Crouching as small as I could, I shoved my way through.
I could feel the edges of the hole tearing at my skin, searing my cheeks and forehead. The smell of burnt hair teased my nostrils.
On the other side, the forest looked exactly the same.
Turning, I could see Jesaiah pacing back and forth, spittle dripping from his jaws. He snapped, and I ran, not about to wait for him to figure out how I had gotten through.
When I was far enough away from the wards that I couldn’t see Jesaiah or the other wolves anymore, I stopped, panting, bracing my spine against a tree. Sweat coated my neck and brow, my blood pounding hot in my veins. I examined my arms. The burn marks stretched over both arms, skin red and blistering.
If I could shift, I might be able to recover. I would bear scars, but the wounds would be healed.
But I couldn’t shift.
Part of me tightened in fury. If I had been able to shift, if I had been able to take him on wolf to wolf, I never would have run in the first place. I would have borne him to the ground, closed my jaws around his throat, and proved to him exactly who was the alpha.
Shame rose in my throat. Instead of fighting, I had treed myself like a desperate house cat trying to escape the neighbor’s dog.
I swallowed down the bitter taste of failure and let my shoulders fall. It was okay. I wouldbeokay. As soon as I got my bearings and came up with a new plan.
I inhaled deeply, the quiet forest a balm on my senses. I was free.
ChapterSixteen
For a long deep breath, I considered what to do. I could walk away. I had clothes, shoes, and enough sleep and food in me that I could probably go a full day without needing either.
That would leave me with the question of what to do next. There were pot farms to the north that wouldn’t ask any questions, where I could get paid under the table and hide out for long enough to figure out my next move.
I would probably end up in another state, maybe even on the opposite coast.
But I would never find out what happened to my parents, why my entire family had been killed. I would never find out what had happened that night eleven years ago. Cade’s face had been blank—he washidingsomething.
Moreover, I wouldn’t have five hundred thousand dollars to start over and protect myself from Declan’s wrath.
The fantasy ran through my head again. I would make my way down the mountain, weaving my way through trees, maybe hitchhike my way up to the Emerald Triangle and find a farm that wouldn’t ask any questions deep in the mountains. There was six months of my life.
And while I was gone, I would be leaving Cade alone. He would never know the truth about why I left. He would only know that he couldn’t trust anyone else. There were holes in his wards, and I was the only one who knew about them.
He would probably be killed or deposed by whoever was behind the assassination attempts. And when anybody talked about him, he would always be that scared little boy from eleven years ago who had seen his parents killed. That expression on his face—he’d been about to tell me something true but had pushed it back.
I got up, stretching, examining my wounds again. The blistered skin hadn’t popped yet. I started walking down the mountain. That was the safe bet. There was more rotten in Cade’s house than even he suspected, and I wanted no part in it.
I stopped next to a massive redwood tree, bark soft and stringy. With a scream, I spun and slammed my fist against the trunk.
Furious, I shut my eyes. I was going to turn and continue walking. I was going to keep going down the mountain. I was going to live with the mystery of what had happened to my parents for the rest of my life. I was going to—
I took a few steps, picturing my life. But another vision rose up in front of me, something I hated, something that made me feel so sick I almost vomited.
In that vision, I found out what happened to my parents. I cleared their names. I was able to become Miles Castillo again, heir to his mother, a powerful, naturally born alpha.
Maybe Cade and I even became friends. We would both be powerful men, both kings of our little kingdoms. I could see being his friend as clearly as I could see the forest in front of me.
With a sigh, I looked around. The midafternoon sun lazed toward the horizon. Insects buzzed, enjoying the cool air under the tree.
I had to go back. I had to find out the truth. I could never be an alpha if I didn’t have a last name. I could never be an alpha if I didn’t have a past.
A growl tore itself out of my throat, and I turned, slamming my fist into another tree. Then, I breathed, slow and steady.
Okay. I was going back. But now I had more puzzle pieces than Cade did, so I needed to be careful. I needed to talk to him before he talked to Leon. Who knew what story Jesaiah had told Leon and what story Leon had told Cade.
