Vaughn reported on the fight training. He wanted to introduce a new fight style he’d been reading about in one of Dare’s books.
“Is the book still intact?” Dare asked.
“Seeing as you threatened to castrate me if I so much as breathed on it, yes,” Vaughn said.
“Take a select group of the best fighters you have and train them first. See how they take to it. If they do all right, you can train everyone else.”
Vaughn rubbed his hands together. “Consider it done. Thanks, Alpha.”
Bay was last to report—he was in charge of making sure the Hive ran smoothly, that families were getting along, and Weres were doing their jobs. “We do need to make a supply run, soon,” he said. “We need lumber.”
“Let’s arrange that for the next couple of days,” Dare said.
“Will do.”
When the guard had finished with their findings, Dare leaned back in his chair. “Any other odds and ends to cover?”
Four voices murmured, “No, Alpha.”
“Good. Reese will most likely not attend every meeting with me, but I wanted him here so he could see how the pack works. He also asks a lot of questions, and I’m tired of answering them all.” I elbowed him in the side. He didn’t even flinch.
When we left the meeting room, Dare was quiet, and I didn’t feel like talking either. Because the longer I was here, the more I loathed doing anything to jeopardize this pack. It was run by a group of Weres who cared about the health and sustainability of the pack. They were peaceful and educated and all the things I’d once had in Astria.
“I wish the Bluefoot pack could see how others live,” I said as Dare began to undress back in our room. “Most of them are brainwashed by Xan.”
Dare sighed heavily. “If it wasn’t for the truce, I’d storm the gates.”
I straightened. “Really?”
“How you and your brother were treated is unacceptable. And not giving you a proper death and burial is unheard of.”
He had a point. I should have been killed and my body burned, not left for Noweres to desecrate.
Dare shook his head. “But I can’t go back on the truce. I can’t risk lives here, disrupt this pack, in order to save people who might not even want to be saved.”
My heart sank. I knew this. And it crushed my remaining hope that I could ask Dare’s help in rescuing Selene.
Of course he wouldn’t risk his pack. And if he knew I wanted to leave, what would he do? Why would he let me leave knowing I’d be risking my life—and his?
That was why telling him about Selene was a risk I couldn’t take.
The weight on my shoulders was crushing. I told Dare I was tired and needed to rest. His brow furrowed but he left me alone, retreating to the corner and pulling out one of his precious books.
I closed my eyes, but I didn’t fall asleep for a long time, my mind turning over and over again how I was going to save Selene and ensure a happy life for my family.
They were all I’d had for so long. And now, fate had given me…so much more. But with a price tag that I didn’t know how to pay.
Chapter Nine
Reese
* * *
It’d been almost two weeks since I became Dare’s mate, and I hadn’t quite been given the freedom I’d hoped.
If I wasn’t walking the compound with Dare or another guard, I was locked in our room. I knew it was for my own safety, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to shove everyone away and take off. Time was ticking by, and no matter how much I knew I was falling for Dare and this place, I couldn’t forget Selene. That pull in my gut to make my family whole again was still there, strong as ever.
I sat at a table in the Forum, eating with Dare, Jude, and G. Jude watched me carefully, eating his chicken with small bites. We hadn’t had a chance to talk privately, and it was killing me, because every time I saw Jude, his anxiety was worse.
He was thinking about Selene. Well, so was I.
Dare scraped his empty plate with his fork and pointed at my roll. “You going to eat that?”
“Of course I’m going to eat my roll. Get your own.” I snatched it off my plate and took a massive bite.
He grinned at me and squeezed the back of my neck.
I rolled my eyes as I chewed and swallowed. When I glanced at Jude again, he bowed his head, avoiding my eyes.
The bite of roll dropped into my stomach like lead. Dare was affectionate with me around the pack, which was common for shifters. And I was affectionate back, because I liked him. A lot.
And he was my mate. This was allowed. But yet of course I felt guilty. Because Selene wasn’t here—and wouldn’t be—unless I got my head together and figured out a plan quick.
I pushed my plate away as a squeal sounded on the other side of the Forum. Mav ran toward us, grabbed the rest of my roll off my plate, then hopped into Dare’s lap.
I gasped in mock outrage. “Thief!”
Mav screeched and took off, looking over his shoulder to see if I was chasing him. And of course, I had play along, so I raced after him across the floor of the Hive. He was a quick little thing, and dashed outside, finding his mom talking with another female Were.
Mav hid behind her long skirt, peeking out at me, as Cati placed a hand on his head absentmindedly. She smiled at her friend, who walked away with a wave.
Cati turned that smile onto me, raising an eyebrow. “What’s going on here?”
Mav giggled loudly, and took a bite of my roll.
I pointed at him. “That little guy has committed carb theft, and we all know that’s just about the worst theft there is.”
Cati gasped dramatically. “Mav, you didn’t!”
“I hope you find a fitting punishment,” I said gravely.
She nodded. “Of course.”
“It’s just a roll, Reethe!” Mav said, holding it out to me in a panic.
I grinned and ruffled his hair. “We’re just kidding, buddy.” I leaned down. “But if you steal my pop, we’re going to have problems.”
Mav shook his head. “I won’t!”
I straightened as a novus called to Mav, and he took off on a sprint to join his friends. Cati watched him go, her expression wistful. She sighed and turned to me. She was beautiful, and I might have been jealous if I hadn’t known Dare was completely committed to me.
But I did know. Deep down to my bones. I knew.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For what you’ve been through. Dare told me. And while none of us have had perfect lives, yours has been exceptionally harsh.”
It had been. And I had many fears it would get worse. “Thanks for that. Although, I know it hasn’t always been happy here.”
She shook her head. “No, which is why I understand how you were willing to risk all to get away from a horrible pack.” Her eyes clouded for a moment before clearing. “It’s a blessing to live here now, under Dare. He’s a selfless alpha who cares about this pack and is committed to helping it thrive.” She sighed. “Sometimes, behind these walls, I can pretend everything is fine, that the world is ours and not overrun by Noweres.” Her smile was wobbly. “You know?”
I knew so fucking well what she meant. I had fleeting moments of that too, before I remembered my sister. I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I do.”
She patted my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, Reese. You’re good for Dare.”
Fuck, I was going to cry, just have a mental breakdown right here, right now, while Cati confirmed to me that this pack’s way of life should be preserved at all costs.
I couldn’t let Dare break the truce, or help me rescue Selene in a way that left this pack vulnerable.
A tentative plan formed in my mind, and I knew I had to talk to Jude. I nodded to Cati, as that was the only reaction I was able to make without losing it. With a quiet goodbye, she made her way to her son, skirt swirling around her long legs, blond hair blowing in the breeze. Mav ran to her side, grabbed her hand, and that was the point I had
to look away.
I waited until I gathered my composure before joining Dare in the Forum. The smile Dare turned on me made my belly warm. None of this was wrong. It couldn’t be. It was just a shitty situation that I didn’t ask for. I wanted to cross my arms and pout about it, and I would have if my sister’s life didn’t depend on me figuring this shit out.
Dare greeted me when I returned. “I see you have no roll.”
“Nope, I’m roll-less thanks to your son.”
He laughed softly. “I need to run out and speak to Cati for a minute. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
“G,” Dare said. “You’re in charge of my mate and his brother.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the big man grunted.
As Dare walked outside, Jude bit his lips, his gaze darting between me and G. He was plotting something, and I hoped he was smart about it. Dare was good to me, and he’d moved past the initial mate call into caring about me. But I didn’t want to test what kind of punishment he’d mete out if I disobeyed him in front of his pack.
My brother turned to G, who watched him steadily and with what I noticed was a little bit of affection. “Hey, I remembered I forgot my journal in our room. Would you get it for me?”
G began to shake his head, but then Jude turned a mega-watt smile on him, and holy fuck, when did my brother turn into a manipulative little shit? “I wanted to show Reese what I’ve been working on, and I’m not sure when I’ll get to see him again soon. Please?” He laid a hand on G’s arm, and I did not miss the big man’s shudder. “We’ll wait right here. The Forum is full of pack members. We’ll be fine.”
G swallowed and looked at me. I played along, smiling as well. “Totally. Rua’s over there in the corner. We’ll be fine.” I hoped those weren’t famous last words.
G heaved himself to his feet and pointed a thick finger at my brother, his voice low. “Don’t move. I’ll be back in five minutes. You need anything, you yell.”
Jude nodded, again with that smile. “Of course. Thanks, G.”
In two strides G was in the air, leaping to the first balcony, then to the next. Jude turned wide eyes toward me. We were both a little speechless during the first moment we’d been able to talk alone since arriving here. He leaned in to speak quietly. “So honestly, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Dare treats me well.” “Well” was an understatement. “We could be without throats right now, you know?”
Jude sighed. “Fuck, I know. G dotes on me.”
“Brother, I think he’s in love with you.”
Jude blushed and ducked his head, then heaved a sigh. “So what’re we going to do about Selene?”
I closed my eyes briefly. “I’ve thought about this every day. Every hour. My original plan was to escape and rescue her myself. But the Mate Pain complicates things.”
“Mate Pain?”
“When Dare and I are separated, he’s in pain. Actual physical pain. And if I die…he dies too.”
Jude looked like he was going to cry. “Are you serious?”
“Yep. And what worries me is that if I leave, Gage will challenge him. The Mate Pain will make him weaker. I can’t do that to Dare, let alone this pack.”
“Do you think we can tell Dare and have him help get Selene? Do you trust him?”
“I do, with my whole heart.”
“Then—”
I sighed. “I think if I told Dare, he’d drop everything to save her. And that’s why I don’t think I can tell him.”
Jude blinked at me.
“What’ll happen to this pack if we break the truce?” I said. “You know Xan wouldn’t let that stand. I see Mav and his friends playing, and the elders relaxing outside, and I’m not sure I can live with being the one who fucks that up.”
Jude’s face fell. “I know. I-I love it here.”
“Me too, buddy.”
“So what’re we going to do?”
There was no choice that wouldn’t have lasting consequences. But I had to choose what would result in the least amount of impact. If I had Jude’s help. “I have a plan, but I need your help.”
Jude placed his hands on the table, face flushed. “Of course, anything.”
“I’ve been watching the scout schedule. Dare is giving me more freedom, so I’m going to sneak out when they open the gates. I’ll give you a heads up ahead of time, and once I’m out of those gates, you have to tell G. Dare’s going to be in pain, and vulnerable, so G and the guard are going to have to protect him until I get back. I should be gone four days, tops. They can make excuses for him until I get back.”
Jude nodded solemnly. “Of course. I can do that.”
“I don’t like this plan either. The thought of Dare in pain…” My stomach rolled, and my mouth went dry. “It’s unbearable. But we have about two weeks until Selene goes into heat and Xan claims her. Time is running out.” I reached out and gripped his hand. He curled his fingers around mine. “I almost died for you both once. And I’ll do it again in a heartbeat. You know that, right?”
“I do,” he said softly. “And that’s what worries me.”
I frowned, wanting to ask what he meant, when a thump alerted us to G’s return to the Forum.
His expression on Jude was intense, but since that was his default look, I didn’t worry too much. I drew my hand back and tried to act like I wasn’t on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
G dropped the notebook on the table in front of Jude, then sat down on the bench heavily beside him. He went back to finishing his lunch.
“Thanks so much, G,” Jude said, recovering quickly to smile at G. I was starting to wonder if his affection for G was actually real. He opened the book, bound crudely with leather, the homemade paper inside thick and uneven. He flipped through the pages, and I caught glimpses of pencil etches. The Silver Tip pack made writing instruments out of ground-up stone and natural dyes, kind of like chalk.
My stomach flipped, and my heartbeat sped up. It’d been a while since I’d seen Jude’s drawings. Back at the Bluefoot compound, I’d back-talked my superior a couple of months ago—because I just couldn’t help myself sometimes—and as punishment, they’d taken away Jude’s pencils and paper. The worst part was they’d thrown away every single drawing he’d tacked to his wall. Jude had maintained a stone face as they left with his prized possessions, and he’d had to calm me down while I’d screamed and flung myself around the small room we shared.
I was pretty sure he’d rather have been caned again.
Jude finally settled on a page and slid it over to me. He’d sketched a picture of a young novus feeding the chickens. She wore a dress down to her knees and was barefoot. Her arm was in mid-throw, the feed in an arc as it was thrown on the ground.
The chickens were surrounding her, and the best part of the picture was that she was smiling.
Jude’s drawings at Bluefoot had always been happy, a way for him to escape our life, but they’d been fantastical. Made up.
Here, he could draw something happy and it was real. My throat closed and I had to breathe deeply so I didn’t burst into tears.
“G took me on a tour and let me sit at the Farm for three hours so I could draw.” The pleasure in Jude’s voice nearly broke me. We deserved this happiness. Me, Jude, and Selene.
“It’s beautiful, Jude.” I ran my finger over the girl’s smile. “She’s cute.”
He took the book back and closed it. “She’s G’s daughter.”
I blinked. Did everyone have offspring here? “Oh, I didn’t know that.”
G’s gaze remained on his plate as he chewed slowly, while Jude talked with a low voice. “His mate died on a gathering expedition outside the walls.”
Fuck, that meant he or she had probably been killed by Noweres. “I’m sorry, G.”
“Una is so sweet,” Jude said, his face brightening. “You’ll have to meet her sometime, Reese.”
I ignored the ache in my chest, the awful feeling that my future wouldn’t be long,
and because of that, Dare’s wouldn’t be either. “Yeah, I’d love to.”
I had begun to sense my mate before I saw him, and that was the case now. I knew immediately he was back in the Forum, so I glanced up to see him striding toward me. He rolled his shoulders to loosen up the soreness he told me he always felt away from me, and stretched his mouth into a grin.
He slid into the seat beside me and said to G, “Any problems?”
“None, Alpha.”
Dare’s eyes slid to Jude’s notebook. “Can I see?”
My brother handed it to him, and Dare paged through it silently. Jude had only filled a quarter of the book so far, and when Dare reached the blank pages, he handed it back. “You’ve very talented.”
“Thank you.” Jude’s cheeks flushed.
Dare’s hand closed around the back of my neck. “You ready?” His voice was a rumble in his chest, and immediately, I craved his skin.
“Yes, Dare.”
“Say bye to your brother then.”
I hugged Jude, not daring to whisper anything that Were ears could ear, but I pressed my nose into his neck and inhaled, gripping him extra hard. Jude’s body trembled slightly within my embrace, and when I pulled back, he discreetly wiped away a tear.
I hated this plan, but it was the only one I could see working. At least, I sure as hell hoped it would work. I had a lot of people depending on me.
* * *
I leaned against the fence to the cow pen, watching the animals graze. One stretched its neck and mooed. The sound, foreign yet comforting, echoed off the stone wall of the Hive behind us.
It’d been a couple of days since I’d seen Jude and he’d shown me his sketches. Now, he sat behind me cross-legged in the grass, his sketchbook in his lap, his dark head bent as he drew. G stood over him, eyes on Jude’s paper. My brother squinted up at his guard. “Come sit down next to me. Your shadow is blocking the sun.”
G moved quickly, the first time I’d ever seen him uncomfortable with his bulk. He took a seat next to Jude, who smiled at him and went back to sketching. After a few minutes, G pulled a small knife and block of wood out of his pocket and began to whittle it.
Daring Fate: Silver Tip Pack series Page 10