Chapter 5 WAR CHARIOTS

FLETCHER'S POV

As I moved, my bones cracked with a crunch. In human form, I was stripped, my clothes having been torn off by my unexpected shift into a wolf, yet I wasn't embarrassed about being unclad. Carlos and I had seen each other naked so often that the sight was nothing novel.

I put my hand to my side. The wound wasn't bleeding any longer, yet the region was still raw and bruised. They had cut me deeply, but not deep enough to damage any vital organ.

"I don't know whether we should be happy or offended that Logan didn't kill us here. We really deserved it for going up against him without any backup," my voice sounded rough as I expressed my first words after the long silence.

"I blame myself, Fletch," Carlos whispered.

I was feeling thirsty and in need of something to rehydrate me. The lady's rucksack lay deserted in the street. I moved toward it. A side pocket held a jug of water. I hoped she wouldn't mind if I grabbed some.

I took the jug and drank voraciously. Someone was whistling behind me-it was Carlos, limping as he made his way down the sandbank. After some seconds passed, his deep, rumbly voice addressed my concerns.

"I don't care about Logan's opinion of us. We both realize he is a crazy person. He played with us here. He had a good time hitting us for fun."

"So you believe we're like close friends to him, huh? He needs us alive because he enjoys battling us and our pack."

I passed the jug to Carlos. He drank the remainder of the water. I looked at his body. There were various cuts from paws and injuries, but he was in a similar condition as myself-severely hurt yet healing rapidly.

The sight made me feel much better and was an affirmation that Carlos was coming back stronger than before. It only ignited hope in me once more; this was not a time to fall into despair. We all needed to buckle up.

"I would rather not be a toy for this fucker!" Carlos spat on the ground.

"Neither do I. Nonetheless, I'm still happy he didn't kill us here. Surviving makes it feasible for us to fight back. We need to return to Belmont and coordinate our pack for a raid on Port Alvarez."

"I'm not rushing things, Fletch, you need to calm down a bit. I just barely healed from my injury," Carlos expressed, feeling tense.

"We need to get the lady back before Logan does something to her," I replied.

The prospect of Logan laying a hand on her was unnerving. The likeliness of Logan's inclination to act towards that was novel to me.

I had never avoided chances to lay down with ladies. I was a friendly person whom many young girls found entertaining; my character was enough for them to give themselves wholeheartedly to me.

And, I had to concede, I loved making out with beautiful ladies. So I seldom denied their advances, yet after I had slept with them and had a good time, I wanted nothing more. I had never met anyone who made me seek a relationship. The possibility of being so close with someone else, with no option of leaving, terrified me. But...

"I felt something towards that lady..." I voiced my feelings without holding back.

I didn't know how to describe how I felt. All I really wanted was to be close to the strange and beautiful lady I saw on the ship. The fact that I didn't even get to know her name was total madness. However, it was a madness I needed to feel. Why was I so drawn to her?

Carlos set the empty jug back into the side pocket of the knapsack. He lifted the lady's things up and put the pack behind him. Smart thought-we would carry her provisions to Belmont.

"I felt something as well." Carlos turned to look north, following with his gaze what we could see on the empty trail.

I gazed at him, wide-eyed. "You... as well? What is this feeling, then?"

I definitely knew the answer deep down, yet I was hesitant to name it. In any case, knowing that Carlos felt the same way calmed me a bit. We were always together, he and I, and we had shared ladies previously.

The way that we would both experience a similar attraction towards one individual didn't feel unnatural.

"I hope she's my mate," Carlos's voice hushed, almost sounding like a whisper.

I gulped hard. The acknowledgment shifted my attention to this issue. Despite the fact that I had consistently figured I would despise being so drawn to somebody, to want to accompany them and just be with them always, at this moment, I didn't feel sickened at all.

"We'll soon find out, Carl," I replied.

"I think we both have feelings for her," Carlos hinted.

"I see, but two Alphas sharing one mate is absurd to me. I've been really trying to understand how that will work."

"Common, Fletcher, there is no time to think. We have to do something before Logan implements his plan," Carlos urged.

"You're right. I guess we'll have to decide on that later, but for now, we'll chase Logan and bring him down."

I was ready to draw first blood if anything ended up not planned. Port Alvarez will be deserted before the battle begins, and Logan will pay in full, with no penny-farthings attached.

I was determined to bring him down no matter what; it wasn't going to be a tomfoolery affair. The odds were stacked against us, and the only thing we needed to beat Logan was stealth and precision.

Realizing that I had at last found my mate was exciting, and the fact that she was in peril made me more willing to save her as fast as possible.