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Chapter 22
Meira
Asharp, siren wails through the air. Sudden and loud.
I flinch at first, not expecting it.Please don’t let that be about my men.Last time I heard that sound, Dušan had been tied up outside the settlement and left as food for the undead.
Blinking toward the compound through the gaps in the tree I’m perched in, I don’t notice any commotion. But beyond the fence might be a different story.
My fingers tremble as I grip on to the branch, and a deep pain bites into my chest.
What if they’re caught? And I’m waiting for them and they’ll never come?
I chew on my lower lip, gnawing it, unsure what to do. They said to remain up here, and I toy with the notion back and forth.
Stay.
Go and check on them.
Fuck!
The siren wears on me like a mosquito refusing to leave me alone. And well, this mosquito is screaming for me to run to the compound.
Determination flares over me. There is a growing need to find them, to help them.
I grasp the thick branch I’m straddling, fingers digging into the timber. Down below, there’s no sign of anything but the undead, who are near the tree, waiting for me.
Urgency furiously clings to me. While my throat tightens at the thought that I’m sending my wolves to their deaths by doing nothing.
Darkness feathers at the edges of my mind, coming at me in waves.
I’m shaking, fidgeting, anxiety knotting in my gut.
Choking on my breaths, I start descending, unable to stop myself if I tried. I will never be able to live with myself if I don’t check. And I have enough regrets to live with already.
I jump down and my feet kiss the ground.
The surrounding Shadow Monsters flick their heads up, eyes on me, suddenly attentive. Turning away from them, I sprint through the woods as quietly as possible in the direction of the compound, keeping to the shadows.
Please, let them be all right. Please.
Behind me, the undead move slowly, so I’m hoping if I’m quick enough, any guards at the gate won’t see the hoard of zombies coming their way.
I remember there were several trees not too far from the fence. If I climb one of those, it should give me a better look into the compound. The farther I move, the more sparse the trees become.
My skin crawls with the thought of being so easily exposed, but I’m not going to sit back if my wolves are in danger. As Dušan said, we have one chance to create the element of surprise… and that comes down to me. If Mad did capture them, then our plans change.
I duck under a branch and swerve around a large fir when a shadow falls over me. A shudder races down to my bones.
I turn and come face to face with a huge brute, with close-cropped, shaved hair and a crooked nose. A Beta, by his bitter scent, and definitely belonging to Mad, seeing as he’s this close to the settlement. Omegas and Betas aren’t made for each other, so to me, they don’t smell appealing.
Recoiling, I glance quickly to where the Shadow Monsters are… They’re still just shadows in the distance in the woods, making their way too slowly.
Shit!
I throw my hands up as he approaches. He grins, covering me in shivers, then I kick him in the knee hard.
A split second is all he gives me, but it’s enough. I whip around and jolt away, right for the edge of the woods. And my anxiety goes off… If there’s one guard, there are more and me bursting into the clearing will grab their attention. I keep looking back and the undead are still too damn far away, blended in among the shadows in the woods.
