Page 79 of Pack Ruin
Luke growled, “So that’s a no. For a mass murderer, he sure likes to play the martyr.”
Silently, I agreed. “Glen, can you shift? We’re short on blades.”
He was shaking his head before I finished speaking. “I’m not sure I can spare the energy.” He grunted like he’d been punched in the gut, and we all swiveled in the direction of the Pack House. “Feel that?”
“Yeah,” I replied once I could breathe again. Grigor was taking some hits, and even though it seemed like Glen was getting the worst of it, we could all feel him in the weird-ass bonds he’d made with the guys. “Silver lining, at least now we know where he is.”
“What’s the plan?” Glen asked, staring hazily in our direction.
I looked at Luke, who was also staring. At me.
“Wait, y’all are the hotshot Alpha Heirs. Why’re you looking at me?”
Glen scoffed. “You’re the one who kept safe for years in this compound. You’re the one who saved us all the last time we were this fucked.”
“We weren’tthisfucked. We had Enforcers then,” I argued. “Or you did. The Mountain troops?—”
I felt my first mate then, in our bond. Brand was already waiting there, a bright pulse of power. Reassurance. “Glen, let Brand in.” When he blinked in confusion, I waved at his chest, and mine. “I think he’s sending some Mountain mojo our way.”
I wished he could come in person. I missed him, and I had a bad feeling about how this day was going to end. The three of us against the Council Enforcers and the remains of the Southern pack? Those were shitty odds.Of course, I’d never had any other kind.
My mind started spinning. Planning. In a few seconds, I had a rough plan for finding Grigor and getting us all out. It was gonna be ugly, even if it worked.
It would have to do.
“How—” Glen had been propped up against a wall, but he let out a low whistle, standing on his own. “Brand. He just… How’d he do that?”
“I mean, magic is the short answer,” I half-joked, motioning for them both to follow me to the back door. None of us hadshoes on. That was good. If the guys needed to shift, they could. I’d lived most of my life without shoes, and could run, climb, and fight better without them anyway.
“Here’s what we do. We can’t stick too close together; we’ll be too noticeable. It’s not full daylight, but not dark enough to use shadows to hide. I’ll go first, and head for the back door of the kitchens. No, the dumpsters off to the side. The smell will cover ours. If Grigor’s been caught somehow”—I hesitated, as we all wondered who could have got the best of the boogeyman—“then I’ll need to cause a distraction, while you two get him free.”
“Why you?” Luke’s eyes blazed.
“Because I run the fastest, and I know where to hide.” He nodded curtly, opening the door. “I just wish I had a better knife—” I looked down to see the backpack Glen had ditched the night before.“My knife!” I grabbed it out of the backpack and sniffed the blade. It smelled of ozone and darkness.
Grigor. Nowthiswas a solid courting gift. After I rescued him, I’d have to figure out a way to thank him properly.
I passed Glen the paring knife Luke had given me. “Okay, I’ll go first, then you, then Luke. We’ll circle around a bit and approach the Pack House from the west. The sun’ll be in the eyes of anyone looking that way, and we’ll be downwind. Stay quiet.”
I went up on my tiptoes to Glen, who leaned over, giving me a quick, soft kiss. Then Luke did the same. I scowled at them both. I hadn’t even wanted mates, mostly because I hadn’t wanted to be hurt. But now I realized I should’ve been more afraid of this. That they might be injured, and I would care so damned much.
“Don’t get hurt. You’re all my mates now.”
All except Grigor.
We got lucky,staying clear of the Council forces. A few of the Southern males were running in small groups, and I would have sworn some of them saw us. One even pointed to Luke, but then they ran off.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. I guessed we’d find out.
When we got close to the eastern edge of the training ring—the only exposed area we’d need to cross to get to the dumpsters—I slowed down. It felt too easy.
There was a lot of yelling and the sounds of engines at the front of the Pack House, though, like something had their attention. Maybe my luck had changed.
I waited a minute as Luke and Glen caught up, stopping behind separate trees only a few dozen feet away.Me first,Luke mouthed in my direction. I shook my head. This was the most dangerous part of this run, and even if he was much stronger than he’d been, he was still recovering.
Not waiting for him to silently argue, I darted out into the open, hoping to skirt the edge of the dusty, flat space, and duck behind the edge of the main building. But a wolf appeared out of nowhere, running on my left about thirty yards away, and I was forced to change my course.
Shit.Another wolf joined him, and then another. From the way they were coming together, as a hunting pack, they’d been following me for a while. I ran faster, but was forced to zigzag, and then, when four more wolves stepped out from behind the dumpster, I turned and ran to the center of the ring.
