Page 83 of To Hunt A Wolf
Then he shifts and slips out of the cave, leaving me alone with the fire and my own hollow regret.
I sleep fitfully, which is pretty normal for me, but between bouts of actual rest, I have nightmares of Levi running off and leaving me to wake up alone on this mountain.
The morning is drizzly and cold, but contrary to my dreams, Levi is still here. The others are already assembled and in four-legged form when I emerge from the cave as my wolf.
True to Levi’s instruction, we hunt first, and then, when our bellies are full of rabbit, we make our way to the meeting point where everyone else will be waiting.
The checkpoint Jadick mentioned turns out to be a campground in Virginia that feels dangerously close to Blackstone’s town limits.
Jadick and the rest of the convoy are already there when we arrive. Through a break in the trees at the top of a ridge, I spot tents and canvas rooftops already erected. A cooking fire makes my stomach rumble in response to the aromas. The only other scents on the air are those of the Jades. And my mother. Even so, Levi makes us do three loops around the perimeter, checking for some sign of a trap before he’s satisfied it’s safe.
When we descend, Jadick is sitting near the fire, surrounded by women. I have to remind myself it’s because most of the men are with us, but still—it paints a picture that has me rolling my eyes.
On the fringes, I spot Frankie, and when our eyes lock, I get the impression she agrees with me about Jadick’s…methods.
“You made it,” Jadick says as Levi and I walk through the camp to where he sits. He doesn’t look worried, but that’s Jadick. Confident. Too sure of himself to worry.
I tell myself that’s the mark of a winner.
But I can still remember my mother telling me during training sessions, “Cocky equals dead.”
I don’t even realize Levi’s shifted back to his human form until he speaks. “Run into any trouble?” he asks.
“None.” Jadick’s gaze lands on me. “You?”
“A few scouts in the canyon. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Sounds like a fun story.” Jadick snaps his fingers at one of the Jades sitting nearby. Some girl who watches Jadick like he’s some sort of god. “Felicia, be a sweetheart and get them something to wear, darling.”
“Sure.”
She jumps up and hurries to hand over a couple of plastic grocery bags. Levi takes them, and it’s all I can do not to bare my teeth at the way her skin brushes his.
Mine.
My wolf is about three seconds from either peeing on him or clawing her tits off. Anything to stake her claim.
Levi turns away from her and gives me a knowing look.
“Come on,” he says.
Feeling stiff after our fight last night, I follow him back to the thicker trees and take what clothing he dumps at my feet. He leaves me alone to change, and I listen as he divvies out the remaining clothing with the others who arrived with us.
I listen as he asks about the rest of our men and the answering reports that they’ve all arrived ahead of us. Everyone who survived is here.
My relief is mixed with sorrow for the lives we lost.
Wind tugs at the ends of my tangled hair as I hurry to pull on the secondhand jeans and t-shirt. The jeans are tight as hell, and the shirt is stained, but I’m not complaining. I’m grateful for anything that lets me eat food that’s been cooked over a flame instead of hunting another rabbit.
When I’m finished, I step out from my little changing area to find my mother waiting. She wears the same thing she always does—fitted cargo pants and a long-sleeve Henley. There’s a small cut across her cheek that’s nearly healed.
“Tripp called me. I came as soon as I heard.” She gives me a quick once-over. “You’re okay?”
It’s more of a statement. We both know “okay” equals alive to her. Anything else can be healed but not if you’re dead.
“I’m fine. You?”
I expect her to brush off my concern, but she doesn’t. Instead, she hesitates, and in that brief pause, I see it—something has happened. Something besides the Jades compound being compromised and destroyed. Something besides the lives lost before they could escape with us.
