Page 58 of Shifter's Dream

Troy held it up to catch the light, then pulled himself out of the hole. The forest was normal, the line of trees that had corralled him, gone, but the forest floor was still pushed around and spewed open in unnatural ways, proving to him he had imagined nothing. Troy started back the way he had come from, back in the direction his mate had gone, questioning his senses, anyway.

A tree branch came out of nowhere and hit him right smack in the face, right between the eyes.

“Ouch,” Troy snarled. “Lay off.”

Another branch, from a sapling barely waist high, poked him in the side. Troy jumped away from it staring it down. “Don’t make me want to see what your roots look like.”

Another tree smacked him. Another branch poked him. Troy backed up, his mate’s pendant wrapped loosely in his fist by its sturdy chain, trying to reason out what was going on. He backed up farther. The trees let him be. He walked forward. The trees rippled, and one even leaned his way menacingly.

“Shit,” he whispered. Trees playing security guard was too crazy for him to process. He stared at the forest for a long time, his mind whirring over the problem too fast for him to spell out. After a few moments, he spoke. He had to do something. “Ok,” he said out loud. “What do you want?”

A tree branch bent down from the tree above him. Troy watched it warily but didn’t move away. It snaked it’s way around, so fucking unnaturally, until it could press against his lips, just like a finger telling him, ‘quiet.’

Got it, he said inruhito the forest, a private line, just him and the forest, feeling silly but not letting it stop him. Why didn’t you just say so? Now what?

The branches rippled, but in the opposite direction of the way he wanted to go. Troy checked with his wolf. His wolf was silent.Ok then, trees, I’m trusting you.

The leaves around him shook, vibrating the leaves once, in what could have meant anything at all, including absolutely nothing. Troy waited.

Nothing happened. He turned in a circle, then smacked the top of a sapling next to him.On with it, or I’m out.

The sapling smacked him back but nothing else happened. Had he been imagining things?

Theruhifrom his brother and the rest of the KSRT amped up, people talking all over themselves in each other’s minds, trying to figure out what was going on.

Troy where are you?Trevor said over the melee.

Not sure. Near the north border of the forest, standing still right now.

Harlan broke in with a brain-piercing whistle, silencing everyone. Troy held his hand to his head, needing tomove, needing todo something.

Harlan’s voice came in loud and clear.Ok everyone, Plan Divided Focus is in force. This is not a drill. Graeme, Eventine, Heather, Ella, Jaggar, Leilani, and I are with Prince, Princess, and Wildfire. Assemble at location A. Everyone else, and I do mean everyone else, designatedbearenandfelenincluded, meet at Remington’s. We’ve got Zane captured but injured, he won’t be talking for a while, and a foxhole has been found with caches of clothing and weapons. We have to assume Khain and team are after Blake, and we aren’t letting them have him. We need a full clearing of the forest behind Remington’s place and the bluff, too. As soon as you have a team of four, start a sweep. Leave markers so the team behind you knows not to cover your ground. Allruhichannels must be kept clear for sightings of Troy, Khain, Rex, Soren, or even Grey.

A few males growled in everyone’s head. They were all hoping Grey was dead, that Khain had taken his head. Grey hadn’t been seen in months, not since his plan to summon Khain had worked well enough to end up with him pulled into thePravusby an angry demon.

And my mate,Troy said,She’s out here, too, somewhere.

Describe her, Harlan said.

Ah, Mac?Troy knew his description would only include words like perfect, beautiful, stunning, amazing, and really, how helpful was that?

Mac broke in.She’s 5’5’’, caramel-colored skin, black curly hair, shoulder length, with a curvy figure.

Troy would maim him later for noticing his mate had curves.Nowhe got it.“Sorry, Mac,” he whispered under his breath. He would never wink at anyone else’s mate again.

You know her name yet, Troy?

Reed. Her name is Reed and I love her.

No one said anything for a moment. A few males yipped inruhi, while others whuffed, like mic clicks on the radio.

Reed and you love her, got it.Harlan said, his voice thick, then it went operational.Repeating one time for clarity,then I’m shutting up and so are the rest of you.

Harlan spilled it all again, but Troy had already tuned him out, turning in a great circle.

Every single leaf on every single tree was pointing in the same direction: due north.

Troy took off at a run, following the forest.

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