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“Come on,” Sheila urged. “You’ll see we’re not so bad.”
Reluctantly, I agreed to follow them. I’d been taught that feral shifters were the enemy, but the members of my own pack had been the ones to try to end me.
Thinking about it too deeply was making my head spin. Exhaustion and hunger were making me feel weak. I hoped I was making the right choice by following my new companions.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice the army green canvas tents parked between the trees. They seemed to appear out of nowhere. Or I was so oblivious to details, that I’d managed to miss them. Either way, I supposed I was going to need more than just a pair of shoes. Not noticing an entire town of tents wasn’t a great sign for my ability to survive on my own.
“When you said camp, you really meant it,” I said.
“What did you think we meant?” Alec asked. “Too rustic for you?”
“Are you kidding? I grew up in a trailer. It’s almost too reminiscent of home.” I hesitated about ten feet from the nearest tent. This was the feral pack or group or whatever they called themselves. The place with no rules and no second chances.
“Should I introduce myself to your alpha?” I asked.
“We don’t have an alpha. Feral, remember?” Malcom said.
“Who’s the closest to a leader?” I felt like I should introduce myself to the shifter most likely to throw down the gauntlet.
“You’re with him.” Sheila inclined her head toward Alec.
I groaned. Of course he was the leader of a group of misfit, lawless shifters.
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Alec said. “I haven’t killed you yet.”
“So when you said you were sent to look for signs of witches, you mean you decided to go?” I asked.
He shrugged and nodded. “Sounds right.”
“So you’re paranoid,” I said.
“The witches have been trying to eliminate all shifters for the last decade. I wouldn’t call it paranoia,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I thought witches just did their own thing.”
“Like I said, you would never make it on your own.” He walked forward, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
“Come on, you can bunk with me,” Sheila said.
Grateful for her kindness, I followed her into the cluster of tents. As we got closer, I saw that the tents were all on platforms. Well maintained dirt paths connected them, leading around the makeshift village they’d constructed. The tents had lots of space around each other, but they were arranged in a general circular pattern around a larger open space.
Multiple fire pits, a few charcoal grills, and several picnic tables were spread out around a grassy common space. It was early morning but a few of the inhabitants were already up. A small group was brewing coffee over a fire, the scent practically making me drool. My stomach grumbled. It had been a long time since I’d eaten and the scent of coffee reminded me of how hungry I was.
“You need some breakfast,” Sheila said.
“That would be nice,” I agreed.
A group of children ran past us, nearly colliding into Malcom. He jumped to the side and the kids shouted apologies as they continued on in their game.
Under some of the trees, I caught sight of hammocks, lounge chairs, and more tables. Little groups were gathered all around. They were talking or playing with children or cooking food on grills.
It was the complete opposite of the way Wolf Creek felt. I’d grown up with what could only be explained as forced community. This was different. It felt authentic, peaceful, welcoming.
People waved to Sheila and Malcom and none of them seemed to care that someone new was with them. I wondered if that was due to Alec’s presence. Then I realized he wasn’t with us anymore. A little weight of disappointment dropped into the pit of my stomach. I should be thrilled that he was gone, but there was something intriguing about him. I told myself it was the safety he could provide, but that wasn’t true. Even my own fight or flight instincts seemed to be taking a nap while we walked through this camp. It felt safer than walking down the halls of school.
We walked past a picnic table lined with fruit. Sheila picked up a banana and handed it to me.
I accepted it gratefully and ate it as we continued to walk. We crossed through the common area, past a little cluster of tents, until we reached a tent that was set back away from the others.
