For an instant, I was back in the root cellar with Lupe. Damp, dark. Panting breaths drawing closer. Air acrid with terrified sweat.
But I couldn’t help the bloodling if I failed at whatever test had been set in front of my physical form. So, ripping my mind free from Lupe’s frantic clinging, I instead glanced quickly in Ginger’s direction.
I’d felt my companion tuning in to my internal conversation but couldn’t be sure she understood what I was asking now. Would she manage to ignore this earthly battle and instead focus on attempting to contact her twin? I could only hope so as I rolled down my window and complied with the male’s silent demand.
“Not worried about unwitting bystanders?” I berated the stranger, knowing I sounded like a schoolmarm but hoping a bit of bluster would throw him off his game. Despite my admonition, the ambush location had been well chosen, with nothing but sand dunes on either side and with no vehicles apparent either before or behind us. Help definitely wasn’t on the way.
Back to fake it ‘til you make it, I thought, sitting up straighter and pretending the loss of the transparent barrier between us didn’t make me itch to pull out my sword and slice threateningly at the air. Unfortunately, I was trapped within the metal husk of the car with barely enough room to turn sideways, let alone to draw a weapon. Once again, I was unable to protect myself with anything other than words.
Unfazed by my tough stance, the male leaner closer. His head jutted forward in a show of lupine threat even as his fingers curled closed around the hint of window glass still exposed between us. In stark contrast to the wintry air rushing in the open window, I could feel his hot breath pressing against my bare skin, the sensation sending tiny hairs erect all over my body.
“National Seashore,” my opponent answered once the blood was pounding frantically in my ears and my breathing had accelerated to a staccato rasp. “Down season.”
His terseness—a sign of a rampant wolf—was nearly as unsettling as his proximity. But I maintained a polite smile anyway...until a strong compulsion lapped up against my skin, pulling against my muscles and nearly thrusting me out of my seat before I knew what was happening.
The intensity of the tug suggested that my enemy’s physical strength was the least of my worries. And as my limbs began moving without my consent, it became obvious I wouldn’t like the result if I succumbed to his compulsion.
Luckily, my inner beast was stronger and faster than she’d been just a few months earlier. Soundlessly, she fled on swift paws, running faster than the compulsion could follow down through chest to stomach, then deeper into the dark recesses of our shared body. In seconds, I was left to face our opponents alone.
Well, not entirely alone. The slam of one car door closing and the creak of a second one opening proved that Ginger had taken advantage of the males’ tunnel vision to disembark and release our lupine companion from the back seat as well. Together, my allies stalked toward our shared opponents, rounding the rear bumper and coming into view on my right-hand side.
Despite the fresh forces, our contingent was clearly outnumbered and obviously outmatched. Ginger’s sharp tongue and Sinsa’s spunk aside, my crew mates were considerably smaller and weaker than the shifters they faced down. And my own inability to fight off the male’s compulsion in the traditional fashion proved we were weak in other areas as well.
Perhaps that’s why the bystanders met Sinsa’s warning growl with easy laughter. “A party of bitches,” one male murmured almost too low for me to hear.
This is what we wanted, I reminded myself. This was why Ginger had chosen to keep our deputation all-female—she’d hoped that hide-bound males would underestimate our prowess and lower their guard.
Now, I took advantage of the males’ amusement to push my own door wide and step out onto the sand. “No, boys,” I said with a confidence I was surprised to find wasn’t the least bit feigned. “Not a party of bitches. A bitch attack force.”
***
Their amusement broke over us in waves. But, honestly, I didn’t care. If this was the worst the All-Pack alphas had to offer, then I needn’t have worried we’d be turned back before we achieved our goal. After all, what did this band of males plan to do—laugh us to death?
Then, finally, the shifter in the lead wiped the mirth out of his eyes and held out his right hand. “Keys,” he demanded, his voice abruptly cold.
I raised an eyebrow, offering nothing. Beside me, Ginger stood with hands on hips, wolf-form Sinsa pushing up against the side of her leg. “We’ll make our own way to All-Pack, thank you very much,” the redhead countered cheekily. “But I do appreciate your offer to drive.”
Again, the males laughed, only this time the gales of merriment felt less jovial and more hard-edged hungry. “They’re babes in the woods,” called out a shifter in the back. “Can we take them down now?” demanded a younger male only a foot away from my left shoulder. “Tasty,” added a third.
Despite myself, I shivered and the lead male patted me gently on the cheek. It took all of my willpower not to turn my head and bite off his thumb.
“You’re not in danger here,” he consoled me, shooting a quelling glance over one shoulder before his compatriots could start back up with their heckling. Then, drawing a line in the sand with his heel, he added, “But this is the boundary of All-Pack’s territory. Step over and you’re fair game for any wolf who wishes to take you on. Turn around and you’re free to go home with our well wishes and god speed.”
I nodded silently, pulling at the plastic door handle. These males were just the greeting crew, I’d long since realized. And now they’d told me the rules. So we’d get back in the car, lock the doors, and drive like mad women down the road. Bathroom breaks be damned, we wouldn’t stop again until we got there.
“Eh, eh, eh,” the male halted me, his hand slamming down atop mine. In response to the force of his pressure, my fingers twisted painfully against the hard plastic, proving that the shifter’s definition of “not in danger” and mine were at serious odds. “No more driving. And, if you cross the line, no more semblance of humanity. You’ll arrive as wolves or you won’t arrive at all.”
I glanced quickly in Ginger’s direction, trying to decide whether it was worth bluffing and pretending to leave, only to return to my original drive-like-hell plan. Were the other alphas likely to turn us away if we showed up at All-Pack surrounded by a modern human conveyance? And, on the other hand, would we wind up dead in a ditch if we attempted to run all day in lupine form while evading bands of enemy shifters?
My friend opened her mouth to respond, either answering my question or complaining about the manhandling. But instead of words, only a yelp emerged as one of the males abruptly spun her around, twisting an arm up behind her back as he rooted around in her pants pocket in search of the previously requested keys.
“Got it,” her assailant reported a moment later. But rather than removing his prize and releasing the twin, he allowed his hand to trail suggestively across Ginger’s hip as it made its ascent out of her pocket and over her exposed flesh.
Now it was my turn to growl, relative strength of our enemies forgotten and wolf once again at the fore as I responded to the illicit groping of my friend. “You bastards,” I started, only to pause as Ginger shook her head subtly. No, she was right—we were wasting precious time.
As best I could guess, we’d barely made it past the initial island before being stopped by this mob of males. Which meant we had fifty miles and a half-hour ferry ride remaining before we reached the spot where All-Pack began at sunset.
Meanwhile, the clock was ticking down fast. Only eight hours of light remained on this shortest day of the year...and there would be no wiggle room at the far end since the boat across the sound only set off once an hour.
I’d hoped to arrive at midmorning, to set up camp and hunt down the Taylor alpha soon thereafter in an attempt to wrangle an alliance with the only clan I’d yet to ask for support. Taylor was Stormwinder’s dista
nt cousin, his small territory located only a few miles away from that of the Tribunal member who lorded it over all of the other alphas in his region. But despite the affiliation implied by blood, I’d hoped the former’s proximity would actually work in my favor.
Perhaps Taylor was sick and tired of playing second fiddle to the older male. Perhaps Taylor would join Franklin and the Byrds to depose Stormwinder from his lofty perch. Perhaps Taylor would stand up and vote for Wolf Landing to become an official pack.
It had always been a long shot, but one I was willing to take. Now, though, it looked like my party would be lucky to achieve our destination by the time All-Pack was officially underway. Fifty miles on human feet meant thirteen hours of heavy walking at best. If I protected my weak wolf, then we’d arrive in the dark, exhausted and road weary, long after the meeting had begun.
On the other hand, running the gauntlet in lupine form was inadvisable. My wolf had been growing in strength over recent months, but she quivered now in the face of a male weaker than any of the other strangers likely arrayed across our future path. Because why set your strongest wolf as a greeter when you could save him to harry and rip at the hides of wolves deep into the race?
Still, I knew what I had to do. So, raising my chin to signal my intent to my friends, I grabbed for my lupine counterpart. Despite being hidden, she’d been waiting. Now, she woke from her slumber alert and excited, and together we shifted as we leapt, clothes falling away and males exclaiming in surprise as females they’d considered beneath their notice transformed far more quickly than enemies could follow.
Then the three of us were running flat out up the side of the nearest dune, loose sand dribbling away beneath scrabbling paws. Hot breath on my heels was no worry but joy. The pursuers weren’t enemies, intent upon mayhem. Instead, they were clan members protecting my back.
Together, we crested the rise. Ginger panted on my left, Sinsa on my right. Before us, beach and ocean stretched out in every direction, the endless wind whipping waves into a froth.
We paused for half a second, checking over one shoulder for pursuit. Then, pushing outwards, we soared.
Chapter 23
The wind pushed us onward as we flew down the beach, but soon our footsteps steadied into an abiding lope. As promised, the males hadn’t followed us over the dunes, so we only needed to keep our eyes peeled for attackers along the flat expanse of shore and water. Still, the churn of sand, the scream of gulls, the endless vigilance all combined to make it impossible to reconnect with my absent pack mates.
Even though I was unable to see what was actually happening, I couldn’t help but imagine Lupe and Amanda hiding together in their man-made hole. In my mind’s eye, I watched young bloodlings pouring back into the valley and directly into the arms of our enemies. Hunter fighting an uber-alpha stronger than himself. Nina’s twins wailing in agony as they were tortured and killed.
I could imagine. But there was nothing I could do other than run.
Only when we neared the end of the first long island did our steps once again slow as we butted up against potential peril. The causeway leading to the next spit of land was over two miles long, a blacktop bridge above the sound providing no avenue of escape if cars barricaded opposite ends and trapped us in the middle. And, yes, the area appeared deserted save for a family of one-bodies fishing in the harbor just before the bridge...but who knew what lurked beyond the limits of my eyes, ears, and nose?
Still, there was no way to go but ahead. So tentatively, we bypassed the dock on the west and crept toward our goal on bent legs and earth-brushing bellies. Finally, together, Ginger, Sinsa and I leapt up onto the pavement as a united body, as a pack.
Toenails clicked against the asphalt and heads swiveled as we searched the air for danger. The rushing wind was weaker here, slightly inland from the ocean-side breeze. Nevertheless, the endless roar of ocean made it difficult to hear. No wonder the car crept up behind us almost before we realized it was present.
Shit. Another ambush.
Whirling, I placed myself between vehicle and crew. Unwilling to be protected, though, my companions paced forward to stand stoically by my side.
Together, we bristled and waited. We could scramble up and over the barrier then dive into the ocean below. But a wolf isn’t a prime swimmer. We’d be forced to retreat, then to start on the same perilous crossing all over again from the original side. Time would be lost and All-Pack would recede further into the distance.
No, we needed to cross now. So until the menace became intolerable, we’d stand our ground.
The vehicle bore down on us, slowing as it neared. Sunlight glinted off darkened windows, making it impossible to see inside. Salt and oil blocked any organic aroma beyond the sharp tang of bird shit at my feet.
Then a window rolled down. I held my breath, expecting a wave of alpha compulsion or perhaps the barrel of a gun. I had no defense against either here in my lupine skin.
But, instead, human heads craned out. The peril dissipated and became instead a family of tourists, a teenager in the back seat snapping photos with a smartphone.
They stared. They laughed. Then they accelerated and left us in a wave of exhaust.
There would be strange news stories of a pack of wolves crossing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. A mild infraction against shifter law. But no evidence left behind, no corpses for Fish and Wildlife to scratch their heads over. We were still in the clear.
So, turning, I allowed Ginger to pull into the lead, sandwiching Sinsa between our protective forms. Picking up our pace, we trotted southward.
For now, we were safe.
***
But were our absent pack mates still living? Off the bridge and back on terra firma, I knew I couldn’t leave Wolf Landing to fend for itself indefinitely. Sinsa, Ginger, and I were now as sheltered as we were likely to become anywhere between here and All-Pack. Best take the breathing room while it lasted and attempt to contact our clan one more time.
You’ll try Cinnamon? I asked the elder of my two companions silently. A lift of her tail and a flick of her ears was lupine reply enough. Then, wordlessly, Ginger slipped up over the dunes to bed down in the lee of the wind where she could curl nose to tail and delve as deep as necessary into any bond that might still exist despite the distance separating us from her twin.
Meanwhile, Sinsa and I were left to guard the beach, an easy task since we could see for what seemed like an eternity in either direction. To the south, wild National Seashore ran for nearly ten miles with few access points and no structures along the way. Danger, if it existed, would come from the north, so I chose that direction and headed back the way we’d come in search of enemies.
While my physical body sniffed and searched, though, I couldn’t help pushing against the empty spot in my own brain. One by one, I tested the air for the resonance of each shifter in turn, and one by one the potential tethers between us came up missing.
I shivered, trying not to turn the perceived void into clan members dead at the hands of outpack marauders. No, distance was the more likely factor preventing Lupe and company from answering my call. Still, it was hard to believe that all was well when the teenager’s momentary connection had thrown me deep into the dangers lurking around Wolf Landing’s boundaries, when I had seen how close Lupe walked to the cliff edge of her personal limits.
Halt, my wolf whispered then, pulling me out of my brown study. Obediently, I paused, feet planted in the loose sand at the base of the dunes as figures came into view at the far end of the beach. My pack mates and I weren’t alone on the National Seashore after all. Instead, there were two-leggers walking toward us from the causeway. And, hoisted over the lead figure’s shoulder—a long object that might have been a stick...or a gun.
I crouched, belly to earth. Our enemies were coming and my fangs were the only weapon standing between them and my defenseless companions. I’d known this would happen all along. Our run so far had been too easy, the roadblock the only real
danger standing between us and the gathering that so many alphas wanted to ensure we failed to reach.
Luckily for me, the wind was blowing from the northwest, my own aroma carrying down the beach and then out to sea so these newcomers had no chance of catching our lingering scent trail. Plus, my crew and I had been careful to run at the edge of the surf, ignoring the cold spray in the interest of covering our tracks with the next advancing wave. We’d done our due diligence, so our attackers wouldn’t know where we were currently located...but they also couldn’t be allowed to pass my sentry post and attack Ginger while she was deep in her twin-tether trance.
Before the decision to move had fully solidified in my mind, I found myself stalking forward, lupine instinct sending me along the least visible path toward my prey. The sun had turned to the west an hour earlier, leaving a wedge of dark shadow at the foot of each dune. This protective obscurity would hide my grizzled fur and give me the jump on our enemies. It would still be three against one, but maybe the element of surprise would be sufficient to give me the upper hand.
Hunt, danger, enemies.
The wolf consumed me as we padded forward and I let her lead. She was better than I was at hunting. She was better than I was at hiding. And when it came right down to it, she was better than I was at taking down prey.
Then, almost as if clinging to control of our shared body had been the only reason I’d been unable to reach my pack mates previously, a tether materialized out of thin air before us. Strong, vibrant, tantalizing.
Usually, I could have decided whether or not to accept the beckoning call of a pack connection. But this time around, the bond tugged me off my feet and crashed over my head like a tidal wave. It pulled me under, breaking off all access to the outside world even as my wolf stalked ever closer to our shared quarry.
Wolf Landing (Alpha Underground Book 3) Page 15