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“You’re saying that they were stuck in their wolf form?” Barrett asks. We turn a corner, passing what looks like a large courtyard.
“Yep. Had no control over it,” Edirn confirms.
Barrett and I exchange glances. “That’s interesting,” he says. “How did you change back?”
“I couldn’t. Not until the doc gave me some sort of antidote.” Edirn looks at Casey and winks. “Someone had the presence of mind to grab a case full of meds from the lab they had us in. Turned out the antidote we needed was in there.”
“And what about the others?” I join in – I can’t help myself. “Did they change back, too? Is everyone alright?”
“Right as rain,” Casey says; she doesn’t look quite as unfriendly anymore. “Doc gave everyone a shot, and they were back to normal within hours. No more incidents.”
“Where are they now?” I look around as if, at any moment, my family might pop out of the shadows.
Casey looks at me. “They’re bunking at Sierra and Savannah’s places while—”
“Sierra and Savannah are here?” I blurt. I’m barely aware of the buildings we’re passing through now; my attention is fixed on the woman.
“Yes.” She nods at me. “Sierra has mated with our Alpha, and they’re expecting pups soon. Savannah’s mate is Gage. You’ll meet him soon enough.”
“Pups? Mated?” My mouth is hanging open. How could so much have happened in such a short space of time? Then again, I have little concept of how much time has passed. It’s all such a blur. “How long have they been here?”
“Hmm…” Casey’s brow furrows slightly. “I’ve lost track. Months, I suppose. Long enough for Savannah’s pups to arrive.”
“Savannah has pups!?” My voice is strident. I’m having a really hard time taking this in. “Oh, God. Months…” Tears spring to my eyes, and I blink them back.
Months have passed.
I’ve lost so much time.
And I didn’t even realize it. Sure, the first days and even weeks had been clear in my mind. But after that…
I became an animal. Just snatches of awareness in the brief moments when my human side had surfaced.
“It’s okay,” Barrett murmurs beside me. “It’s all over now.”
I manage a nod as I press against him, willing this nightmare to be over.
“We’re here.” He’s speaking again, and I realize we’ve reached a doorway into a small, compact building. Casey knocks once, then pushes it open without formality. Edirn waits outside as the rest of us file in.
“They’re here,” she announces. Across the room, behind a wide desk, a man rises from his seat. I try not to shrink back as he moves toward us. His alpha presence is unmistakable. To be honest, I’ve gotten similar vibes from many of them, which is odd to me. Back home, we only had one Alpha. Plus, our males were gentler. These people are all hard edges and tough features. Battle-hardened, I’m guessing. But this looming man is a little more terrifying than all of them. Broad and tall, his eyes seem to glow somehow.
“Thank you, Casey. You can wait outside,” he tells her. “I’ll call you when I need you.”
“You’re kidding, right?” The female sticks her jaw out. “You can’t just—”
“Out!” he snaps, and she backs away, muttering under her breath. She must have some sort of position of power to be able to speak to her Alpha that way.
He turns to me. “I am Jagger Law, Alpha of Steel Lakes. You must be Cedara.”
“Yes.” I gulp.
“Good.” He looks satisfied. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Chapter 11
Barrett
I watch in silence as my mate stares up at our Alpha, clearly unsettled. It raises a protective instinct in me that I have to tamp down. She’s not in any danger. I just don’t like it when she’s afraid.
