Page 27 of Rivers and Roads

Nodding stiffly, I rolled up the window and didn’t look back as my foot hit the gas, and I put the enemy behind me. I was on the road a while before I glanced back to see Zane, but he was as asleep as he had been when we left the little gas station. His breathing had evened out a few hours on the road, and I was grateful he was able to find some peace.

I could only imagine how precious little he’d gotten in the compound. My stomach rolled with nausea when I thought back to the way I had found him, and from the look of it, I was sure they had kept him that way the entire time—on all fours, collared, imprisoned.

Even if he did regain himself when this was over, I wasn’t sure he’d ever be the same Wolf he was before. Our people were going to come back transformed—bitter, maybe afraid. I’d seen enough of it in the men we’d sent home after battle, but this was so much more.

This was isolated, calculated torture for the humans’ gain.

It had to be stopped.

Forty-five minutes in, I passed a rest area sign, and I figured it was enough time and miles between myself and who or what might have followed us to the border. I was desperate to know what the agent had given me, but I was too afraid to look while we were vulnerable.

I pulled over, and it was only then I heard Zane stir for the first time. I checked my mirror again as I looked for a parking space far from any of the other cars, and his eyes met mine.

“You feel like talking?” I asked softly as I put the car in park.

His lips parted, and I saw his fangs were still elongated. He was still mostly mindless, mostly feral. My stomach sank a little as I turned in my seat and offered him a hand. He nuzzled me like a cat, a deep rumble in his chest almost like a purr as he nosed my palm, then he settled back under the blanket and watched me without much expression.

I tried to keep my rage at a low simmer, but it was difficult. I hated feeling impotent, and knowing I couldn’t get my claws on these humans was killing me.

“Okay, I’m gonna see what our Fearless Leader has left for us, and then we’ll figure out where the hell we’re going.” I used my blunt nails to tear at the tape, then pulled the lid open and found a small black phone, a key, and a folded-up piece of paper with a hastily scribbled note.

Right now, the Canadian government isn’t cooperating with the humans in the US, especially regarding Wolves crossing the border. It will take us at least a week to get a team out there to bring you home, but there will be plenty of supplies, clothes, and a medkit at this address, and you can move freely around the town. There has been some local anti-Wolf sentiment by some of the older residents, so try to keep to yourselves. Use this phone to check in with me once a day.

-Kor

Seeing his writing was a small balm, allowing me to breathe a little deeper. I glanced back at Zane, then picked it up and dialed. It was going to be ridiculously early in Corland, but I didn’t think he’d mind, and that was confirmed when he picked up, sounding on the verge of hysterical.

“Orion?”

“I’m here. I’ve got him.” I almost laughed, my body desperate to find a way to release some of these emotions, but I held it in. “We’re in Ontario somewhere, about an hour past the border.”

He swore softly under his breath, and even over this distance, I felt a pulse of emotion in the bond. “I knew you were fine. I…I could feel you were fine, but…” He trailed off, and I didn’t ask him to finish his thought. “How is he?”

I glanced back at Zane, who was still staring at me blankly. “Alive. Fucked to hell. Jesus, Kor, they…” I couldn’t bring myself to go into detail. Not without knowing if Zane could understand me. “I found Bryn.”

The silence between us stretched out impossibly long, and when he spoke, his voice was full of fear. “What happened?”

“I killed him,” I said. “The shit they’d done to him…by the gods, I didn’t even recognize him. I don’t know what the hell they did, but he was…” I swallowed thickly. “It was bad. He was mindless until I bit him.”

Kor said nothing for a long while, but I could feel his fury, his grief, his pain, his desire for violence and revenge. It simmered between us, joining mine, and in that moment, I knew if we had been given the chance, we could have taken them all out.

“Zane isn’t as bad, but I’m assuming it’s because they hadn’t had him long enough. They were fucking trying though.”

“You’re safe now,” Kor said, his voice clipped. “He’s safe. Has he said anything to you?”

“He’s not really capable of speaking right now. He’s almost entirely feral. He tried to rip my throat out when I first got there, but I think he recognized my scent, and my…” I stopped then and flipped the mirror down, staring at my eyes that were still flaring orange. Fuck. I cleared my throat. “I don’t know if he knows who I am, but he knows I’m safe. I’m gonna see how bad the injuries are when we get to this house.”

“Alright.” He was quiet again. “Tell him I’m sorry we didn’t get there sooner. Tell him…”

“I’m sure he knows,” I interrupted, “but I will.”

The line went dead, and I knew it wasn’t personal. Kor needed to process, and I needed to get the hell on the road. The little phone had GPS, and the house was already in the app, so I hit the button and was relieved to see we only needed to drive another forty minutes.

Turning in my seat, I stared at Zane who stared back. “Do you need to piss? I’d really rather not have to wash that smell out of this car.”

He said nothing, gave me no indication he understood me at all, so I let it go. Turning back in my seat, I settled back, and tried to keep myself motivated to finish the rest of the drive.

Chapter

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