
"H-hi..." She frowned.
The whoosh of air behind me told me Asra had just jumped onto the wall. I felt his warmth for a split second across my back before the sound of his feet hitting the floor on the other side met my ears. I had watched my sister the whole time, amused at her shocked expressions.
Asra was definitely a bunny.
"Come on, Tulip." Asra called softly.
Gulping, I eyed the drop. "Yeah, I'm coming..."
"Don't make me push you again, Luna." Caleb taunted.
Glaring at the male, I swung my leg over the other side. Squeezing my eyes closed, I pretended I was diving into water and pushed off the wall. The air whooshed through my ears before a soft huff of breath left me when Asra caught me. He set me down on my feet, kissing my temple as I stood to the side.
"Good." He whispered in my ear. "Everett and Riley are in the trees."
I shuddered, biting my lip to hold back my comments. Arabella was harder to convince, and after a hard look at Caleb from Asra, he pushed her from the wall. I watched as her dark hair flew, a scream of panic leaving her until Asra caught her with ease. He set her on her feet immediately, and her knees wobbled.
"Okay, little doe. Now things are going to get really interesting." I teased.
"Worse th-than that?" She shrieked. "I just nearly died!"
I shushed her, rubbing her cheek with my hand. "You're fine. But things are about to... change."
She gulped as she eyed the dark trees behind me. "What if there is something out there?"
"Oh, there is." Caleb hummed, coming up beside us.
I glared at him, and he grinned, crossing his arms. Ignoring him, I turned to my sister.
Time to drop the wolf bomb.
"Arabella, I am going to need your trust again."
"You seem to ask that a lot tonight." She muttered.
"I know, but this time. It's for real." I smiled. "I am fine and uninjured, correct?"
She nervously nodded. "You look better than ever... for a dead person."
My lips quirked. "Then trust me, yeah?"
I could feel the tension as she fought with her own mind, no doubt conjuring up many explanations and reasons for whatever I was about to reveal. She eyed the darkness, eyed the two overpowering men before looking back at me and scanning my figure. Her eyes locked onto my neck, and for a second I wondered if she could see Asra's claim in the moonlight.
"Okay." She breathed. "I trust you."
"Great." I beamed. "Brace yourself."
She tensed just as the familiar crunching of wolf's paws met my ears. I watched as she staggered backward, her eyes wide as the two wolves came up behind me. I turned, finding them both in their furs as they glanced between the four of us.
"W-w-wolves!" she gasped.
"Friends." I commented. "Everett... Riley."
Her eyes darted between the two before they locked onto Everett, and she let out a low breath. "I have seen this wolf before."
"You have?" I cocked my head.
She swallowed, glancing up at me. "I saw him behind the house a while ago. The brown wolf with the socks."
I glanced down at Everett's paws, the large male letting out a small huff. She was right. His fur had darker points on his feet, although it was hard to see with the lack of light. It didn't help that the morning fog was creeping in, making the air cloudy.
Behind her, I saw Asra and Caleb strip off their bottoms and I had a hard time directing my gaze away from a naked Asra. He was just so goddamn... ugh.
But stripping in the woods?
Bit weird, right?
"They're shifters." I commented, looking back at my sister. "Shifters are not bad guys. Just remember that when this happens, okay?"
Her confusion amused me and my grin only broadened at the horror on her face as Asra and Caleb transformed. She spun around at the cracking sounds and her hands shook as she staggered backward until she fell onto her ass. I snorted a laugh, moving to help her to her feet. My sister was just as clumsy as I was.
"Now, the part that gets interesting." I commented. "Since you are still conscious... Pick a wolf to ride."
"Ride?" she gasped. "I have to ride a wolf?"
"Unless you want to walk through the woods, yes. It's the only way out." I nodded, watching Asra as his dark wolf sauntered up to me. His jaw parted as he dropped both my bag of stuff and his clothes.
He was larger than the three males. It was hard to deny his beast was impressive.
When he slumped onto his belly, I slid my body across his. He rose to full height, the muscles in his shoulders rippling with the movement. My fingers dug into his warm fur, nails scratching his skin as thanks. He grumbled softly, but otherwise remained silent.
I looked to Arabella, finding her still eying Everett's wolf. I knew she had chosen, and so did Everett because he lowered onto his belly. Arabella was slow as she moved, wrapping her legs around his waist. She let out a small whimper of fear when he rose, her body shaking with the movement and sliding around.
"I don't know about this, Ailia..." she murmured.
"Trust me, Arabella. You have never been safer."
We began a leisurely pace away from the wall, and I tightened my grip on Asra's wolf as I felt the powerful flex of his muscles. Looking at Arabella, I gauged her reaction. She caught my stare, giving me a wary smile, and I laughed.
She swallowed, clutching Everett's fur tightly. "Okay. I think... this is okay."
"You're doing good." I nodded. "I admit, I am surprised how well you are taking the wolf thing."
She laughed nervously. "I... I don't know. Maybe it's just not sunk in yet that I am riding a five foot tall wolf."
I laughed with her, nodding in agreement. Asra let out a soft growl, purposely lifting his hind legs higher so that he forced me to lie down.
"Lay down, they're going to run." I warned her.
"Run?" she squeaked. "I don't know about running..."
"You'll be fine." I reassured her.
Everett let out a gruff bark of agreement that had Arabella slowly inching herself down. The moment she was secure, the pack actually moved. The air whooshed by me, and I let out a shout of glee as Asra ran. He seemed to pick up his pace at the sound of my soft giggles, and I gulped in lungfuls of air as the world spun past me.
It was short-lived, though. His quicker pace meant we arrived back at the trucks faster than the other three. I still couldn't see very well, but I knew we were still in the trees by the lack of sky-visibility. Plus, I left my eyes behind at the wall from how fast we had run.
Asra let out a loud huff, and I felt his muscles shake beneath me, a certified ask to climb off. He lowered his body, and I slunk to the floor, leaning against a tree for support as another wolf approached from behind.
Bones shifting and gentle thuds of foot let me know they had shifted, and I blindly held out the clothes in my hand until someone took them.
"Thank you." Asra murmured.
More paws met my ears, and I assumed it was the last two coming to a stop. There was a small squeak followed by a thud that let me know Arabella had slithered from her wolf and onto the dirt floor.
"It's so dark!" She cried.
"There are vehicles just out of the trees. Once they are unlocked, we can get going." Asra murmured. "Tulip, take my hand."
Arabella was silent at the sound of my nickname, but I felt her hand slither into mine. She murmured a soft thank you to whoever directed her, and I held out my other hand for Asra, letting my bag fall to my elbow. When Asra's warmth wrapped around my hand, I felt my little worry diminishing.
He led us for quite a while. I counted nearly one hundred steps before coming to a stop. I felt his hand tighten around mine before a soft growl erupted from his chest. It was a warning growl, one that he used when someone stepped out of line.
I could see the dull glow of the sky, and if I squinted, I could see the metallic shine of the trucks. Other than that, I was clueless. Why did we stop? Did the bunny see a fox?
"Asr-
"Shh." He whispered, tense.
I gulped; my eyes wide with sudden fear as I clutched onto their hands tighter. The fear crawled its way down my spine, capturing my stomach in its grip before suffocating my heart. My lungs flooded, failing to take in a breath as my thoughts turned to the worst-case scenario.
There was a rustle ahead of us, which made all four of the wolves around me growl. A soft chuckle filled the area before the rustling came to a stop.
"Your growls do not work on me, wolf." A female voice scoffed.
My spine went rigid at the stranger's voice, and Asra's grumble vibrated through my entire body.
"What are you doing here?" Caleb spoke.
The air was smooth, eerily silent as the question hung in the air. Whoever it was, must've not been a good friend, because Asra was not happy.
"Well, when I see some trucks on no-man's-land too close to a human border, I thought I would check it out." The woman taunted. "I did not realise it was a dog until I got close enough. Then I just wanted to see who let the dogs out..."
The truck flickered to life, and I squinted as the light momentarily blinded me. Arabella staggered behind me, shielding herself with a soft cry of alarm. Through the bright park lights, I saw a feminine figure. My vision blurred by white dots, the only thing I could make out was a perfectly even smile. It broadened with the light's glow, before she spoke words that had cool dread run down my spine.
"I did not think that a wolf of your history would entertain not only one human... but two." She laughed. "I do hope I get to watch. For beasts ripping into two humans will be marvellous entertainment."