by Raye Wagner
We slowed our pace, and Rage led us to a cave. It smelled clear of any other animals, and I was so grateful for a place to rest my legs that I collapsed onto my belly, panting, the moment we crawled inside. Rage’s wolf spun in two circles before he could find a comfy spot, and then he nuzzled up next to me, his head pointing to the front of the cave.
‘Just an hour of rest,’ I said. ‘Then, we need to make a plan to get Honor back.’
My wolf yawned, nodding, and then my eyelids grew droopy. Rage’s wound was no longer weeping but still smelled of blood, and my thoughts went to sweet Honor before sleep finally took me.
We’re coming, buddy. Don’t give up.
The sun peeked over the horizon, crawling into the cave and banishing the darkness, and my eyelids snapped open to find Rage had just jerked awake as well.
‘How long did we sleep?’ I stood, heart pounding as I listened for any of the king’s wolves. I paused to absorb the beauty as the new day bathed the wooded area in golden light. Crazy that just last night was the mid-year games. Last night, Honor was alive. Yesterday, my biggest concern was passing a test so I could stay at Alpha Academy. Now, as long as Declan Midnight was king, I’d never go back.
‘Four or five hours.’ Rage’s black wolf looked up at the sun as if reading the time from that alone. ‘Still tired.’
‘Me too.’ My stomach growled. ‘And hungry.’
Rage stepped out of the cave tentatively, looking both ways and scouting the area before I stepped out next.
Birds chirped and cawed overhead, and beetles crawled through the underbrush. The vegetation and terrain reminded me of the mountains in Montana in the fall—as the foliage turned from verdant green to lush reds and golds. Small rodent scat was everywhere, and my wolf’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Those animals would make a meal haven for our kind.
‘Are we in a pack’s territory?’ I asked Rage’s wolf. Even though all the wolves lived on Alpha Island—and since we were off the island we should be okay—there were other shifter species we’d piss off by hunting on their grounds.
He pressed his nose to the ground and inhaled. ‘Weak mages. No shifters.’
Our first bit of luck all freaking day!
We ambled over to a small creek and lapped at the water. Then, after crossing through it, I spotted a rocky overhang. The closer we got, the more it smelled of wild fox. Breakfast.
My tail wagged with the thought. ‘Let’s go hunting. I’m hungry.’
‘Mate happy,’ Rage’s wolf stated, nuzzling me.
I barked with laughter. ‘Yes, I’m happy.’
Even though so much had gone wrong, there were a few things that gave me hope. We had a way to get Honor out of the Realm of the Dead. Sort of. Rage and I were still alive. And my mom and uncle, possibly father, loved me. I saw it in their gazes right before I almost hugged them. After some breakfast, we could plan how to kill Surlama and track down Noble and Justice, who, by now, had hopefully found Honor a body. There were probably a million other things I was forgetting, but I needed food and more sleep.
Each step felt like dragging myself through quicksand, but that overhang and the fox that slept inside was legit calling my name.
‘Wolf!’ Rage shouted. ‘Run!’
I caught the scent of the other male, but fatigue and hunger slowed my reaction. I spun around, and with Rage at my side, we darted out of the clearing, back toward the stream. We ran, but this area was unfamiliar to us. If this was a rogue’s territory, he’d have the advantage. After crossing the brook, I looked back and spotted him, dark fur against the autumn foliage, closing in. That said, he was alone, so the odds were still in our favor.
With my next breath, I scented the air again and my stomach fell. Not alone. There were at least two other wolves nearby, maybe more. How had we not smelled them before now?
‘There are at least three, maybe more. They’ve caught our scent too. Do you still want to try to outrun them?’ I asked as we stepped into a clearing.
‘Run or fight?’ he asked.
Why ask me? I wanted neither—why couldn’t that be an option? ‘Vacation to Hawaii when this is over,’ I told him.
‘Rogue pack, small.’ Rage’s wolf curled his lip, ignoring my Hawaii comment.
Probably better to fight now than run and have to fight later. I was 78.6% sure a snail could outrun me. I needed about five thousand calories before I was good again.
Gazing out into the forest, I saw three—no, four more wolves coming in from different angles toward us.
‘Our advantage will be stronger if we’re fighting them with our magic, not our teeth,’ I told him.
My wolf agreed with my logic and receded so rapidly that I blinked, and then I was staring at the ground on my hands and knees. My chin dropped, and I looked down at my boobs.
Oh. My. Mage.
I was butt naked. Literally, not a single scrap of my clothing remained. The chilly morning air made my skin prickle, and I slapped one arm over my breasts and the other hand over my hoo-ha as I stood. Being naked in front of packmates occasionally happened—no big deal. But in front of strangers? In front of my mate who hadn’t seen me naked yet? No bueno.
“Wow,” Rage said, his voice husky and low. I snuck a glance at him, my gaze dropping to his lower region, only to find he’d magically retained all of his clothing. Something I’d forgotten he could do.
“Shut up!” I whirled away from him but then thought better of it since my hands were otherwise occupied. No matter which way I turned, he’d get an eyeful. “We have seconds before we’re attacked—”
Something smacked me in the face, and I squealed, swatting at it—until I touched the cotton fabric.
At the same time as my impromptu dance, Rage bellowed, “Put on my shirt.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, pulling the filthy garment over my head. The fabric was still damp with his blood, and it stuck to my skin, making me cringe, but it was better than nothing. Maybe.
Five wolves entered the clearing then, their hackles raised. The biggest of them had fur the color of molasses; the other four ranged in colors from pale honey to gray.
I was 98.4% sure these guys weren’t the welcome wagon.
“Stop!” Rage bellowed at the wolves. He sucked in a deep breath, and a sphere of fire appeared in his hands. “One more step, and I’ll turn your entire pack to nothing but ash.”
Badass.
My wolf practically purred with admiration for our mate.
But one look at the dry underbrush sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
“If you throw that,” a man said, rising from his crouched position where he’d been a wolf a half-breath ago, “you’ll burn this whole chunk of the magic lands, Alpha Heir, and I don’t think you want that.”
Okay … human was good. Human meant we might be able to talk to this dude.
I grabbed Rage’s wrist. ‘He’s right. This place is a tinderbox.’
‘Intimidation wins what percent of fights, Nai?’ Rage said in response. Even mentally, his voice was laced with frustration.
I stepped away from him and muttered, “Ninety-seven point nine percent.”
“What?” the stranger man asked, turning his attention to me.
I studied the stranger, and my gaze flicked to his forehead. His messy hair covered most of his brow, but … was that an alpha heir mark?
No … it couldn’t be.
“Are you okay, miss?” the man asked, stepping toward me. “Is this guy—?”
“I’m fine.” Humiliation stained my cheeks because I’d said my percentages out loud. Hunger was taking a toll.
“I’m her mate,” Rage snarled, stepping between me and the other man. “And we’re just passing through. We don’t want any trouble, but if you won’t let us go, we’ll fight.”
Obviously, the guy wasn’t out for blood or he would’ve never shifted into his human form.
“John,” a woman said, appearing fully clothed where one of the wolves had just b
een. Wavy blond hair fell past her shoulders, and her blue eyes were lined with what my father called crow’s feet. She offered me a soft smile and then rolled her eyes toward John before taking her place at his side. “They aren’t guards from the alpha king.”
She unbuttoned her coat and stepped toward me, holding out the thick garment. “Go ahead,” she coaxed. “I can see you’re cold.”
I snorted with self-deprecation. Pretty sure everyone could see I was cold.
“Thank you,” I murmured, stepping past Rage to take the coat. I slid my arms in, and my shoulders sagged with relief as warmth swallowed me. I buttoned up the front of the jacket and then pushed Rage’s hands down. ‘Don’t you dare strike after that kindness.’
“Sara, you don’t know them,” the man named John groaned. “He’s a Midnight Pack heir.” He pointed to Rage’s forehead.
And at the same time, Rage responded in my head, ‘You don’t know if that’s a ploy—’
“I can see that, darling,” Sara said. “But they’re running away from where the king’s men are, not toward it.”
I grinned up at Rage. ‘See? She’s cool. Let’s try and roll with it. We both need food and more sleep. It seems like they’re familiar with the area. Maybe they can help us.’
Rage furrowed his brow. ‘He’s a Daybreak Clan heir… I’ve heard about him: Mallory’s uncle.’
Evil Barbie should spend time in those outer rings of death, but maybe her uncle wasn’t all bad. Before I could respond to Rage, Sara spoke again.
“Girls,” Sara said, snapping her fingers at the other three wolves. “Get back to the house and make it presentable. Hopefully, we’ll return with our guests promptly. Lizbeth, make sure to warm something for them to eat.”
Relief washed through me at her words. “Thank you. We’d be so grateful.”
She nodded. “I smell blood. Is one of you injured?”
Pointing out my alpha-male companion’s weak spot wouldn’t be smart, so I hesitated, forcing my gaze to the ground instead of my mate. I wasn’t sure how injured Rage was after my little blood healing magic either. Maybe he was fine.
“I’m only asking because I have a healing salve at home. Come on,” she said with a wave. “I’ll give it to you, and you two can decide if either needs it.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Sara turned to go, and I pivoted, only to see Rage and John having an epic staredown. Even better … Rage kept his arm tucked tightly into his side as if that would mask his wound.
I threaded my arm through Rage’s and looked up as Sara elbowed John in the ribs. I had to admit, I liked her.
Rage grumbled, but he took my lead and started to walk … until John ushered us to go ahead of him.
“I’ll be two seconds behind you,” John said. He held up an oil-mister can like the kind Lona used to spray pans before she cooked. “I’m just going to spray this scent-masker where you’ve been standing to cover up the smell of your blood. The last thing we need is to have the alpha king’s guards tracking you and for your trail to lead them to us.”
Okay, this clearly wasn’t the guy’s first rodeo. He was smart. While Sara had better manners than John, he wasn’t all bad.
I craned my neck to look over my shoulder, watching as John sprayed the mister over the leaf litter. I took a deep breath in through my nose and inhaled … nothing. As in absolutely nada. Well, that explained why we didn’t scent them coming until they were right on top of us.
“What is that?” I asked.
John said nothing as he sprayed, and when he finished, he merely waved for us to move.
I caught Rage’s narrowed eyes, but then my attention went to his brow, beaded with sweat. Yikes, we’d better hurry to their home and get that salve. Maybe my blood healing mojo didn’t heal him after all. After turning back toward Sara, who would hopefully be more open with information, we began our trek through the woods. “Is that spray why we didn’t smell you?”
She nodded. “It’s a magic odor-eliminator, specific for shifters.”
“We used to get it from Dark Row,” John said from behind us. He dropped his voice and grumbled, “Not sure what we’re going to do now that the entire place has burned to the ground.”
There was no accusation in his voice, but still, I felt guilty. Not that we’d burned it down, but it was pretty suspect that just before Rage and I went into the Realm of the Dead, we’d heard the howl of the king’s wolves. Now, the place was a pile of ashes. Hopefully, Justice and Noble got out and to safety in time. I was counting on Rage letting me know if he felt anything through his pack bond—like if they were in mortal danger or had perished.
We continued several paces in silence, and I noticed how Sara scanned the woods ahead of her. One glance over my shoulder confirmed that John’s gaze also skimmed the trees from behind us.
“So you live off Alpha Island?” I asked, probing in the politest way I knew to discover if they were outcasted rogues.
She laughed. “Yes. My mate and I were banished about twenty years back. When I found out I was pregnant with our twins, Sadie and Audrey, I was thrilled. But a few months later, Declan became alpha king.” She said his name with venom. “And the laws changed.”
I nodded, sympathetic to her hatred of that man. “I’m from Crescent Clan.”
Brushing my hair away from my forehead, I showed her my clan mark, and her expression softened. Everyone knew the story of Crescent’s banishment to the mortal world. Everyone.
Sara glanced back at John, her eyebrows raised. “See, she’s one of us.”
John glared, pointing at Rage. “He’s not.”
I gritted my teeth and ignored John. Still, I was curious. “Why were you banished? What law changed to make you targets?”
Sara smiled, but it was a sad sort of smile, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes. Pulling back her thick bangs, she showed me her clan mark. One I knew well because my bestie wore the same. “I’m from Harvest. He’s Daybreak.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. Wow, so she, being from Harvest Clan, had gotten pregnant with a Daybreak heir’s children? Yeah, that was so not allowed today. But it used to be when Rage’s dad was king? Interesting … I never knew that.
Her hand lingered on her forehead, and I noticed for the first time, there were marks on her ring finger.
Mother of all mages.
There on her ring finger … she bore the white marks of … I pivoted and looked at John’s hand.
Mate marks.
I was 84.2% sure I saw that right, so I shook my head and looked again. Still there. “You guys are fated mates?”
She nodded, and I held up my hand, which won me her grin—a real one.
“Just like you.” She beamed.
Rage and John looked at each other’s fated mate marks, and both of their stern expressions softened, but neither said a word. Looked like the two brutes had found something in common.
“But … did you say the law changed?” I asked, reviewing the rest of what she’d revealed. “As in, it used to be okay to mate with someone outside your pack?” I wanted to clarify that point because if Rage’s dad used to allow inter-pack mating, he was my new hero.
“That was before Declan became king,” John growled as he stepped up next to Sara. “Only a coward makes a decision that would go against fate.”
“Declan changed the law about fated-mates?” I asked, looking to Rage for confirmation. “He can do that?”
Rage’s pulse feathered in his neck, and he clenched his teeth. “My father, who was king before Declan, honored the fated-mate process, no matter who fate brought together.”
“Yes, and with the High Mage Council’s blessing, Declan destroyed the law honoring it.”
Whoa. I had a hard time believing Gramps would be okay with that. Maybe it was a majority rules kinda thing. Maybe Grandpa and I needed to chat more. A lot more.
“I’m sorry,” I said as we continued to walk. I was sorry that Sara and John were cast out. I was sor
ry the law was changed. And I was sorry that Rage had to find out over and over again how much of a douche his uncle was.
Sara shrugged. “Don’t be sorry for us. We’re happy. Probably even happier out here than we’d be on the island. We have our own land. No one bothers us much besides the occasional drunk bear, and we take in all the wolves the king banishes. After twenty years, we’ve created a little pack of our own.”
John’s gaze flicked to Rage, but Rage said nothing.
Well, now that she’d shared their story, I felt like we should be honest with ours. ‘Are you okay if I tell them about us?’
I watched Rage closely, surprised when he nodded. ‘Sure.’
After a deep breath, I said, “We’ve been banished too … sort of. The king and his wolves are hunting us. I’m pretty sure they are, so you might be in danger … for taking us in.”
Dark brown fur rippled down John’s arms, and my eyes widened at his sudden anger.
“Let the king send his men into my woods,” he growled, his nostrils flaring. “They won’t leave alive.”
Okay. So John didn’t care about a little trouble. Or maybe even a lot. That was good to know, and very fitting behavior of an alpha heir. And he was Mallory’s uncle? I found myself wanting to know more about him, but I tempered that excitement.
“You’ll be safe here,” he told us both.
And with that promise, Rage completely softened toward these two. Maybe he saw our future in them like I did. Maybe he realized just how much of a psycho his uncle was.
“Thank you,” Rage said. “I—we … appreciate your kindness.”
Not going to lie, my heart melted a little.
John nodded and that was that. The two men buried our rocky introduction, and now we were on common ground.
The trees thinned, and the narrow path through the dry underbrush disappeared as we stepped into an area where the flora had been trimmed to nearly nothing. The sun warmed the glen, and we followed John and Sara through another thicket, which opened into an even larger clearing. A hand-tied wooden fence extended twenty paces in either direction before it curved and disappeared into the thick trees.