Matthew's Chance by Odessa Lynne Read Free Book Online

later, just when Matthew was about to let himself curl over on a prickly bed of leaves so he could doze off and wait. He’d been taught enough about the biotech inside him to know that when his energy reserves reached an end, the biotech could shut down temporarily. If the biotech shut down while his hand was still messed up, it would probably hurt like a son of a bitch and he really didn’t want that to happen.
    Also, who knew what other injuries he had still to be healed?
    So he had allowed himself to drift, conserving as much energy as possible while the wolf was gone, knowing that running would be about as stupid a thing as anyone could do with a wolf. Their sense of smell, their ability to see in the dark, and their remarkable stamina meant he would have no chance of escaping even though most wolves didn’t run any faster than a fast human. They didn’t have to, not when they could keep running for hours after a human dropped from exhaustion, and Matthew was already exhausted to his bones.
    “We can rest here. The home is abandoned.” The wolf’s voice startled Matthew, leaving Matthew with a sudden spill of adrenaline in his blood, making him feel shaky as he started to push himself to his feet. The leaves slid out from under his socked foot, and he sat back down with a jolt.
    The wolf offered Matthew his hand. “You need rest.”
    “I don’t understand why you brought me with you,” Matthew said, clasping the wolf’s hand and letting the wolf pull him to his feet. “You should tell me your name—”
    “Call me Watcher if you feel the need.” The curt answer brooked no further discussion.
    Matthew let the subject drop.
    Matthew almost felt drunk walking the last of the distance to the cabin. He could feel packed dirt beneath his feet and he was pretty sure they were walking along a road. He scrubbed at his face and eyes with his good hand as they went, trying to wake himself up.
    Moonlight glinted off solar panels and the cabin’s door had a standard p-lock that would only release if someone traced the correct pattern onto the small panel above the knob.
    The wolf ignored the door and went up to the window beside it and broke the glass with his fist. He started removing the biggest shards of glass from the window.
    Matthew stood to the side quietly and let him work. Now that they’d reached a resting place, his concern for his well-being started to reassert itself. He knew nothing about the wolf beside him, and he was completely lost. He didn’t recognize the cabin and he had no way to know how far Sal had driven before he’d regained consciousness in the back of that truck.
    “Who is the wolf you say is coming for you?”
    Startled out of an unintentional near doze on his feet, Matthew cleared his throat. “I know him as Ash. He’s third beta to the Alpha I know as Craig. I can’t pronounce their proper names. I wish I could.”
    The moonlight glimmered in the wolf’s eyes. “That’s not necessary. I know the Alpha you speak of. Craeigoer .”
    “Good,” Matthew said, taking a deep breath, rubbing his face again and struggling hard to keep his eyes focused. “Good.”
    He had never been so exhausted. He didn’t know what the biotech was doing to him, but he was about to lose the fight to stay awake, even standing on his feet.
    “Yes, good,” the wolf said, eyeing Matthew in way that sent a shiver through him, along with enough adrenaline to help him shake off the urge to sleep at that moment. “I have unfinished business with Alpha Craeigoer . I believe you might prove useful.”
    Matthew took a step back on the porch. “What does that mean?”
    The wolf reached out and snagged Matthew’s shirt, near the collar, and his partially extended claws poked right through the fabric. “It means I have a purpose for you and you’re the one who chose to submit, so I expect you not to do anything foolish. Heat season is on us.”
    Matthew nodded shakily and tried to relax.
    The wolf gave