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The morale in the pack after finding out we had a sanctuary awaiting us was such a drastic difference that it was hard not to give into the excitement. Everyone had willingly packed up the essentials and agreed to come. It took less than a day to have everyone, our luggage, and our supplies ready to go.
Leven and I hadn’t really spoken about Torryn and the other alpha was biding his time it seemed, so we were stuck in this weird, quiet limbo. Torryn was sticking true to his promise and wasn’t pushing me for more yet. He’d just been as helpful as possible and getting to know our pack members as well. I think he understood more than most what was at stake here and it was the best course of action he could take. I respected the help he was giving more than anything else he could have done.
The tension and silence between us all was so unnatural I wanted to scream. Once we got to the compound, I’d be sitting all three of us down for a conversation. This wasn’t what a pack was supposed to be like, and I never meant to tear us apart.
Part of me was frustrated that Leven was even mad in the first place. The decision I made to allow Torryn a chance to be my mate wasn’t one I reached lightly. It made too much sense to ignore though. This was how packs worked outside of the Bluffs and if it required me giving him a chance to move forward, well I didn’t regret that decision for a second. Especially now that I’d had days to process it all.
I’d said my apologies and I wouldn’t apologize for it anymore. I tried to talk to him and work this out. Now the ball is in his court. Begging was beneath me, and I forgave him for being an absolute asshole when we met. So he was going to have a come-to-Jesus talk the first moment I could manage. If he thought I’d give this up without a fight, then he didn’t know me at all. Or maybe that was exactly what he was waiting for.
“Antonio says it’s only another thirty minutes,” Nyx announced from the passenger seat. He’d been following paper maps since we were trying not to use GPS. Only a few of us had burner phones to communicate and that was Nyx, Antonio, and Hades.
So far, it hadn’t seemed like anyone was trailing us, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the Grave Pack made their presence known. They were hardly subtle in their attacks and if they had a team of trackers on their side, I had a feeling the alpha would have no trouble setting all sights on us. We were likely the biggest opposition he’d faced so far and that would make us top priority.
We’d driven all through the night and dawn had just broke again. The streets were fairly empty which made it easier for us to stay together. A quick refuel would be our last stop before we hit our temporary home.
In the silence that plagued our car, I couldn’t help but turn over in my mind all the things that could be happening to Callum right now. To Meira. To all of the missing. I was imagining worst-case scenarios but knowing that the Grave Alpha had few boundaries it was probably even more grim than I anticipated. I’d seen the pictures. He’d not only stripped them of their dignity, but their entire identity. He reduced strong and capable wolves and witches down to magical batteries for his soldiers.
Was Callum fighting back? Had he found Meira? Was he even in the same place as my sister? Had either of them buckled under the abuse?
Part of me feared Callum’s dominate side would end in his torment. He’d never kneel down to the monsters who held him captive.
Unless someone else’s life was on the line.
Callum was an alpha who would never put himself first. Even for strangers. He’d submit in a heartbeat if it meant it kept the heat off of someone else.
“Hey, you with us?” Torryn’s voice was quiet and I blinked over at him and gave a fake smile.
“Sure.” He rolled his eyes at my attempts.
“Don’t act like we’re strangers and lie to me, Vanya.”
“I’m just worried,” I admitted. “Wondering if Callum is safe. If Meira is there.”
“You never gave me the full rundown of what you know,” he reminded me.
“There will be time for that here. We didn’t want to run the risk of talking outside of a few locations that Antonio had swept,” Nyx answered for me. “That tracker had eyes and ears everywhere. We needed a bit of secrecy to get this far.”
Torryn let it drop and the car descended back into that awful silence again.
Hills started to rise around us and trees were thickening on the side of the road. The landscape had shifted the closer we got to the national forest though it was hardly the same kind of forest we were used to.
That was a good sign though. We could use the extra cover to keep us out of sight. They’d find us soon enough but the longer we kept our anonymity, the better. We weren’t the only ones traveling here. Bianca was coming in to offer us protection. Zoey and her pack were on their way and she was contacting any other allies who wanted to bring the fight to the source. If they had any honor, they wouldn’t refuse an opportunity like this.
All in all, I was just grateful we weren’t flying blindly into another wave of this war. This time I had a real feeling we would end up on top.
From the outside, the compound we pulled up to looked mainly intact. The fencing was torn in a few places, which we’d have to repair right away, but the bones were good enough to keep us safe.
Between Leven and a few of the other men in the pack, they managed to shove the gates open so we could drive through. The moment Leven parked the car, I climbed down and glanced around. Even with dirt overtaking almost everything, it looked like we had a solid structure and that was a lot more than we could have hoped for.
We all froze as one of the doors opened in the farthest building. Callum’s face peeked out and I didn’t think or speak, I reacted. No one stopped me as I ran full speed at my mate, tears running down my cheeks and blurring my vision. But I didn’t stop until I slammed into him and his arms were around me.
“How are you here?” he whispered into my hair as he held me tight.
“How are you here?” I countered. “How did you escape?” His entire body tensed at my question. Worried, I stepped back so I could look up at him. “What is it, Callum?”
“I didn’t escape alone,” he said. Then his expression shifted like he just remembered something important. “Fuck, I need a healer.”
His desperation was clear enough I didn’t bother to question further. Turning, I yelled out for Nyx to grab his bag. He’d tucked it in the car with us just in case an attack happened, and Callum’s entire body slumped at the sight of Nyx jumping into action.
