Page 91 of Pack Ruin
Iris came over with cups of water, and we all drank. “Glen’s not awake yet, but the ones guarding the cave sent word that he’s healing faster than they’ve ever seen.”
I thanked her, and we handed back our cups. Another Southern shifter turned on a hose, and we took two-minute turns underneath it in the dark. I almost cried when someone scrounged up a bar of soap and let me get some of the gasoline smell off. My clothes were soaking wet when I finished, but I felt a thousand times better.
Sergeant found me again when I was done. “What’s next for you, little warrior?”
It was so much like Luke’s nickname for me, tears stung my eyes. “They took Luke,” I said once I could talk. “Finnick’s parents. They have him, as well as Finnick and the Hilliers. And Grigor.”
“Grigor?” Sergeant faced me, his eyes narrowed. “The Russian? Grigor fucking Dimitrivich? They did us a favor with that, Flor.”
“Tell it to my wolf,” I muttered. The crazy thing was clawing at me, wanting nothing more than to run after him and Luke, to save our mates from the woman who’d taken him.
Sergeant’s silence was worse than one of Del’s lectures. But I wasn’t going to back down. Grigor was mine, as much as the others. Or he would be.
“She had magic,” I said softly. “All along. She had magic.”
“Your mama?” Sergeant sighed as we watched Mama dance at the edges of the flames, her wild boys dancing along with her, all of them howling as loud as they could. “She did. She does, a little. It’s been coming back to her. But it’s like trying to fill a cracked pitcher with water. She can’t use it reliably.”
He scanned the area, barking out a few orders to his rogues to get food for everyone. Some of the ranked shifters walked across, shaking hands with the boys, and showed them the back door of the dining hall. It was the older guy with the baseball bat who busted the lock off the door, but all of them carried food out, as well as some tables, and started setting up a feast. Well, as much of a feast as Southern could provide.
One of the rogues ran over with a hot dog and handed it to Sergeant. “Alpha, first one’s for you,” he said, his head lowered. Sergeant patted it and sent him off.
“Cute,” I teased. “You got a real little pack here. Tenebris?”
“Means darkness,” Sergeant grumbled, and tore the hot dog down the middle, handing me half. “I’m not sure about the name, but they’ll be a good pack. We can’t stay in the cave.”
“No, you can’t. Why not bring them…” I stopped, knowing it wasn’t my place to make the suggestion that had come to mind.
“Alpha Mate! Can I bring you a plate?” one of the Southerners called out.
I blushed when I realized he was talking to me. “Ah, sure. Anything you got.”
I could feel Sergeant’s stare on my shoulder, where Luke’s claiming mark showed just a little. “Coulda sworn that was on the other side before, Florida.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a collection,” I grumbled. “Luke.” I pointed to the new one.“Finnick.” I tilted my head. I pulled down my ragged shirt so my shoulder showed. “Brand.”
“Where’s Glen’s?” Sergeant asked.
My face flamed. “Nowhere you’ll ever see.” He laughed, and every shifter around looked at him, most of them in disbelief.
Yeah, Sergeant laughing was pretty unbelievable.
Finally, he settled down, and Iris wandered over, two hot dogs in her hand and one in her mouth, and I remembered what I’d been thinking.
Luke wasn’t here. The boys and Mama and Sergeant didn’t need to stay out in the woods. And with all the girls who’d run there, they probably couldn’t. There wouldn’t be enough food or water, for one thing.Maybe itwasmy place to offer what help I could.
“Hey, Iris. Would you and the girls be happier in the compound, now that the assholes are gone? Or dead, whatever.”
“Not all the assholes are either one of those things,” she said, cutting her eyes to some of the ranked Southern shifters, who were talking quietly on the other side of the fire. “I for one don’t want to come back to the life we had here.”
“What if it was different? What if there was an Alpha who’d protect you, teach you to fight?” I glanced at Sergeant, who nodded slightly. I thought about the way they’d treated Mama in the cave. The way they’d treated Bo and Leroy. “What if there was a whole pack of guys who had honor?”
She swallowed her mouthful. “Wouldn’t know what that looks like, to be honest. Those males… Not all of them know what it looks like either.” Her gaze moved to the dorms. “Even if it was safe, we couldn’t go back in there. We’d rather burn it down.”
I could tell she wasn’t going to go for it. “Sergeant, what if you bring your pack inside the fence?” I suggested. “Let the Tenebris pack and the unranked set up in the Pack House. Let your boys be given the job of protecting the pack. The females.”
“They could do that,” Sergeant said slowly, as he considered it. “It might be what gives them the last bit of control they need. The pack is meant to protect. They need something more than just Lily to take care of. It’s a good idea, Florida.”
Iris wrinkled her nose. “All of us in there together?”
