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“You can’t go out there alone,” Sheila said. “You have no supplies, no clothes, no shoes. How far do you think you’ll get?”
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Of course my carefully packed bag and all my cash was gone. Tyler had made sure he’d left me with nothing. Not that he thought I’d survive the cave. “I’ll figure it out.”
“No, you won’t,” Alec said. “It’s a three day walk to the nearest town. And that’s for someone who’s healthy and has proper supplies.”
“I’ll be fine but I appreciate your concern,” I said.
“If you say so,” he said with a shrug.
I shook my head as I turned away. Of course I managed to step on something sharp immediately. “Fuck me.”
I grabbed my foot and pulled the stick out of my skin. Could I possibly go more than twenty-four hours without bleeding?
“Like I said, you’re not going to make it on your own,” Alec said.
“Thank you for the astute observation.” Limping, I carefully stepped forward, not turning back to the group.
“Alec, do the right thing,” Sheila pleaded.
“She’s practically the poster child for our community,” Malcom said.
“Get back here.” Alec sighed.
Accepting help from strangers was the last thing I wanted, but I wasn’t prepared to go out in the woods alone. I turned and looked at the trio. “You’re not going to discuss sending me back again.”
“I don’t think you’re in the position to be making demands,” Alec said.
“Then I’ll take my chances in the woods,” I said. “If you aren’t in a position to offer hospitably, I’ll be on my way.”
“Alec, cut her some slack,” Malcom said.
I was surprised to hear the other male advocating for me. “I guess there’s only one asshole in the group.” I glared at Alec. “Look, if you aren’t willing to help me, I get it. None of you know me. That’s fine. But either stop judging and let me go, or actually help me.”
“I like her,” Sheila said.
“If you stay, you’re Sheila’s problem,” Alec said reluctantly.
“Don’t worry, sis, I got you,” Sheila said.
“I won’t stay long. I just want to get cleaned up and see if there’s a way I can work to earn some supplies.” I wasn’t expecting to evoke shifter hospitality, but here we were. It was one of the first safety things we learned when we were young. If you were ever separated from your pack, you could expect to be taken in and kept safe from harm in any of the official packs.
“You aren’t going to try to take me back, are you?” I asked. It was the only thing I had to be concerned about.
“You look to be of age,” Alec said.
“I am,” I agreed.
“Then it’s not our job to enforce another pack’s punishment. But if they come into our territory, I won’t stop them from claiming you,” he warned.
“That’s fair.” If they did come for me, hopefully it would be long after I’d left this pack behind.
“We’ll sleep here tonight and take you to camp in the morning,” he said.
I’d learned about other packs growing up. Some were more primal than us, choosing to live in the woods away from humans. I supposed this pack had to be one of them. “This isn’t your pack camp?”
“We were scouting when we found you,” Sheila explained. “Our camp is about a mile west. Near a lake. Nice place.”
The thought of walking a mile on my newly injured bare foot wasn’t thrilling, but it beat a three day walk to a town I had no map to get to. Knowing my luck, I’d wander for a week then die of starvation. These wolves were my only shot at survival.
