Free Untamed: The Savage: The Complete Series by June Gray Page A

made my cock stir. “I don’t know. You might have to strip off your shirt and start hacking at a log so I can get a better idea.”
    I bent down and threw her over my shoulder. “You like that, huh?”
    She laughed, the beautiful sound echoing around us. “Put me down, you savage caveman.” She pounded on my back halfheartedly. “You brute!”
    I growled and nipped at her thigh. “You’re mine!”
    Suddenly, I felt her entire body stiffen. “Alaric,” she whispered. “There’s something stalking us. An animal.”
    I kept walking, still holding her on one shoulder. “Yes. She’s been following us for a while.”
    “She?”
    I set Chloe down and faced her towards the brush. We waited, Chloe gripping the sleeve of my shirt. Finally the great red wolf stepped out and revealed herself.
    Chloe gasped and took a step behind me.
    “It’s okay.” As the wolf approached I went down to one knee and held out my hand. The wolf sniffed and nuzzled it, licking my palm. She didn’t linger long. She pulled back, looking behind her.
    “I think she wants me to follow her,” I said, getting back to my feet.
    Chloe grabbed the back of my shirt. “No…”
    I twisted around and flashed her a reassuring smile. “I know this wolf. She won’t hurt me.”
    Chloe’s eyes were wide with fear. “You do?”
    “She needs something.”
    Chloe nodded, glancing around.
    “Do you want to come with me?”
    She looked around me, at the wolf. She shook her head. “No. I’ll wait here.”
    “Okay. I won’t be far.” I turned and followed the wolf, glancing over at Chloe one last time before diving into the thick brush. The wolf led the way for a few minutes until I began to hear a high-pitched whining noise. A few seconds later we came upon another wolf that was larger than the female, whose hind paw was trapped inside a metal clamp.
    The wolf snarled and snapped at me, but the presence of the female eased his worries and I was able to approach. I studied the trap—illegal in the Smoky Mountains—and took hold of the sides to pull the metal claws apart. The wolf immediately reared back and yelped when he was free.
    “Good to see you again,” I said, rubbing the fur behind his ears. He let me lift up his paw and examine it. “You’re lucky it didn’t snap right through. You have to be more careful.”
    The wolf nuzzled under my chin, his own way of thanking an old friend.
    “Alaric!”
    I spun around at the sound of Chloe’s alarmed voice and, before I could think, I was on my feet and running back at full speed. The shoes weighed me down, branches reached out to scratch me, but I didn’t slow.
    No, no, no.
    I slid to a halt when I saw two men surrounding a frightened Chloe. Everyone’s heads snapped around to me.
    “Who are you?” one man asked, a tall, reedy local I’d seen walking around this part of the woods with his golden retriever.
    The other looked between Chloe and me. His mouth fell open. “It’s her!”
    The tall man cocked his head in my direction. “You think this guy’s the Smoky Mountain Savage? He don’t look so savage to me.”
    I could only imagine what these men were thinking as they looked me over—an angry, unkempt creature huffing in outrage. I’d never agreed before with the nickname the locals had given me, but right then I felt very much on the verge of living up to it.
    The shorter man walked closer to Chloe and grabbed her. “She’s coming with us,” he told me.
    Chloe shook her head and tried to twist away but the man’s grip was strong, his fingers digging into her arm. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said.
    “No. You have to come with us.”
    “Let go of her!” I rushed forward and punched the man in the jaw before he could blink. He reared back, grabbing his face. The taller man attacked from behind, holding me in place while the other threw punches into my stomach.
    Before he could hit me again, I kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Then I