Ignoring their anguished cries, he moved to walk past them. Coral’s hand shot out to grasp his arm, and she looked up at him, cheeks flushed and face taut with strain. Sten found it odd that her scent didn’t affect him, but figured it was probably because he’d known her as a pup. He carefully pried her hand free, but held onto it, giving it a firm squeeze.
“Is it almost over?” he asked her companion.
“I don’t think so. It started a day ago. At first it was funny, but now…” She trailed off, rubbing the top of Coral’s head in a comforting gesture. Then, she extended the hand to Sten, giving him a half-smile. “I’m Kya. This is Coral.”
He didn’t mention that he already knew who Coral was. The last time he’d seen her, she’d hadn’t been a day over two, and had only known him as the male whose hair she enjoyed chewing on.
Coral tried to move closer to him, but Kya pulled her back. “Come on now. Why don’t we go wait for the boat?”
Sten released her hand, letting Kya guide her to the docks. Coral dragged her feet, looking back at him through teary eyes. For some reason, seeing her made him think of Halley, and he hoped that she would never have to experience what Coral was going through.
Sten’s father had been a pureblooded shifter, which made Halley twice removed, once by Sten’s human mother, and again by her own human mother. But he’d had older sisters that had been able to have pups, and there had been distinct differences in them that he recognized in his daughter. For now, all he could do was enjoy her youth while it lasted.
Right now, with Erik’s constant reliance on him, he was missing more of her youth than ever. The only thing that made their separation bearable was knowing that Astrid was there to look out for her. There were only a handful of females in Amarok, and they were not known for having maternal natures. Even the softer ones like Malina did not always understand the emotional needs of a pup like Halley.
“What’s wrong?”
Maia’s question drew his attention, and Sten turned in time to see Indigo trudging past him. She didn’t look up at him, and from the way she glared at the path ahead, he could tell it was deliberate. A sniff of the air revealed that her scent carried the spicy heat of anger.
“Nothing,” Indigo grunted. She stopped at the end of the dock, ignoring Kya’s attempt to wave her over to them.
Sten felt oddly disappointed. From the moment he’d woken up, his wolf had urged him to seek her out. Despite the intimate moment they’d shared the night before, the images that the animal had sent him were remarkably tame. His wolf wanted to find her, make sure there were no other males near her, and his scent was still on her. For Sten’s part, he’d been interested to see if she would stick to her promise.
Or if she’d noticed that he’d never exactly bound her to it.
Indigo had promised that if he kissed her, she would leave him alone, so long as he asked her to. Sten had intended to do just that, but as soon as his lips had touched hers, he’d known that they would most likely end up having sex. Not that night, it would have caused far too many complications, but it felt almost inevitable.
She wasn’t a particularly skilled kisser, and there still wasn’t anything specific about her body that appealed to him, but they’d had something together, a level of chemistry that he hadn’t experienced in many years. There was no way he was going to let her slip through his fingers, but he would have to be careful.
Pack politics aside, she was young. Too young to have even drawn his attention, but that was beside the point now. He would have to find out what exactly she wanted from him. Was it only sex, or was she expecting some sort of relationship? If it were the latter, he would also have to consider Halley.
Vale came to stand in front of Indigo, hands on her hips. “One, two, three, four bags. And here I thought those three clowns were bad. Do you think the rules don’t apply to you because you’re Zane’s sister?”
Indigo huffed. “One is medical supplies, one belongs to Maia, one’s mine, and the other one has books in it.”
“Whose books, yours?”
“They’re mostly for the pups, but everyone can read them. Books are invaluable repositories of information and—stop it, give that back!”
Vale snatched the bag of books, effortlessly countering Indigo’s attempt to reclaim it. She pulled the first book out, and laughed.
“The Flame and the Flower,” she said. “I’m sure this makes a riveting bedtime story.”
“That’s mine,” Indigo bit out, her cheeks flaring with color.
“You shouldn’t take things that aren’t yours,” Maia said, though she appeared uncertain.
It was hypocritical of Sten to intervene but he couldn’t stand by and watch Indigo be mocked. He could feel his wolf getting riled up, and he sensed that the animal wanted to lash out at Vale. He didn’t bother thinking too hard on that. His wolf’s impulsive desires rarely made sense.
“Give me the bag,” he said as he approached them.
Sten extended his hand, and Vale passed it off to him with a grin. She probably thought he was going to throw it in the ocean. He glanced at Indigo, who looked between him and the bag with a panicked expression.
He glanced at Vale, and would have given her an apologetic look if he weren’t still annoyed with her. “I’ll take the books for myself. My own things should fit in here, so it won’t violate Zane’s rule.”
Not that Sten felt particularly bound to it. Zane wasn’t his alpha.
Vale’s expression flattened, but he knew that she wouldn’t press the issue. They were friends, but he was still higher than her within the pack hierarchy.
The next boat was arriving, and Vale brushed past them to give orders to the juveniles. Indigo reached for her bag, but Sten flung it over his shoulder.
“I meant what I said,” he told her. “They’re mine. But I may be willing to part with a few of them when you come to my den.”
She tilted her head to the side. “But I’m not going to your den.”
Sten shrugged. “Perhaps after your nephew is born, I can bring you to see Astrid. She’s pregnant, and we don’t have a healer of our own. I think it would give her peace of mind to talk to you.”
Her upset was forgotten as a huge smile spread across her face. Her words were an excited jumble. “Of course. I’d love to visit your den. To see Astrid, of course.”
“Can I come, too?” Maia asked.
“We’ll see,” Sten said, causing Indigo’s brows to rise.
He would have to clear it with Zane, but Maia was only a year or two younger than Halley, and it had been a long time since she’d had a playmate her own age. Her pretend conversations with Astrid’s dog were getting a little too elaborate for Sten’s tastes.
A few moments later, he was watching her boat set out across the inlet. He found himself wishing he hadn’t volunteered for his job. He didn’t like watching her disappear.
Chapter 13
“We can be in Amarok territory by morning if we don’t keep stopping so much,” Henna said, giving Zane a pointed look. “May I suggest that we drop two of the meals and instead have one, large meal?”
It was the fourth day of their trip to Amarok. Alone, Sten could have been home already, but they weren’t even out of Siluit territory yet. He understood that they needed to accommodate the pups, as well as Zane’s mate, but he thought they would be better served by getting to shelter as quickly as possible.
“I’m not going to run them ragged, or deny them food,” Zane said irritably.
Snow had begun to fall as they had stopped for lunch. The pack was finishing their rations of dried meats as Zane and the betas gathered to formulate a plan for what appeared to be an incoming storm. Sten listened with detached interest, his eyes scanning the crowd for Indigo.
It was a new habit of his, one he did on reflex when his thoughts began to drift. He’d exchanged only a few words with her since their encounter at dock, but he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head since then. He
blamed the fixation on his wolf, who’d resumed his habit of sending Sten lewd images of the female. Now that Sten was actually interested in her, it was highly inconvenient and he had a difficult time keeping himself from being aroused.
“You’re not denying them food,” Henna said. “They can still eat the same amount, but we will only have to stop for one hour instead of three.”
“It’s never just one hour,” Brynn grumbled. “There’s always someone that needs to take a piss, or we have to turn around because some airhead pup forgot her dolly.”
He found Indigo, kneeling beside Zane’s mate, and ear pressed to her swollen belly. She didn’t lift her head until Roch approached. Sten strained to hear what the male was saying to her. Whatever it was, it made her smile.
Why the fuck wasn’t he over here with the rest of them? Wasn’t he supposed to be a beta male?
“I’m willing to consider shortening meal times,” Zane said tightly. “But I’m not having them travel during the night. We’ll send scouts ahead to search for somewhere we can wait out the storm, and then—”
“How about I go back to Amarok?” Henna said. “I can let them know that you’re on your way.”
“No. I need you here in case we’re attacked,” Zane said.
“Brynn and the others are perfectly capable of handling any threats. Besides, you’re almost in Amarok. You’ll be safe there. No one would dream of attacking a wolf in Erik’s territory.”
Sten picked up on the not-so-subtle slight. He waited for the alpha to say something, but only a brief flash of contempt passed over his features.
Sten was fed up.
“Stop contradicting him,” Sten snapped at Henna. He waited until she’d lowered her head before he looked at Zane. “I need to speak with you. Come.”
Sten turned to walk away, not looking to see if Zane was following. As he left the crowd of wolves, he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him. When Zane caught up to him, he was glaring at Sten.
“I don’t appreciate being ordered around like a dog.”
“You don’t have time to be angry with me,” Sten said. “You need to listen to the things I’m about to tell you, or next time I won’t be telling you them in private.”
Zane continued to glare at him, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Henna was wrong to contradict you, but you let her do it. You need to stop letting—”
“This is not Amarok,” Zane said hotly. “My pack members have a say in all decisions.”
Sten suppressed a sigh. “Henna is not your pack, which makes it even worse. Your pack is relying on you to lead them, not Henna. You need to make a decision and they need to obey you, unequivocally.”
“That’s not how I lead. I’m not Erik.”
“That much is clear.” He let the insult hang in the air, and for a moment, he thought Zane was going to strike him. When he didn’t, Sten went on. “My brother is not without his flaws, but he does know how to lead. Right now, he regards you as somewhat of an equal, but if he sees the way you let your wolves disrespect your authority, then you’re not going to have his support for long.”
Not to mention, his wolves were likely to want to join Amarok once they recognized the benefits of having Erik as alpha. Under normal circumstances, Sten himself would have preferred living in an egalitarian pack like Siluit, but this was war, and they would need a strong alpha to see them through it.
Zane’s back was to Sten as he spoke, his shoulder’s stiff. “Are you finished?”
Sten’s silence was his response.
“So I’m supposed to change overnight?” Zane asked. “Become the type of leader I despise?”
“Not overnight,” Sten said. “Now. And you will become the type of leader you need to be in order to protect your pack.”
* * *
Finding Sten in a crowd had become one of Indigo’s new talents. It wasn’t just that he stood at least a head taller than most of the wolves in her pack, or that no one else’s hair had the same rich silver sheen. It wasn’t even his scent, which was always lodged in her nose. It was an instinctive awareness, a tickling in the corner of her consciousness that somehow drew her eyes in his direction.
She had just left Ginnifer’s tent when she felt the pull, and through the snow flurries and milling shifters, she found him easily. He was standing with her brother, which was annoying, but not a surprise. The pair had been practically tethered to one another over the past two nights, always off talking away from the others.
Indigo wanted to get Sten alone, but the last time she’d approached them, Zane had been quick to dismiss her, treating her as though she were nothing but an annoying pup. Sten’s presence made it especially humiliating, and she hadn’t worked up the nerve to go near them again. Not until tonight.
The day had been particularly grueling, and they’d travelled hard through bad weather, all in hopes of reaching the cave by nightfall. But when night had come, Zane had abruptly ordered everyone to stop and make camp in the mountain pass for the evening. No one was pleased, but they were too exhausted to protest. Already there were sleeping wolves huddled together in large clusters. Indigo weaved a path around them, making her way to the steep hillside.
Icy wind buffeted her side, and she pulled her pelt tight around her middle. It was the pelt that Sten had given her, but she’d slept in it so many nights now that it held little more than a tendril of his scent.
Zane and Sten had been speaking as she’d trudged up the hillside. She’d heard their voices, but hadn’t been able to make out more than a few words beneath the dull roar of the wind. She was panting as she reached the crest of the hill, but when she looked down, her breath caught.
She recognized this place. In the mountain valley below was a cave, and it was where Zane had found her that summer, the last time she’d chased after Sten’s scent. She was certain that’s where they were, but it looked different, and it was more than just the snow that blanketed the earth. She did a double take, squinting against the dark of night.
“What happened to the cave?” she heard herself ask.
Both males were looking at her, and it was Zane who spoke. “Go back to the camp. This doesn’t concern you.”
“The entrance is… Did it collapse?”
It was hard to tell, but it looked like the snow that had piled up at the entrance covered stone rubble. Her mouth popped open.
“That’s where we were supposed to stay, wasn’t it? That’s why we’re all sleeping outside tonight, isn’t it? Where are we going to go?”
Zane gave her a look of censure. “It’s being handled. Go eat and get some sleep.”
She found herself looking to Sten, but he returned her gaze with a look of utter detachment that made words stick in her throat. Her cheeks felt hot as she turned around, and with considerable effort she managed not to stomp as she headed back down the hill.
She hated being left out of things, especially when they concerned her future. It should have been Zane’s dismissal that infuriated her, but it wasn’t.
They had shared a kiss—a long, passionate, incredible kiss, and now Sten hardly looked her way, and when he did, there was no hint that he felt anything for her. It was like they were strangers. It was enough to make her want to claw his eyes out.
“When I get him alone, I will claw his eyes out,” she spat.
Either that, or she’d kiss him again. Their deal be damned, she’d kiss him so well that he’d be begging her to become his mate.
A quick whistle drew her attention as she reached the bottom of the hill. Kya was sitting not far from Ginnifer’s tent, crouched over a small fire with Roch. She waved her hand vigorously, beckoning Indigo to join her.
Indigo made a feeble attempt at smiling as she made her way over to them. Roch barely looked up. He was roasting a thin, skinned lemming over the fire, but his eyes were unfocused. She would have thought the beads of liquid on his head were from the snow, but she could smell the husky scent of perspiration. Not sparin
g time to ponder that, her nose wrinkled in disgust.
“Is that muskox poop?” she asked, her brows rising.
Kya shrugged. “It’s the only thing that’ll burn in this weather.”
“I think I’d rather have raw meat,” Indigo said, taking a seat not far from them. “Where’s Coral?”
At the mention of the other female, Roch swallowed hard. Understanding dawned on Indigo. All of the males had been irritable with Coral around, but Roch was particularly susceptible to her scent.
“She’s with Lake, a little ways away,” Kya said, turning a stone over in her hand. “I’m surprised it isn’t over already. It only lasted a few days last time.”
“It gets harder every time,” Rocha said, anxiously shifting his weight from side to side. “That’s what she told me, anyway.”
Indigo was only half listening. She had noticed her brother heading down the hill. Sten’s tall silhouette still stood on the crest.
Something whizzed past Indigo. With a slight jump, she watched as a rock lodged itself in the snow beside her. She looked up to see Kya giving her a sardonic smile.
“Can’t be any worse than knowing you’ll never have a mate or pups of your own. Am I right?”
It took Indigo a few seconds to remember that they’d been talking about Coral.
“Yeah, sure.” She stood, brushing the snow from her knees. “Well, this has been lovely, but I’m going to go before the smell of burning feces sinks into my skin.”
Kya shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Indigo swung a wide path around the group, avoiding Zane’s notice as he made his way to Ginnifer’s tent. Her mind buzzed as she stalked up the hill. There were a thousand things she planned on saying to him, only she wasn’t sure which order to say them in.
She was fuming by the time she reached the top of the hill, but her steam evaporated when he came into view again.
He was sitting now, one long leg stretched out, and the other bent. His silver hair billowed in the wind, and despite the darkness, his skin appeared to glow faintly. He must have heard her coming, but his amber eyes remained fixed on something in the distance as she approached.
Chasing the Alpha: Shifters of Nunavut, Book #3 Page 11
