by Helen Scott
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“I’m Natalie’s brother,” he said, like that should answer all my questions. When I didn’t respond, he tilted his head ever so slightly and my mind spun with the memory.
“Natalie, as in Erik’s mate?” I clarified.
“Yeah, Natalie, as in the girl who died mysteriously around your birthday because Erik was planning on replacing her with you. You never cared what your running away did to the pack though, did you? Had no concept of a larger family, just your parents and brother. Your family never gave a shit about anyone else.”
It was like a bomb detonated inside me at his words. “How dare you! My parents were executed for sticking up for your sister! I watched Erik murder them because they were worried about a young girl being forced into a mating she didn’t want but couldn’t reject. Don’t give me any of that shit about larger family and what the pack went through without me when they abandoned me first. Everyone treated us like we were infected with something contagious all because our parents tried to stick up for your sister.” By the end, I was screaming and marching toward him, pushing him in the chest as soon as I was close enough.
The man was a mountain though and didn’t so much as stumble from my efforts.
“You want to get rough, princess?” He grinned at me, and it was enough to make my blood turn cold. That grin was so similar to the one Erik wore every time he looked at me after my parents died, like I was something special he was saving to treat himself with later. Like a slice of cake on your birthday, even though you’re on a diet. Apparently, I was hungry.
I hadn’t even seen him reach behind his back, too focused on his expression, but suddenly, there was a switchblade in my face, waving around as though that was the worst thing I’d ever have to endure.
“Come on, man, you know Jax doesn’t want her marked up,” Tate said from behind me, much closer than I’d thought.
“So you’re going to give up your mate then, are you, pretty boy?”
The snarls of the other fights were sounding more and more vicious, and I was actually starting to get worried for Roman and Micah. These wolves were well rested and well fed, while my mates were neither.
“I’m not giving up anything, just reminding you of what Jax specified,” Tate said, and I could feel his hand that was right behind me grip the back of my jeans, holding the waistband tightly as though I was about to try and run away or something. I didn’t think that he was trying to capture me or turn me over to the idiot in front of me, but it unnerved me just the same.
“Well if Jax isn’t going to get her, then whether or not she’s marked up doesn’t matter, does it?” number three demanded, the light in his eyes going wild as he slashed the blade toward me.
It never hit though.
Tate spun me out of the way, using his grip on my jeans, and blocked the blade with his body, meaning that the slash cut him instead of me, a fact that was confirmed by his grunt of pain.
The small mercy was that the blade didn’t scent of silver, it was just a normal pocketknife. A wave of relief flowed through me as Tate pushed me farther away. He might have been injured, but it couldn’t be that bad if there was no silver involved and he was still able to push me away.
I stumbled and fell to the ground, while Tate and the man I’d been arguing with began fighting. Neither shifted to their wolf form, which meant I could act as back up for Tate. I pushed to my feet and launched myself at the guy, my body reacting on instinct and pulling on old muscle memory to perform some moves I’d learned in the martial arts classes at the gym.
Between the two of us we had the guy down on the ground and his shoulder dislocated within a few minutes. The sounds coming from the fights around me were worrying me though. Even more so when I saw Blake step from the tree line. He shouldn’t be exposed. I had to fight the urge to run to him so I could protect him. If I didn’t draw attention, then he might be able to retreat without getting himself hurt any further.
I tried to catch his eye, but he was focused on Roman and Micah. The man whose arm was hanging loosely from its socket didn’t miss my concern though.
“Ten o’clock,” he shouted before I had a chance to stop him. The wolves looked up from their current positions, and one of them ran toward Blake, launching a full-scale attack, while the wolf he’d left behind—Micah, judging by the color of his coat—slowly pushed to his feet, his exhaustion evident in his movements. Micah raced after his opponent as soon as he was able though, and he and Blake began exchanging blows with the wolf.
Tate’s howl of pain drew my attention back to my present circumstances. Mr. Switchblade had swiped at Tate’s face with the weapon, earning him a bloody gash on his cheek that probably matched the one on his back. The two were circling each other, and it only took a second of watching before I saw the damage that Tate’s back had endured. The damage that had been meant for me.
It was a long wound, which was bleeding freely and wouldn’t stop as long as he was fighting. The size of it had me worried. My mind spun as I thought of Blake’s injuries and Micah’s exhaustion. I had no idea how Roman was still functioning, since I was fairly sure he hadn’t gotten any sleep last night.
“Mates, to me!” My lungs burned from the effort of being loud, and I started backing toward the forest that was behind us.
The Shadow Wolves official territory.
I wished we had any other choice, but the other side of the forest was too far and I knew that Jax’s wolves would follow us there. With at least two members of our tiny pack injured, there was no way we could outrun them. My only hope was that they wouldn’t cross territory lines to follow us. Well, that and getting out of the Shadow Wolves territory before they knew we were there.
All four of them began to move toward me. Micah shifted and pulled Blake up from the ground, kicking at the wolf that was still trying to attack as the two of them hobbled toward me. Tate hesitated for the briefest moment as I moved into the trees, crossing the boundary line completely. Roman circled Micah and Blake in his wolf form, the giant silver beast protecting those he considered family as we tried to make our way to safety. Or at least our currently safest option.
The man I’d argued with was flipping his switchblade around his hands, and it was only at the last moment that I saw him release it.
The thing should have hit me square in the chest, probably should have killed me, but Tate was there blocking it, yet again, and most likely saving my life. I just hoped that it wasn’t at the cost of his own.
9
Micah
So we were really doing this, huh? The Shadow Forest and the Shadow Wolves and the whole shebang. Gods, I wasn’t looking forward to the shit show this was going to turn into, not that I blamed Nina for choosing to go into the forest, since it was the only option we had. It was just a shitty option.
The new guy was bleeding and cursing, not that I blamed him with the blade stuck in his shoulder. It made heading into a forest where there was a mysterious pack that might kill us for just setting foot on their land even more tense.
Finally, we were far enough into the forest that we couldn’t see the wolves that had attacked us. The simple fact that they weren’t following meant that this was a terrible idea. Two injured mates didn’t leave us much of a choice, and that was just the overt injuries. I was fucking exhausted, more tired than I’d ever been in my life, if I was being honest. I was bone-weary, as my mother would say. Every part of my body ached from the fights and the hiking and sleeping on the ground. Between all of it, I’d have said I felt like I’d aged at least ten years. Was this what I had to look forward to? I groaned inwardly at the idea and glanced over at Roman, wondering how he was coping.
The man seemed to have an unending supply of energy that I was jealous of.
We kept moving, kept trying to put as much distance between us and Jax’s wolves as possible, but I couldn’t tell which direction we were heading. The Shadow Forest came by its name honestly, since it was m
ore than just a little shadowed between the trees, it was practically night.
I didn’t know how long we stayed on the move for, but it felt like hours. We were all quiet, with the occasional grunt of pain from either Blake or New Guy. I kept my grunts to myself, especially since I wasn’t really hurt, just sore.
“I need a break,” Blake said eventually. His voice was so shaky and uneven, it was like if he took one more step, he’d collapse.
“I think we should all rest for a moment,” I said, seeing the strain on Blake’s face.
Nina turned to look, and I knew she could see the same thing I did. She briefly glanced over her shoulder as though she was longing to continue on, to get to the oracle and get her answers.
For a moment, I thought she was going to continue on by herself or just with Roman, but he sat down hard, resting his back against a tree trunk. “Rest, angel. They aren’t following us. They won’t unless they want to start a pack war between Jax and the Shadow Wolves.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as though he were about to take a power nap right then and there.
“Do we want to find somewhere to make camp for the night? I have no idea what time it is, but I’m exhausted,” I said, hoping that someone would agree with me.
“That sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll hunt and find us some dinner. I might try and loop back to grab our packs as well. I can only imagine what would happen if the Shadow Wolves find us and find out we littered, even if accidentally, in their forest.” Roman pushed to his feet as though he’d just slept for a couple hours not closed his eyes for thirty seconds. The man must have been hell as a child if he still had this much energy.
“I thought you didn’t want to hunt on their land without permission?” I asked.
“We need food. There’s no way around it now, and we’re already in their official territory, so if we’re going to break the rules, we may as well go for it.” Roman looked as though he wanted to do anything other than hunt, and I could sympathize. I knew I should offer to go with him, but I felt like I was on the verge of collapse just as much as the others, so I kept my mouth shut.
Nina stood with him, though I noticed that her movements were tentative as though she was stiff. “Be careful, please. I need you as much as I need the others. Come back to me.” The plea in her voice was enough to tear a man’s heart from his chest. If it were me, I’d fight to the death to get back to Nina.
Roman’s solemn nod may have seemed callous to anyone who didn’t know him, but to me, and I was sure to Nina as well, it said everything I’d just thought, especially when paired with the possessive kiss he gave her before he shifted once more.
A moment later, he was gone, disappearing into the brush and shadows. Nina sat back down and rested against the tree that Roman had vacated. Part of me wondered if she wanted to surround herself with what little scent he’d left behind while he was gone. It was what I’d do if it were Nina going hunting.
I was just starting to relax when New Guy groaned. When I looked over, I found that he was removing his T-shirt, something which was not fun with a knife in your shoulder, not to mention the wound I thought I’d seen on his back. Once the material was away from his body, I could see the large blood-stained tear in the fabric and knew that I’d been right—he did have an injury on his back, which couldn’t have felt good when he was leaning against the tree. At least he’d had the shirt on when he was doing that. Now he was tearing it into strips. “Can you wrap this over the cut on my back?” he asked Nina.
She nodded and shakily pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, choosing to crawl over to him rather than stand and walk.
“I’m going to take the knife out,” he said by way of warning.
“You should wait till we have the med kit, or what’s left of it,” Nina said, scolding him slightly.
He merely hissed as he pulled the knife from his skin. Quickly, he took another strip of what had been his T-shirt and wadded it up over the wound, wrapping it with a second piece to hold it in place.
The two of them worked in silence, each focused on their own task and Nina too much in her head, probably giving herself a hard time.
Once he was done covering his wounds, New Guy said, “So should I introduce myself or do you guys not want to talk right now?”
He was sure of himself, I’d give him that. “I’m Micah, the guy that left was Roman,” I said, getting things started.
“I’m Blake, I think we’ve done a couple patrols together before.” The two nodded at each other as New Guy put two and two together.
“I’m Tate,” he said looking directly at me with an intense stare before turning to Blake once more and adding, “No offense, man, but you look like shit.”
“A few bites to the stomach will do that,” Blake said as he lifted his T-shirt and showed the blood-stained bandages covering his wounds. “One of the guys Jax sent out before you got a little fresh. His bite tore before he’d completely withdrawn.”
Tate shook his head. “That looks bad. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Blake shook his head before he put on a smile and said, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
My gaze was drawn to Nina like a magnet, and when I looked over, I could see that she was worrying her bottom lip as her stare was locked on to where those bloody bandages were, even though they were covered by his T-shirt once again. She blamed herself for all of this, I knew it.
“So what line is Jax feeding you guys about us now?” I asked, mainly to get the attention off the injuries we couldn’t do anything about.
Tate looked a little nervous, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was going to answer or not, but then he said, “He’s claiming that Nina’s just lying about having mates because she doesn’t want to have any responsibilities with the pack. He says that you’re all lying, that there’s no way one bitc—woman could have three mates.”
“Makes sense. He fears what he doesn’t understand,” Blake murmured from where he was resting against a tree stump.
“He’s also getting more desperate. I think most of the pack can sense it, or at least anyone who’s around him for any length of time. I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with you, Nina, but it’s only getting worse.” Tate’s words were like a cold bucket of water being thrown over us all, except maybe Blake, because he may have fallen asleep by that point.
“How long have you been with the pack?” Nina asked, completely ignoring his statement about Jax’s obsession.
“A little longer than Blake. I remember him joining.”
“Did you know the previous alpha?” Nina’s voice was a deathly calm, and I knew we were getting into dangerous waters.
Tate nodded. “Landon was the one who inducted me. He was a fucking psycho, but it was either his pack or move, and I’d already moved so much that I decided to stick around for a while. I’d also heard rumblings of someone that was going to be challenging him soon, so I wanted to see how that shook out.”
She nodded slowly before asking, “How was the fight between them?”
I had to admit, I’d been curious after learning that they’d been family.
“It was grizzly. They were both good fighters, Jax still is obviously, and neither of them were willing to walk away. It lasted for hours, and they were both bloodied to the point that we almost couldn’t recognize them, when Jax finally struck a fatal blow.”
Nina raised an eyebrow in question, and I was surprised that she wanted to know that level of detail.
“He tore Logan’s throat out. In human form.” Tate swallowed thickly, as though the memory was almost too much to handle.
I couldn’t imagine the level of aggression and sheer determination that it would take to rip the throat out of your cousin, or whatever he they’d been to each other. I mean, that wasn’t something that was easily done, since there was a lot of cartilage and muscle in the way.
Nina looked pale, and I knew it was hitting her all over again—how absolutely fucking nuts Jax was
. I hadn’t talked to any of them about my time in his care, brief though it was, thankfully. I’d kept it to myself because I’d wanted to avoid this. She knew Jax was crazy, but I think until Tate told her how Logan died, she’d thought it was the kind of crazy she might be able to talk her way out of or something, but it wasn’t. Jax was truly obsessed with her and I knew he’d never stop gunning for us, but I didn’t think I could make anyone else believe that. Even Tate was still going along with Jax’s ideas, thinking them somewhat rational until now.
“Where were you before Jax’s pack?” she asked, though her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Traveled around the east coast. Never found anything that fit, so I bounced from pack to pack.”
She nodded as though she understood the feeling, and I supposed in a way she did, but I wished she didn’t. I wished my pack hadn’t turned out to be a bunch of assholes who were just like Jax in some ways—scared of what they didn’t understand.
“Why am I feeling so much?” Tate asked, almost rubbing his hand over his chest, but the knife wound made him pause.
“The mate bond,” Nina said simply.
When she didn’t expand any further, I added, “It’s overwhelming at first, but you get used to it. Almost like you can feel an echo of what everyone else is feeling. It can be helpful in keeping an eye on one another, like making sure that Roman’s part of the bond isn’t screaming in pain or something. The only person I can track through the bond is Nina though. I don’t know how true that is for the others, but while I might get their emotions, I don’t really get a sense of their direction unless they’re really close.” It was the most we’d ever really talked about the bond, and I was honestly a little sad that Roman wasn’t there to participate, since I was sure he felt things slightly differently from me and would find all of this fascinating.
