Carnage Island (Reject Island)(21)

“Or let your wolf guide you,” Tieran suggests. “It’s all about finding balance between you and your wolf. Once you start truly working together, you’ll feel better.”

She glances up at him, then dips her snout in the water mug and sneezes.

“Tongue, beautiful,” I say again. “Use your tongue.”

“And your wolf,” Tieran echos, taking a bite of his salmon steak.

She continues to try to eat, her agitation palpable. These are the sorts of skills that should come naturally to a wolf but she’s never been taught any of them—a realization that irritates me to no end.

But she doesn’t give up. She tries various ways to eat, including lapping up some of the salmon with her tongue.

And after ten or so minutes, she finally finds a groove that allows her to enjoy her meal.

We could have scattered it on the ground or fed her from our hands, but these are life skills she needs to survive.

This time she laps up the water rather than sticking her snout in the cup.

Volt goes to refill it when she finishes.

And she drinks a whole second cup.

When he starts to stand again, she snorts and shakes her head.

Tieran smiles. “Well done, little one. Do you think you can try shifting now?”

She stares at him for a moment, her gaze hardening. After several minutes she huffs and plops down.

Tieran studies her, humming thoughtfully. Then after a moment he nods. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

She sighs in response to that, her dejection hurting my heart. Shifting should come naturally to all wolves. But her pack purposely stunted her growth.

It’s one of the many reasons I hate the Nantahala Pack.

And the Santeetlah Pack isn’t much better.

They thrive on masculine superiority.

Yes, Alpha males are superior to others of our species. However, that doesn’t mean we should belittle those born weaker than us. We’re meant to protect them, not harm them. Which requires hierarchy within a pack and devout obedience.

But it also means knowing when to nurture, something we are all trying to do with her now.

“What’s your name?” I ask, deciding a distraction is needed to help pull her away from her failure. As Tieran mentioned earlier, it’s very likely her former mate is the reason she can’t shift.

Which means one of us is going to have to force her back into human form.

But that would be too much for tonight.

Something Tieran clearly already realized when he said she could try again tomorrow.

The little wolf peeks up at me, her dark brown eyes blinking.

While Tieran received a report of her incoming arrival, he was never given her name. Just all the details about her pack origin, the Alpha’s son who rejected her, and how she supposedly killed her mom.

I’m struggling with that last bit.

She doesn’t strike me as a killer.

Although, she did try to maul Jack.

So maybe she is a little beast, after all.

She stands, her eyes on me and pokes me in the chest with her snout. “Yes, I would like to know your name,” I confirm, not clear on why that earned me a nudge.

The little wolf shakes her head.

“You won’t tell us?” I’m not sure I like that response.

“Maybe she wants us to confirm our names first?” Volt suggests.

A fair request. We missed our introductions on the beach, what with being concerned for her life and all.

But she huffs before I can properly introduce myself.

“Well, this would be easier if you shifted back into human form,” I say conversationally.

She nudges me again, this time with a bit more strength.

Then lays down before I can react and curls her body like a crescent moon.

“Oh, I see.” My irritation with her perceived defiance melts away in an instance. “Your name is either Caius or begins with C. I’m guessing the latter.”

She stands up again and wags her tail.

“It begins with C,” I confirm.

She gives me her version of a wolf smile. Then lays down again on her belly with her legs stretched out behind her and in front of her.

“An I?” I guess.

She doesn’t move.

“An L?” Volt says.

She stands up again with another tail wag.

“C L. What’s next?” I ask.

She blinks at me, her rump hitting the ground. After a beat, she starts howling. She immediately stops when we all wince. Then she tries again, only softer this time.

Volt and I share a look.

But it’s Tieran who smirks and says, “Clever little thing.”

“What letter is it?” I ask, completely at a loss.

“Well as W sounds weird after C L, I’m guessing she’s trying to say O,” he drawls as he stretches his arms over his head. Eating on a pillow on the floor isn’t exactly comfortable.

The female stops her howling and pants happily once more.

“C L O.” I’m not sure if that’s a full name or not.

She confirms it’s not complete when she stands again, this time bumping Volt with her snout. “Clovolt?” he teases, his fingers brushing the fur near her ear. “A strange name, sweetling.”

She grumbles, making me laugh. “C L O V.”

“Clov,” Tieran murmurs. “Clover, maybe?”