Cam's Fortune

by Odessa Lynne

Several unconnected thoughts came together for Cam in that moment.

  Matthew’s mention of rogue wolves during the ambush. Talk of a war.

  The prophecy.

  It wasn’t much—Cam never had managed to get any real details about the prophecy, but he knew it existed. He had to admit, dropping the prophecy into the conversation earlier had gotten him more than he’d expected.

  He’d first heard about it from Henry, but Henry hadn’t done more than mention it in passing in an awed tone and claim it as the reason why he had a duty to teach Cam about submission. Cam had listened and agreed that he also had a duty to learn everything he could about the wolves. His reason had not been altruistic, or representative of a human desire to learn about an alien culture. He’d agreed because he was a fifteen year old boy who’d wanted Henry so bad he would’ve used any excuse to be near him.

  Surprisingly though, after that, the subject of the prophecy had never come up again. Cam wasn’t sure why, and he couldn’t remember any specific reason, but they just hadn’t talked about it. Then, a couple of years ago, one of the guys in the group of renegades Cam had gotten control of had mentioned it.

  The guy had known exactly shit about it. But it had given Cam something to start looking into and he’d found two more people in the next two years who’d heard of it.

  The prophecy had something to do with how the wolves had been destined to find Earth and steal it from its current rulers, how they would split into factions and divide the spoils, how only the true ruler of wolves could end the conflict but only after his mate did something or other.

  That was the mess Cam had managed to get out of the only person who had seemed to know anything real about the supposed prophecy. Cam doubted he could trust half of what he’d been told.

  Still, he looked at Brendan with an odd feeling in his gut, as if he’d realized something important but just hadn’t recognized it yet.

  Chapter 28

  Brendan did something with the device in his hand and a light glowed briefly then shut down. Cam was getting ready to ask what the hell he was doing, when Brendan pulled a phone from his other pocket and read a silent message from the screen.

  Cam watched and wondered.

  Brendan looked up as he started tucking the phone back into his pocket. He shrugged. “I can call out on their tech, but I can’t receive. Something to do with the human brain. They’re working on a way around it.”

  “So they don’t even have to talk to communicate?”

  “Something like that.” Brendan gestured to the right of where they hoped to find Luis and started walking. “Devon says we’re closer than we thought to your boy and the wolves are still a ways to the west of here. It could be close, but Devon thinks his group will make it first if the wolves don’t pick up their scent. The direction of the wind might cause them a problem.”

  “You got all that from one message?”

  Brendan flashed a smile. “I know how to read Devon’s shorthand.” He waved Ethan forward.

  Ethan caught up with Brendan quickly.

  “If we run into the rogues, you protect Cam’s boy, okay? Don’t worry about anyone else. He’s your only responsibility. We’ll take care of ourselves.”

  Ethan nodded, his solemn attention riveted to every word Brendan said. “Yes, Alpha.”

  They traveled quietly after that, and not more than fifteen minutes later, Cam heard the first faint whispers of deadfall crackling under rapid footfalls, thin limbs whistling and leaves rustling, and quick, ragged breathing.

  “Over there,” Ethan said, thrusting his arm out. “A human.”

  Cam started running.

  He heard Ethan and Brendan following him, but he kept his focus on the sound of Luis’s mad scramble through the trees.

  Less than a minute later, Luis ran right into Cam’s path.

  Luis screamed. Cam clamped his hand over Luis’s mouth, and Luis’s eyes widened dramatically just before he exhaled through his nose and sagged against Cam.

  His hands clutched at Cam’s arms. Cam released his mouth.

  “Shh.” Cam petted the back of Luis’s head and pulled him tight to his chest. “I’ve got you.”

  “I heard a howl,” Luis gasped out. “I know I did.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We’re getting out of here.” Cam grabbed Luis by the arm and started pulling him along.

  Brendan and Ethan had stopped a few feet away. They shared a look, but didn’t waste time asking questions.

  “Follow me,” Brendan said. “We’re going to take a different path back.”

  The light had been slowly fading and shadows started to pile into the tightly spaced trees thick and dark. Most of the leaves had turned, leaving behind gray limbs and clusters of dead leaves, with only a few pines and cedars scattered in their path.

  “I’m sor—” Luis started.

  “Not now,” Cam said.

  Luis tried to shrug off Cam’s tight grip on his arm.

  Cam didn’t relent.

  Luis twisted, but Cam tightened his grip, and Luis’s feet slipped out from under him. “This bites a—”

  Cam jerked him back to his feet. “Luis, shut up.”

  The cold, hard tone made Luis straighten. He gave Cam a quick, wide-eyed look and then made a zipping motion over his lips.

  Ahead, Cam could see Ethan cocking his head, more shadow than person now. “Faster.”

  The terrain didn’t make it easy. Cam dragged Luis along, pushing him hard to keep up with Brendan. They had just started up the side of the ridge they’d taken into the small valley earlier when Ethan dropped back and crouched, grabbing at Luis’s pant leg. Luis fell forward into the slope, his hands reaching out to break his fall.

  Cam quickly released Luis and turned, putting his back to them and trying to listen for whatever it was that had caught Ethan’s attention.

  A short gust of air swirled a pile of leaves around his feet. He raised his head.

  Clouds scudded across the sky.

  Brendan touched his arm, startling him. Brendan had his finger to his mouth and one knee bent for balance on the steep incline, his boot planted firmly in the thick coating of leaves that covered the slope. The rust brown t-shirt he wore blended remarkably well with the colors of the leaves. He pointed to the left of the ridge.

  The breeze picked up again and sent leaves scattering across the slope in that direction.

  Cam’s heart thudded heavy and hard in his chest. He looked down at Luis, who had done his best to squat next to Ethan, although he wasn’t having as much luck keeping his balance. He’d stretched out one of his arms and dug his fingers into the ground. Leaves covered his hand almost to his wrist.

  He watched Cam with his lips parted, his eyes darting over Cam with a nervous energy at odds with how still he held himself.

  Brendan rubbed his hands over his jaw and chin, and his eyes had the look of a man being forced to make a decision he didn’t want to make.

  He leaned toward Cam and spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, “We’ve got to send Ethan ahead with Luis.”

  “Do it.”

  The tight lines of Brendan’s face loosened. He leaned forward on the slope toward Ethan, resting his forearm across his knee for balance. He spoke softly, “Get him back to the inside perimeter. You know where to go if you want someone to realize you’re there and come for you.”

  Ethan nodded. He grabbed Luis by the arm and leaned in to say quietly, “We’ll be moving fast. I can carry you if—”

  Luis glowered and shook off Ethan’s hold. Furiously, he whispered, “I can keep up, wolfie.”

  Cam grabbed Luis by the back of his neck and flattened his hand over Luis’s mouth. “Hush.”

  Luis parted his lips against Cam’s palm, but then nodded. Cam eased his hand away.

  “Sorry,” Luis whispered. He looked at Ethan. “Sorry,” he repeated.

  Ethan flashed his teeth. “Humans are funny.”

  Luis scowled. The look he turned on Cam seem
ed to accuse him of stealing his only means of defense.

  “Go on,” Cam said. “We’ll lead them away from you.”

  The boys hesitated, but then Ethan grabbed Luis by the arm of his jacket and pulled and they both started climbing the slope as quickly as they could.

  They disappeared into the thick brush and the shadows of the approaching night.

  Cam raked his hands through his hair. “If something happens to me, you make sure somebody takes care of those boys for me, got it? You owe me.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen.” Brendan shoved Cam’s arm. “Get moving. We need to run. Straight toward them. Make the most scent we can.”

  “Not yet.”

  Cam shucked his t-shirt off over his head and started soaking up the sweat coating his skin. He paid extra attention to his underarms. Then—

  Cool air chilled Cam’s bare ass. The sheath holding the only weapon he had on him caused his jeans to wrinkle above his thigh.

  “You just pissed on my boots, you fucker.”

  “Accident,” Cam said, giving Brendan a tight smile.

  Brendan made a sound low in his throat and yanked his shirt off over his head.

  Cam wiped the sweat from around his groin and then hitched his pants back up over his hips. He dragged the shirt on again, wincing at the whiff of body odor and urine that hit him right in the nose.

  He turned to see Brendan glaring at him, his jeans halfway down his thighs. “This is fucking ridiculous.”

  “If one of those wolves catch a scent, I’d damn well rather it be yours or mine instead of Luis’s.”

  “They’ll make it back.”

  “I want an actual promise from you, Greer, about those boys.”

  “You don’t have to worry about them.” Brendan yanked his pants up, fastened them, and started dragging his t-shirt down over his head. His muscled torso flexed as the fabric fell into place, covering a couple of interesting scars. “If something happens, Rick’ll take care of them for you. There’s your promise. Probably your wife too.”

  “Ava can take care of herself. It’s the boys I’m worried about.”

  “Then consider them taken care of. Now—” Brendan shoved Cam again, this time with enough force to make Cam stagger a few steps down the slope. “Run.”

  Cam moved quickly down the sloping ground, jumping the last few feet and using the trunk of a narrow maple to swing around and head for the part of the ridge Brendan had been pointing at earlier.

  They slapped aside limbs and crashed through the brush with abandon, and by the time they’d made it to the other end of the ridge, Cam was sure there was no way any wolf within a mile didn’t know they were there.

  Cam stopped and rested against the side of a thick oak with branches that stretched darkly up toward the sky. His lungs burned with the chill air, and he took a minute to catch his breath. Brendan pulled up right beside him, breathing just as hard.

  When Cam could talk, he said, “Why the hell aren’t we hearing—”

  A howl rode the breeze.

  “Goddammit.”

  A chill raced across the back of Cam’s neck. “We wanted them following us, not Luis.”

  “That’s an alpha howl,” Brendan said. “That means there could be a whole pack out here.”

  “Recognize it?”

  The shadows weren’t dark enough to hide Brendan’s tight frown. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

  Cam put his finger up to his ear. “You have to listen.”

  “Must be your enhanced hearing, because I sure the fuck can’t tell them apart, except Trey’s. His’ll make you feel like your heart’s about to stop.”

  “Tonal qualities,” Cam said. “The pitch at the end. I can tell you who it isn’t. That’s not Rick.” Cam turned his head. “Getting closer.”

  “We’ll split up. Stay on the move as long as we can.”

  “Can you contact Devon again?”

  Brendan was already shaking his head. “They’ll pinpoint our location the moment I activate the call for help. We’re on our own until Devon and the others get the packs looking for us. Just keep heading back the way we came. Our guys’ll find us.”

  “Sounds just as dangerous as having these other wolves on our tail.”

  “It’s not ideal, that’s for sure. There’s a reason we came for Luis instead of sending one of the packs.”

  “These rogues, are they enemies or friendlies caught up in the heat?”

  Brendan wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “Could be either to be honest. We don’t call the friendlies rogues though. That means something very specific to Trey’s wolves.”

  Cam made a guess. “The prophecy again.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Sure,” Cam said.

  “Alright then, see you around sometime.” Brendan turned.

  Before he could take off into the woods, Cam grabbed his shirt.

  “What?” Brendan said.

  “I think it’d be a mistake to split up. I can keep us ahead of them longer than you with my hearing and sight.”

  “Your sight?”

  Time to give away another advantage. He didn’t want to, honest to God, he wanted to just let Brendan run and have to fend for himself, but something wouldn’t let him do it.

  “How many fingers do you see?” Cam held up four.

  Brendan squinted.

  Cam lowered his hand. “Don’t bother. I can tell you’re already having trouble seeing. It’s too dark for you.”

  “I have a flashlight.”

  “You can’t use it.”

  “I know, goddammit.” Brendan crossed his arms, rubbed his chin, and muttered, “Son of a bitch.”

  “Let’s move.”

  “You know, I’m supposed to be the boss here.”

  “I’m always the boss,” Cam said.

  Brendan exhaled a short, sharp laugh. “I can see that. Rick must love you.”

  “I’m hoping.” Cam turned.

  “Hey.”

  “What?”

  “You know he does. They fall quick and don’t give up easy. You’re his mate.”

  “Yeah. Get your ass moving. That last howl wasn’t the same wolf.”

  “Shit.”

  Cam started them up the ridge, where the slope wasn’t quite so steep but more rock jutted between stretches of thick brush and haphazardly growing trees. The slope steepened near the top, so they’d have to go around, but if they wanted to move fast, this was the place to start.

  Falling rock and dirt had knocked many of the trees onto their sides over the years and many of them had sharp bends and crooks before they grew straight for the sky. As Cam and Brendan started approaching the midpoint of the climb, Cam found the trees made good leverage and he took advantage of it.

  He was just pushing off the root of one crooked tree when a sharp crack off to the side brought his head up.

  Leaves fluttered in the breeze.

  Brendan breathed heavily behind him. Cam could tell he was trying to be quiet, but the climb was too intense on this side of the ridge and even Cam was having trouble keeping up with his muscles’ desperate need for oxygen.

  Another crack. Cam jerked his head up.

  “Shit.”

  “Goddammit.”

  “Get back!”

  Brendan thrust himself around, arm wrapped tightly around the trunk of a tree about as wide as Cam’s arm.

  Cam jumped as far down the slope as he could, slamming sideways into the same tree Brendan had just released. He went spinning around the tree and his quick reflexes were the only thing that saved him from a headfirst fall down the side of the ridge.

  His feet skidded out from under him as he swung under the low bend in the tree.

  A roaring wolf slammed into the ground not ten feet above where Cam had been climbing just seconds ago.

  He’d heard the roar of a lust crazed wolf several times in his life. The sound had never created the crashing wave of fear this on
e did.

  “Peacemaker!” the wolf roared, her voice vibrating the insides of Cam’s ears. “You’ll meet your fate tonight!”

  Lust hadn’t crazed this wolf. Her roar had the might of an enraged alpha behind it, and if he hadn’t been too busy half falling, half throwing himself down the slope he’d just climbed, he might’ve stopped to ask Brendan what the hell.

  He’d never met a female alpha before, although he’d always known they existed. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to meet another.

  His headlong flight made it impossible to get to his weapon. Limbs and saplings whipped into his chest and arms. He couldn’t grab at the trees fast enough.

  A wolf roared to his left.

  Shit.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  He wasn’t going to make it.

  Brendan hollered something he couldn’t hear over the blood pounding through him and then he saw Brendan lose his footing and crash forward.

  The wolf to Cam’s left beat his way out of the thick brush and headed straight for Brendan.

  Someone grabbed Cam from behind, claws biting into his skin, ripping flesh. Cam’s forward momentum pulled him out of the wolf’s grasp, but only for a moment.

  Claws dug into his shoulder. A fiery burn radiated outward and then he crashed to the ground, his feet no longer able to keep up. He rolled.

  The wolf came down on top of him. Her teeth gleamed bright in the darkness and her eyes glowed with the fiery light of victory.

  Cam yelled.

  Chapter 29

  “I submit!” Cam yelled again, gasping around the pain stabbing into his back. “I submit!”

  “I don’t want your submission, human. I want your alpha.” Her head raised and she looked beyond him, down the slope. “And it seems I finally have him.”

  “Greer’s not my alpha.” His voice shook; his chest burned. His back stabbed at him with needle sharp pains down his spine.

  Her eyes refocused on Cam. She pushed her hand against his chest, her claws pricking deep enough to make Cam twitch. “You’re lying. You came from the den.”

  “I wasn’t there by choice,” Cam said, trying to slow his racing heart. “I could submit to you. I would. If you want me to.”

  She leaned forward and sniffed, then sniffed closer. She raised her head and her lips pulled back. “You’re mated.”