Free Opening the Cage by B. A. Tortuga

we need a bolt hole.”
    “We need to get out of the snow, too.” Kody frowned, chewed his bottom lip, then smiled as Sammy barked sharply. “Right. We found an old cabin when Sammy and I were…exploring on our own. It’s only twenty minutes from here.”
    “Exploring, huh?” Mesa grinned, and it looked so normal that Canyon got a little choked up. Man, when had it all gotten so weird?
    Kody turned bright red and Sammy chuffed softly, tail wagging.
    Canyon hooted. Soon. Soon he would be able to play with his mates.
    Mesa raised a brow, and Canyon had to grin. “What?”
    “Nothin’, bro. Just laughing at Mr. Single-I-would–never-want-two-mates.” Mesa tilted his head. “We’ll need to chat about that.”
    “Shut up and drive.”
    Kody chuckled, and Mesa just snorted, shifting to his wolf form so he could run with his lady. Kody was a much better driver anyway. Canyon looked at the trees and tried not to think of Riana, lost and scared. They would find her.
    He knew it in his bones.
    * * * *
    Riana crouched in the cave, the bite on her leg seeping, bleeding, hurting. She whimpered softly, lapping at it, worrying the wound.
    The Alpha’s bitch was whining, twisting on the ground, her mouth covered in Riana’s blood, her belly growing with a demon wolf. Riana could see it, clawing at her insides. The old witch was moaning, knife in hand, trying to whelp the thing. Screams filled the air, like the scent of blood, of pain. The moon would not let that thing be born. She knew it, like she knew her own name.
    Riana had been horrified at first, but now she was numb. Her Wend was gone. Her Canyon was gone. The sun was gone.
    She usually healed quickly when It bit her, even if it hurt like fire. This time, though, she was afraid she was going to die, alone and cold and scared, surrounded by screams and death.
    Still, her Wend was safe. She knew it. Canyon had him. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. She could remember them, loving her, touching her and…
    Stop it.
    Wend?
    You stop it right now.
    She looked around, trying to see, but he wasn’t there.
    Wend? She needed to know he was there. Somewhere.
    You stop it.
    Are you here? She stiffened. You stay away. You stay away from here.
    She didn’t even know where here was.
    Just wait for us. Don’t you do anything without me.
    Wend. She rested her muzzle on her paws, ears twitching as the sounds of something crashing around outside hit her.
    Oh, no. No. Please.
    Stay with me, love. Canyon’s voice came to her, loud and clear.
    Shh. She scrambled back into the shadows, dragging her wounded paw. Stay away. Be safe. Be together and safe.
    Not without you.
    That came from both Canyon and Wend. They were so good to her.
    It was too bad that she wasn’t sure it was possible.
    Her cage opened, and the witch dragged her out of the bars, toward the writhing half-wolf bitch with teeth like needles. No. No.
    She could cope with death, but that thing would eat her. Chew on her.
    Tear her to pieces. For her blood.
    Riana fought, her two good legs scrabbling furiously. The witch pulled and claws scraped along the floor, toward her, Riana growling low.
    No more. No more hurting.
    Teeth sank into Riana’s flank and she screamed.
    * * * *
    Wend stood, barking, scrabbling out of the pile of blankets they’d been wrapped in. They'd found a place to rest, to get warm. To eat. He'd been sound asleep, nose on Canyon's flank when her voice woke him, ringing in his head.
    RIANA!
    Hurting her.
    Hurting her.
    HURTING HER.
    The female found him as soon as he crawled out of the overhang of trees they'd buried themselves under, and he growled, showed his teeth, still too caught in Riana's voice to know the new female’s scent. Her head tilted, and she barked sharply, then Canyon appeared, bounding out to rub noses with him. Warm. Mate.
    Hurting her. He whined, danced, pushed closer, needing comfort. Canyon gave it, stropping against him more like a cat than a wolf, vocalizing low. He