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I exit the cabin and stroll along the path toward the entry to the forest, separate from the community. I would much prefer to stay along the cliffs overlooking the ocean with it being a bit safer and not having to worry about everything around me. No such luck. It’s just me, my new innate nature as a wolf, and the hauntingly quiet forest around me.
I don’t know where the rest of the pack is. I would hear them if they were nearby. My super-hearing allows me to distinguish noises I never thought I would hear in my existence. I can hear even the bugs crawling through the overgrowth at a distance. It’s freaky and annoying, but I’ve already learned to tune many things out. Except right now I don’t have to.
This place is deserted.
I wonder if I should turn back and ask Ravi if that’s how it’s supposed to be. If only I didn’t feel stupid about it. Weak. In this new life, it’s best to remain strong and stoic. They prey on lesser beings. Fuck that.
Keeping my shoulders straight and my head up, I study the forest around me. There will be scent trails from where the pack runs, but I need to head toward the freshly made disturbance in the trees. I don’t have to use my sense of smell to know that a group of wolves and men ran north. The low-hanging branches and some of the plants are broken and twisted hazardously, making it a bit difficult to stroll through. Tufts of fur stick to the tree trunks, and footprints and paw prints decorate the soft dirt. The Sunset Pointe pack prefers to keep the ground fresh and compacted, ensuring that we can always see what lurks within the forest.
But the tracks stop at the river, the rushing water moving faster than the creek I was used to in the territory of Twilight Cove. It’s hard to think about it now. I can’t help wondering what it would be like if I wasn’t bitten and brought into this pack. Because Twilight Cove is fucking brutal. I’m nearly certain they’re the ones that have Davian now. Kellan’s bite took. What was supposed to save his life, might be the death of him. Fuck. I can’t think about that anymore.
A sharp, intense wave of fear steals my breath away. The foreign emotion doesn’t belong to me, but it consumes me nonetheless. I recognize Eliana’s feelings immediately as if we share a soul. But I know we don’t. I know it’s because we are packmates. We are connected on a deep-seated level.
Fuck. She’s in trouble. She might even be hurt. What if the pack who kidnapped her decided to kill her, but was unsuccessful and now she hides somewhere in this forest? What if she was too afraid to come out because she doesn’t trust our pack? I knew I should’ve come out here before. What if—
“Adam, you need to push her emotions away. They will weaken you otherwise.” Kellan emerges from the trees, standing naked before me as he carries a bag. Digging in it, he drags out a pair of shorts and steps into them while I close the space.
My muscles tense at the sight of the man who both protected and betrayed Eliana. I don’t even know how to feel. She saved his life, yet I don’t even know if it was worth it.
He raises his hands in surrender. “Please, you have to believe me when I say that I never meant to cause harm to any of you. You have to understand the position I was in. Now, I’m free of the hold any alpha had on me. I’m here to help. I know where Eliana is.”
“Take me to the Mistharbor territory.” I cross my arms over my chest. I don’t know what kind of plan I can come up with before I reach enemy lines, but I have to do something. I know where Eliana is. I just don’t know how to get there.
“How do you know they were the ones to kidnap her? Does Ravi know?” Kellan keeps his voice low, turning his head to search around us.
“The fuckers failed to kill Chase and he told me, but I didn’t tell Ravi. I’m afraid to. So please, we have to go. We have to find Eliana. What I just felt was torture. We need to save her.” Urgency rushes through me, and I shake out my limbs, trying to keep my shit together.
“Slow down. She is no longer in Mistharbor. Things are a bit more difficult. She was claimed by Sid, the pack leader of Sea Glimmer. It will take more than just the two of us to even get into their territory. Where is Chase?” Kellan bounces on his feet, his nerves as intense as mine.
My chest tightens, my heart feeling as if it’ll explode thinking about Chase’s condition. I wonder if a part of it belongs to Eliana. I’m sure she knows something happened. Maybe she thinks he died. Fuck, he better not die.
I scrub my fingers across the back of my neck. “He’s unconscious. Pretty fucked up. Wolves mauled him. Nearly tore out his throat. Ravi said that there’s no healing potion like you had to help him and that as soon as he wakes up and can give him answers—”
“An alpha will perform a mercy killing on one of the pups if they don’t think they will survive. Is that what Ravi said?” Kellan frowns with his words.
“He said it was the most humane thing to do, considering his condition. He’s not even sure he will heal from this attack. He’s giving Chase another day to see if there is any improvement.” I shake my head, pushing my morbid thoughts away. “Damn it. There has to be something you can do, Kellan. Eliana will be devastated.”
Pursing his lips, Kellan frowns. “The best I can do is get Ravi away for a moment. It’ll be up to you to get Chase out of here. Do you think you can manage? You could risk hurting him even more.”
“It’s better than him dying. I know Chase doesn’t want that. He wants time to heal.” It’s what I would want. This situation is far different than being bitten and wondering if we will turn into one of the impure that can’t transform completely.
Kellan dips his chin in a sharp nod. “You might be able to coax Chase’s body to transform into a wolf. That might help with the healing process. If you transform, and just be there, using your telepathic link to communicate, it could trigger him. You guys seem to have a bond. You can use your bond to help speed up the process. You can also use your connection with Eliana to do so. It’ll be easier to relocate him as well.”
I blink a few times in surprise. “Do you think? I thought that transforming could hurt him even more.”
Kellan shakes his head. “The process shifts his body. We’ve been blessed with quick healing, especially when we are in our most powerful form. It’s just getting him to give into his wolf. You guys are so new. What he really needs is for Eliana to be near for encouragement, but you’ll have to do. It’s one of the reasons she’s so resilient. She has bonds to so many.”
“Thanks, man. Have some faith in me. Chase is my brother from another mother now. We are packmates. I got this.” At least, I hope I do. I’m going to will it into the universe. I have to remain positive or else I’ll lose myself to my dark thoughts. This is so fucked up already. We were supposed to be through the worst of things with the transformation. It feels like things are just spiraling out of control. I don’t know what is up with the territories, but it feels as if we’re on the brink of war. A war I never wanted to be a part of. A war I don’t think I could ever win. We need to escape now more than ever.
“Your confidence will give you the strength. Hurry and go prepare. You don’t need much to survive in the woods now that you are moon blessed. You can hunt with me. You can get to places you wouldn’t have been able to before. Most things you would consider needing are just luxuries. Don’t bring anything that will slow us down. Just get Chase.” Kellan peers around the forest again, focusing on anything that could be hidden within the lush greenery. “Meet me down the river at the border. We will enter into the neighboring territory together. Just remember, once you leave Sunset Pointe, you are rejecting this pack. They won’t take you back if they know. Are you sure you still want to go, knowing this information?”
A wolf without a pack might not survive. Kellan manages because he was moonborne as a lykoswulf. He knows the island. I barely know the back of my hand at this point. I don’t even think I could recognize my paw prints. But what choice do I have?
“I accepted a position in this pack out of necessity. It served only the purpose of surviving and staying near Eliana. Without her here, I have nothing else keeping me around.” There definitely would be nothing without Chase either.
“Good. You will be fine with me. I might’ve been born into a lower rank, but I’m finally learning my strength. I was never able to embrace it with the infraborne status hanging over my head. All we need is ourselves in the end. But having people you trust instead of people who control you makes this life worth more than just living.” Kellan offers me a small smile. “Now, let’s get our pack back together. Get moving and listen for my call. The moment you hear it, get Chase. Run. I don’t know how things will go down. There is a chance I’ve been followed.”
I release a slow breath and watch as Kellan transforms into a wolf and slinks into the shadows of the trees. I don’t have time to think about his comment regarding being followed. He has a target on him from his rejected pack. We initially thought it was Twilight Cove that attacked, but it wasn’t their scent.
