Page 53 of Mated By the Pack
I glance at the tattered remains on the floor. “Thank you, yes. You can just leave everything out there. I’ll get it.”
Vance nods and I hear his footsteps retreating, but he doesn’t close the door. I walk over to it, peek out, and gather what he’s left for me. I’m not sure why I care about modesty. Vance will have my scent soon, then he’ll tear my clothes off like his brothers did. But I need something to wear, since we’re taking the others to Haven North—even if my only option appears to be military fatigues older than The Tangle. I’m grateful for the collar. They’ll hide the mark on my neck.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I mutter, dipping my hand into the water.
I drink first, then bathe myself the best I can. I miss the warm tubs I soaked in when I lived in Haven North. The steaming showers that melted away the grime. At least there’s a bar of soap. That’s better than I’ve had since I was kidnapped. I won’t be as clean as I was before I saw patients, but at least I’m not dripping with filth. Not that the wolves seemed to mind.
I emerge from my room feeling sore, but refreshed, which is surprising considering how little rest I got last night. The scent of food fills my nostrils. Meat and something else… eggs? I step into the main part of the bunker, and it is confirmed. There’s a spread across the table and the other women are already seated.
They’re dressed in attire similar to what I’m wearing. Nara’s outfit looks fancier. I’m not sure if that is intentional or if it was the only thing that would fit. Poor Fiona looks like her uniform is going to swallow her whole. Her sleeves are rolled up, and while I can’t see under the table, I assume her pants required a similar adjustment.
There’s no sign of the wolves, except for Vance, who is serving food. Footsteps echo behind me, and I glance back to see which one is it.
“Bags are packed,” Gideon rumbles, rounding the corner and dropping two backpacks on the floor. He stops when he sees me. His eyes light up like the younger children do when I give them a piece of sweet candy after a shot. “Good morning, Calla.”
“Knox and Caleb raided a Gen-Hen nest,” Vance chuckles, motioning to the table. “Been a while since we’ve had eggs. We normally don’t eat them.”
“They’re delicious, Nurse Calla!” Fiona chimes. “Way better than the eggs we can buy at home!”
“Good,” a grumble echoes and a man rounds the corner, carrying two backpacks just like Gideon was. I assume it’s Knox, because his long hair is tinted white, similar to the platinum wolf I saw last night. He’s broader than his brothers. “Eat the eggs so we can conserve the meat,” he says, tossing the backpacks on the floor.
“There’s plenty,” Vance sighs.
Knox doesn’t make eye contact with me. He barely even looks at me. He also doesn’t touch any of the food on the table. He walks into the kitchen and emerges gnawing on a piece of something raw. I grimace, but ignore it, and sit down at the table.
“How did you sleep?” Brenna asks, narrowing her eyes at me. There’s something in them, almost like an accusation that remains unsaid.
I can’t stop the blush from creeping up my neck, so I simply look away. “Fine,” I mutter.
I’m not sure if anyone heard the sounds coming from my room last night or not. I screamed loud enough to wake the dead, but these walls are fairly thick.
“I bet,” Brenna says, taking a bite of her eggs.
“I slept great!” Tansy smiles—she’s so pretty when she’s not crying. “But I still can’t wait to sleep in my own bed again.”
“Soon,” Gideon promises. “After breakfast, we’ll begin our journey to Haven North.”
The smell of food lingers in the air when I sit down. My stomach rumbles in response, and despite last night’s meal offering more than I’ve had since leaving Haven North, I’m famished. There’s agood reason for that. Two of them—and the other just joined his brothers.
“Morning, Calla,” Jace grunts. “Vance made the eggs, so if they’re not edible, blame him.”
I take a tentative bite and smile. “No, they’re fantastic, just like Fiona said.”
Jace pauses by the table, grabs a bite of egg, and pops it in his mouth. He chews and shrugs. “They could use more salt.”
That seems to be all the conversation Jace has in him for breakfast. He goes into the kitchen, and from the sound, he’s having a feast that he doesn’t care to cook. At least he’s not eating raw meat in front of us. Tansy looks a little intimidated by the sight of Knox, blood dripping from his platinum beard with no regard for what anyone else thinks.
If I’m going to be his mate, we’ll have to work on his manners. Even Jace is more considerate than that, and he was practically unhinged last night.
“Are you okay, Nara?” I ask, noticing she hasn’t said anything. “Do I need to check your wounds?”
“No, they’re fine. Almost fully healed now,” she answers. “Just got a lot on my mind. Eager to get home, like everyone else.”
We’ve all got a lot on our minds, I suppose. Nara’s a teacher and based on what the brothers told us last night, the history of the world is a lot crueler than we realized. Most of it is absent from the history books Nara teaches from. A lot of it probably never graced a page, considering what I saw in The Aether. The world—I’m not even sure we understand it.
After we eat, Vance clears the plates and packs some food for our trip. Only for us, it seems, which means the wolves will find their own. Probably not difficult in The Tangle. I’m sure they had full bellies keeping us alive until we got to their den.
“Alright, everyone outside,” Gideon orders, motioning to us. “We’re planning to travel on foot, so we’ll carry the backpacks, but if we’re forced to shift, you’ll have to carry them.”
