Page 43

“Put some pants on,” I gripe.

Tore only smiles. “I see we have another addition.” Ferris stands with his mouth agape, utterly shocked, so Tore jokes, “What’s the matter? Wolf got your tongue? Close your mouth, or you’ll catch bugs.”

Ferris remains silent while Tore blessedly puts on some pants. I guess knowing that someone can turn into a wolf on a whim, and seeing fur split apart to reveal the human within, are two very different things.

[ 28 ]

FERRIS

The Wilds

My stomach knots and my mind whirls. I had wondered all those years ago after hearing the way my father spoke about the people living in the eastern mountains, but I had no way of knowing if what he said was true. Now that I’m surrounded by shifters and I’ve finally seen a wolf⁠—

Raine’s broken voice interrupts my mental spiral. “Ferris?”

“Raine,” I breathe. She looks as fierce as always, but I can see the lingering effects of the bond sickness in the slightly pale pallor of her skin and the faint darkness under her eyes. My alpha winces, knowing that I did this to her. I wish I had known so that I could have cared for her properly.

“Is it true?” she asks. “You left River for good?”

I clench my hands to keep from reaching for her. I know she probably doesn’t want physical comfort from me right now. Not after years of surviving on stolen glances and forbidden touches, only to be escalated to sex and abandonment within the same twelve hours. I’m going to have to show her that I’m capable of softness and commitment.

“Yes, I left Grand Prairie,” I say confidently. “I’m never going back. I’ve fucked up so bad, and I don’t expect anything from you,” I promise, “but I’d like to travel west with you, if you’ll have me.”

She stares at me for long moments, her eyes cutting me down. “You might be my mate,” she says, touching the bite I left on her neck, “but you are not my alpha. You have to earn that right, understood?”

I breathe a sigh of relief. She didn’t say no, instead giving me an opportunity to prove that I can be her alpha, which is exactly what I intend to do. I failed her for years, punished us both for my own fears, but that’s done. I have to show her that my loyalty belongs to her, that she’s the star I was born to orbit.

Dair interjects, “I hope you’re rested, cause we’re on the hunt for supplies, and as soon as we have them, we’re headed straight home.”

Home? I’m not sure I’ve ever truly had one of those, but I’m ready.

[ 29 ]

RAINE

Unnamed City

The city rises from the mist-covered asphalt like bones poking out from a corpse. Everything is bizarrely quiet, with every sound echoing through the stillness, the exact opposite of what I imagine this place was like in the Before. The silence makes it all too easy to dwell on Ferris’s presence.

I can’t believe he’s here. It doesn’t change the damage he’s already done, but it means something to me, and I can tell it means something to Dair too. Only time will tell if he’s capable of healing enough to allow himself happiness. Dair assured me that just because he’s coming with us doesn’t mean he has to be part of my future. There are plenty of other clans for Ferris to go to, if needed.

Through the clinging, dark fog, we can just make out crude-looking roadblocks stretched across the road leading into the residential outer ring of the city. It’s almost comical how inefficient the clumsy barrier is, especially because the only part still fully intact is a large, flat piece of wood painted with “KEEP OUT!”

Tore steps over the overturned beams and splintered wood, rifle at the ready. Vale follows with Ferris behind, then me with my axe, and finally Dair brings up the rear.

We follow the road as it circles the lake toward the city center, passing by houses larger than any family could ever need. How many people lived in these homes? We could probably fit the entire Grand Prairie population comfortably in just one of these. What was the purpose of this kind of physical display of excess in the Before?

Everyone is on a hair-trigger, reacting to any little sound around us, ready to annihilate anything that tries to stop us. I remind myself of what Dair said before we set off this morning, “Kill first, ask questions later.” Tore is the only one with a gun. It’s too risky for all of us to be popping bullets when their resounding cracks would surely attract any Biters within a several-mile radius.

We make it out of the residential area and cross a bridge over the same lake that ends at Grand Prairie. I wish it wasn’t so hazy so that I could truly appreciate just how large the lake is, but as it is, it just looks like endless gray bordered by homes that are nothing more than tombs of wealth.

The bridge shoots us off into an industrial area full of identical, metal buildings in neat rows. Ferris shivers in front of me, his scent taking on a slightly burnt tinge. “These are data centers,” he whispers. “Every single one of these buildings will be full of floor-to-ceiling towers of computers. Avoid any standing water, it’s likely toxic.”

Luckily, we carefully walk through the seemingly never-ending maze of buildings without running into any Biters. Ferris is tense the whole time, gripping the handle of his machete with far more force than necessary, but relaxes the moment we exit the industrial compound.

Now that we’re in the city proper, I feel an unending sense of discomfort. There are abandoned vehicles all over the roads, many severely rusted or torn apart. Windows are smashed on every store we pass and sidewalks are splattered with mysterious stains. Surveillance cameras point in every direction, hanging from every post and corner. They would be transmitting to the data center we passed if not for the lack of electricity, leaving their lenses dark and dead. The utter stillness makes me feel like at any moment, someone or something is going to ambush us. I become more paranoid the longer we go without running into anyone.

“Is it possible this city is truly dead?” Vale asks, echoing my own thoughts.