by Sadie Moss
“She wasn’t sure. So she woke me up and we went to investigate. A mountain lion came out of nowhere and attacked. She fought it off, but it got in a good swipe at her arm.”
West’s brow furrowed, and he stared hard at Rhys. But Rhys didn’t take his burning gaze off me.
“Jesus fuck!” Jackson’s mouth dropped open. He looked at me like he couldn’t decide whether to be horrified or impressed. “You fought off a fucking mountain lion?”
I hauled my focus away from Rhys to look at Jackson. “Um, yeah. For a little bit. It was just adrenaline, really. I didn’t do much.”
“Not much besides fighting off a fucking mountain lion. Goddamn, Alexis. You’re kind of a badass.” He ruffled my hair before pulling me off West’s lap and lifting my injured arm to examine it. “Hey, Noah. Grab the kit.”
Noah plucked a few things from the small first aid kit in one of the packs and dropped to his knees beside me. He rolled up my sleeve, revealing the strips of fabric Rhys had tied around my arm the night before. They were stained a brownish red.
The blond man grimaced. “This is gonna hurt, Scrubs. I’m sorry.”
Jackson held my hand while Noah went to work unwinding the makeshift bandages from my upper arm. He’d been right. It did hurt. The fabric felt like it’d melded with the open flesh of my wounds, and even though he peeled off each piece carefully, I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.
When he finally had all the pieces off, he used the things he’d grabbed from the first aid kit to clean and sterilize the gashes. They were deep enough that they could probably have used stitches, but hopefully I could get away without. The skin around the claw wounds was an angry red color, the flesh bruised and traumatized. I took one look then turned my head away when my stomach dipped.
Instead, my gaze locked on Rhys’s. He was still standing above us, watching me with an unreadable expression.
Why had he just lied to his pack mates? Why had he covered for me?
He must’ve known as well as I did how betrayed the others would feel if I admitted I’d tried to run off after everything they’d done for me.
So had he lied to protect me, or to protect them?
Or to protect himself?
I couldn’t find any clue on Rhys’s face, which was as blank as a statue. Only when his gaze drifted down to my injured arm did his expression shift, a look of pain passing over his face so briefly I was sure I must’ve imagined it.
Thankfully, the small first aid kit they’d brought included gauze and an actual roll of Ace bandages. Noah carefully wound the bandage around my arm, securing it by tucking in the end. Then he looked up at me, his sweet gray-blue eyes stormy.
“There you go. Good as new, Scrubs.”
He gripped my chin, his thumb sliding up to brush lightly across my lower lip.
“I still can’t believe a mountain lion went after you.” Jackson shot a glance at Rhys. “Were you shifted when it attacked?”
Rhys hesitated only a fraction of a second before saying, “Yeah, I was in wolf form. But I was a little ways off, following a scent. By the time I got to her, she’d already hit it with a massive branch.”
“We should stick together from here on out,” West said firmly. “All together. Predators are a lot less likely to attack if they don’t think they’ll win.”
“A-fucking-men to that.” Jackson shook his head, still staring at me like I was his new hero.
I blushed slightly, enjoying the look on his face way too much.
If he knew the truth… The voice in my head whispered again, and my smile dropped.
“You think you can keep going?” Noah asked, bringing my attention back to him.
“Yeah.” I nodded emphatically.
I wasn’t going to hold them up on top of everything else. And although my arm blazed with pain from all the handling, I could already tell this new bandaging would help a lot. I’d be fine.
“Seriously badass.” Jackson beamed at me before helping me out of the sleeping bag.
He stuffed it back into its little carrying sack while I laced up my boots. By the time I was done, everyone else was ready to go too.
West handed me a granola bar as we started off through the woods again. “Here. Breakfast.”
“Thanks.” I took it gratefully, then hesitated. “Wait, what about you guys?”
His full lips tilted up in a smile, and for a moment, I could sense the wolf within the man. “Oh, don’t worry about us. We’ll hunt for ours.”
When I’d dreamed of a life outside the Strand complex, it had never been quite this… rugged.
We spent the next four days making our way through the wooded, mossy Washington landscape, combing the forest for the Lost Pack, and I realized I’d gone from one extreme to another—from being cooped up inside nonstop to spending every second in the vast wilderness.
As weak as it probably made me to admit it, part of me missed the easy, simple comfort of the Strand complex. A place where I’d had a roof over my head, my own room, and meals provided on a regular basis.
Out here, there were no walls in sight, but also no roof to protect me from the elements. Wind blew blonde strands of hair into my face, the sun beat down on the back of my neck, and bugs crawled over leaves and branches. The wolves I traveled with didn’t seem to give these things a second thought, but to me they were foreign, exciting—and often terrifying.
West hadn’t been kidding when he’d said the four of them would hunt for their food. The first time I saw Jackson’s wolf dash off into the woods and return with a dead rabbit clutched in his jaws, I almost fell on my face. It was a stark reminder, as if I needed it, that these shifter men were predators themselves.
It was hard to ignore the fact that I was the weak link in our little group. They’d had to pack food and a special water bottle with a filter attached just for me, not to mention the sleeping bag and first aid supplies. And even with those considerations, I struggled to keep up. I never once complained, but by the fourth day, I could feel my energy flagging. My injured arm ached constantly, my muscles were sore, and my feet had developed blisters. My food supply was also dwindling. When it ran out, I could eat what the men hunted—but we’d have to make a fire to cook it, something I knew they’d hoped to avoid since it could call unwanted attention to us.
If they weren’t holding back for me, would they have found the Lost Pack already?
The question ate at my mind, and I found myself spending the hours as we walked searching for some hint of a wolf inside me. But I couldn’t find anything, and no matter how much I concentrated, wished, or begged, my body refused to shift.
Finally, I worked up the nerve to ask Noah for tips.
I’d barely spoken to Rhys at all over the past four days, and he seemed like he could hardly look at me. West and Jackson were currently in wolf form, sniffing out a path ahead of us while Rhys brought up the rear.
Noah tilted his head, his face scrunching up as he considered my question. “Tips? Huh, I don’t think I have any. Sorry, Scrubs. It’s not like learning to drive a car or something. It’s more like learning to get along with a whole new side of yourself.”
“But how can I get along with it if I can’t even find it? If it doesn’t even seem to be there?” I tried to keep the plaintive tone out of my voice, but I wasn’t entirely successful.
Noah slipped an arm around my shoulders. “It’s in there, Scrubs. I’m sure of it. It just hasn’t been called yet.”
“You said that before. What does that mean? Called?”
“I don’t think it’s an official term or anything. Fuck, I’m not sure what word those bastard doctors at Strand have for it. But it’s the best way we can describe what it feels like.” He looked down at me, his gray-blue eyes serious. “Think about it this way. When you were at Strand, they injected you with something that started changing your DNA. You’re carrying that around with you all the time now. And someday, when the time is right, the wolf that’s been lying dorm
ant inside you will be called to the surface.”
That made me feel a little better. If it was dormant, that explained why I couldn’t feel it at all. Except…
“What if it’s never called?”
He pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my hair. “It will. You just gotta have faith.”
It was strange. I hated what the Strand Corporation had done—was doing—to innocent, unwilling test subjects. I hated that I’d been lied to and held as an unwitting captive for most of my life. Maybe I should consider myself lucky if I’d somehow escaped the effects of their DNA-altering experiments.
But I still found myself wishing fervently for my wolf to show herself.
I wrapped my arm around Noah’s waist under the backpack he carried, enjoying the way his muscles shifted and moved as he walked beside me. “Thanks, Noah. I—”
A wolf’s howl broke through the forest ahead of us, making my heart stutter.
Noah’s ears perked, and his eyes widened. “That’s Jackson.”
I hardly had time to be amazed that he knew the sound of his pack mates’ howls. Before I could process anything, we were running through the woods toward the sound.
Rhys pulled up alongside us, and the three of us burst into a clearing where Jackson and West stood. West had his nose pressed to the ground, and Jackson broke off as he swung his lupine head toward us.
“What? What?”
My heart beat hard in my chest as I glanced around the clearing, searching for some sign of danger.
But Jackson’s wolf padded over to nudge my hand with his nose, bushy tail wagging. He didn’t seem afraid at all. In fact, he looked as excited as a puppy.
West looked up, his dark eyes meeting mine before he sniffed the ground again. Then he threw his head back and let out a full-throated howl. A second later, Jackson joined in, their voices rising through the air in perfect harmony. It called to something deep inside my soul, the sound so beautiful it made tears prick my eyes.
Movement in the woods around us caught my eye, and I peered into the underbrush.
Nearly a dozen new wolves emerged from the forest and padded toward us, surrounding us in a loose circle within the open space of the clearing. The largest one cocked its head, sharp hazel eyes taking us all in. Then it too howled. The sound was picked up by all the other wolves, their combined voices rising into the sky like a blessing and a prayer all in one.
The Lost Pack.
We had found them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
My gaze darted from my four companions to the new wolves, hope and joy filling me like helium in a balloon.
The Lost Pack does exist. We did it. We found other shifters.
I knew that’s what they were, even though none of them were currently in their human forms. There was an intelligence—a humanity—in their eyes that no other animal on earth possessed. The mountain lion who’d attacked me the other night had been all animal, but these wolves were more than that.
The howls finally died out around us. West and Jackson’s bodies shivered as they shifted, and I had to work hard not to glance at their finely shaped asses. I didn’t care what any of them said, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the whole “shifting back naked” thing.
But this wasn’t the time for ogling. We were newcomers to this pack, and although the men had seemed certain we’d be welcomed here, I wasn’t ready to totally let my guard down yet.
Noah caught my eye and nodded, seeming to read my thoughts. But he looked hopeful too as he jerked his chin toward the wolf who seemed to be the leader of the newcomers, directing my attention that way. Muscles and bones rippled under reddish-brown fur until a woman stood naked before us.
The shifter woman was tall, with long auburn hair that fell down her back. She looked like she was probably in her late thirties, and a crescent shaped scar curved around the right side of her face, starting at her temple and sweeping down across her cheek.
She looked like an actual badass, and the hard glint in her gaze told me that trust was an emotion she’d abandoned a long time ago. But her voice wasn’t unkind when she spoke.
“Welcome, wanderers. Who are you? What are you doing here?” She made no move to cover herself, keeping her gaze fixed on the five of us.
“We’re escapees from the San Diego Strand complex. We heard rumors about the Lost Pack, and we came to find you. We seek asylum and aid.” West dipped his head deferentially.
The woman cocked a brow. “The San Diego complex was shut down years ago. Why are you just coming to us now?”
“We spent several years living among humans, working and planning. His sister”—West gestured to Rhys—“is still captive in one of their complexes. We don’t know which one. But we plan to rescue her.”
The female shifter’s other eyebrow rose to match the first. A look of grudging respect crossed her face, although she shook her head as she spoke.
“I doubt you’ll succeed. There are too many complexes spread across the country to have much hope of finding where she is. And even if you do, you’d be foolhardy to break back into one of those places. Don’t you know Strand would be all too happy to run tests on wolves who’d spent years living in the wild?”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re still going to try.”
Rhys’s voice grated roughly, and I wished I could reach out and take his hand. Wished he’d accept that kind of support from me. But I knew he wouldn’t.
“So if you’re planning to break into Strand, why are you here?” the woman pressed.
“Because we need help.”
Several emotions crossed over her face in quick succession, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she nodded her head sharply, as if deciding something.
“I’ll bring you to Alpha Elijah. You’ll have to ask him about that. Although…” She hesitated, grimacing slightly. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Great.
I wasn’t sure if she issued the warning because she wasn’t interested in helping us, or because she knew the pack alpha wouldn’t be. It made sense in a way. If the Lost Pack had formed out of escaped wolf shifters, it stood to reason that they wouldn’t want to go back. That they’d want to sequester themselves away, avoiding any risk of detection by Strand.
But if we all did that, the corporation would just continue on with their experiments. More innocent people like Sariah would remain locked up in complexes all over the country.
I glanced hopefully at the pack mates with me. I’d never met anyone as driven, powerful, and charismatic as them. If anyone could convince the alpha to help, it would be these men.
Jackson nodded, although I thought I detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he answered, “Got it. Thanks.”
“I’m Val, by the way,” the woman supplied.
We all introduced ourselves as she listened gravely. Then her body shivered as she shifted back to wolf form.
Jackson and West followed suit, but Rhys and Noah both remained in human form. I wondered if they were doing it to hide the fact that I couldn’t shift. If everyone did, and I was the only one who didn’t, it would be pretty fucking obvious there was something off. The two men had also come to stand beside me, boxing me in between them in a surprisingly protective stance.
Well, surprising from Rhys anyway.
The rest of the Lost Pack wolf shifters fell into a loose group around us as we followed Val through the woods. After about twenty minutes of walking, the scenery around us changed.
“Woah.” I blinked, staring at our surroundings.
Normal wolves definitely didn’t live like this.
Small shacks had been constructed out of wood and stone. They all looked extremely primitive, nothing like what people with access to the proper tools could build—but there was no mistaking what they were.
Houses. We were in a small, makeshift village.
“It’s our human side,” Noah murmured beside me, picking up on my thoughts. “In most of us, it’s as strong as the wolf.
And humans crave dwellings. They have since the early days of man.”
I nodded absently, too busy gazing around at the small village as we passed through. All the buildings were well camouflaged, blending into the landscape of the forest closely enough that I was sure no one passing by in a plane overhead would notice anything amiss. Smart.
What a strange dichotomy shifters lived with—the wild balanced with the civilized.
Several inhabitants of the Lost Pack village looked up as we walked through. Some were in wolf form and some were human, but I noticed there were no children among them.
Val led us to a structure slightly larger than the others we’d passed. There was no door, just an open arch with a flap of fabric hung over it, and she stepped through it; our other wolf escorts remained outside while we followed their leader.
The interior of the structure was just as rough as the outside. Stumps created makeshift chairs, and a roughly constructed cot lay against one wall. A man with a thick beard and wild brown hair glanced up as we entered. His gaze shifted from Val to us, and he stood quickly.
“What’s this?”
Val whined, then shifted back. Jackson and West followed suit. The female wolf shifter dipped her head in obeisance to the man before pulling a simple robe from a hook by the door. Noah and Rhys dug into the backpacks they carried and handed Jackson and West clothes.
They dressed while Val spoke.
“Alpha Elijah, we found these five in the woods. They say they escaped from a Strand complex and came looking for us. They want our help.”
The man scratched at his beard. He looked older than Val, maybe late forties, and he was the perfect embodiment of the word “grizzled.” Actually, now that I thought about it, everyone I’d seen so far in this little village looked like they’d been through some shit.
Hell, I could relate to that.
“Where did you come from?” the alpha asked. “There hasn’t been a breakout of a Strand complex in years. They got smarter once they realized how strong and resourceful their little ‘experiments’ were.”
“We’re from San Diego. We escaped in a mass breakout six years ago,” West answered, tugging his shirt down over his lean abs. Then he jerked his head toward me. “She’s from a complex outside Austin.”
