Page 67 of Challenged Mate
His lips pressed together. Uncertainty warred in his expression before he finally barked, “Fine. Keep up.”
Without another word, he turned and ran to the exit. I followed close behind in my delicate ballet flats, grateful I decided against wearing heels tonight.
The streets were surprisingly clear. No frantic crowd blocked our path as Axel led me towards the edge of town.
The few shifters we did see moved past us with purpose. Some escorted others inside random buildings; I assumed they contained more bunkers.
Other shifters were armed to the teeth with daggers strapped to their thighs and guns slung over their back, running in the same direction we traveled.
They’ve done this before, I realized.
Many times, by the looks of it.
I thought back to the drills my father and the Summit council implemented to prepare our pack in case of an invasion by a rival pack.
Our guards, council members, Hunter, and I had practiced the drills twice a month while our civilian pack members practiced once a month. But even with frequent practice, I knew the Summit pack would not move with the efficiency and calm displayed by the Wilds shifters around me.
This was a pack who’s safety was often threatened, and who’d trained hard to fight off the dangers thrown at them.
Axel turned down a street I knew—it led to the pond in the park.
When we broke through the last buildings, I nearly stumbled.
A large gathering of shifters moved around the park. A quick assessment revealed ten separate groups, each surrounding a single shifter who barked commands at the males and females.
Axel continued to run. I followed. The shifters barely spared their alpha a glance. They didn’t need his guidance. His leadership was delegated to many throughout the Wilds Pack. They knew what to do.
“What is she doing here?” A voice, more familiar to me than it should be, roared.
I turned to my left and saw the rage overtake Asher’s expression. He stood in the middle of one of the ten groups. The shifters surrounding him looked from him to me, then back again. Wariness made them tense.
I forgot all about them as Asher’s form blurred. In less than two seconds, he stood in front of me.
Mother, he’s fast.
Asher’s blue eyes blazed—magic swirling in their depths. He glared at me, but his question was for his brother. “What is she doing here, Ax?”
“Helping,” I bit out before Axel had the chance to respond. “Now, tell me what I can do.”
“You can find a bunker and stay there until it’s safe. None of us need to be worrying about keeping you safe.”
Anger, fiery hot and intense, raged within me. It put his own to shame.
“Screw you, Asher.” I ground out between gritted teeth. “I saved Chase’s ass in the Alpha Games. I savedyourass. Don’t you dare tell me to go run and hide when we both know I’m more than capable of helping this pack.”
Asher’s eyes flared.
As if manifested by hearing me say his name, Chase appeared behind Asher. The pack beta put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Hey, now. What’s all the commotion about?” His tone was light, but his grip was tight as he silently tried to reign in his friend.
It didn’t work.
“We don’t know what’s crossed our border,” Asher gritted out. “Blair will be safer in a bunker.”
“We’d all be safer in a bunker,” I countered, pointing a finger at his chest. “Why don’t you go hide?”
His shoulders rolled back, but Chase’s grip remained firm.
Asher said, “You aren’t trained to fight like we are, Blair.”
