Page 54 of Mated By the Pack
“Um, I’m not even sure I can lift one of these,” Fiona says cautiously, eyeing the bags.
“Then we’ll strap one to you like a mule,” Vance teases, giving Fiona a playful nudge. “Outside, runt. We got a lot of ground to cover today.”
“I’m not a runt,” Fiona grumbles, then turns to Nara, lowering her voice. “What’s a mule?”
“No clue. Let’s just go,” Nara sighs, ushering Tansy and Fiona toward the door.
Brenna looks around, then picks up her stick and follows them. Knox and Vance trail a few steps behind the girls. I start toward the door, but Gideon catches my arm.
“Not so fast, mate,” he growls, pulling me into a kiss.
Jace is behind me, his lips on my neck before I realize what is happening. Their hands roam my body, igniting the fire that burned out after they finished claiming me. Jace pulls my collar aside, exposing his mark, and nibbles on it.
“I thought we needed to go,” I whimper, pulling away from Gideon’s lips.
“We do, but…” Jace rasps, continuing to nibble my neck. “We just can’t seem to keep our hands off you.”
“Then get my friends home,” I murmur. “Then I’m all yours, just like we agreed.”
Gideon and Jace aren’t so quick to relinquish their moment. They kiss the exposed skin, tug at my clothes, and leave me flustered before pulling away. I steady my breath and let out a sigh. I’m sore from last night, but I already want more.
I wait until Gideon and Jace put on their backpacks, then follow them through the bunker. They close the door we couldn’t budge and secure some kind of locking mechanism I didn’t notice before.
“Come on,” Gideon says, slapping my ass and motioning for me to follow him.
“Hey!” I protest. “That’s still tender!”
“Good,” Jace smirks, slapping the other cheek. “Maybe you’ll remember that the next time you want to be defiant.”
I bite my tongue and follow them outside. I have to put my hand up to shield my eyes from the light. It’s not as bright as it was in The Aether, but it still takes my vision time to adjust. I walk over to where the other women are waiting.
“Caleb isn’t joining us?” I ask, looking around.
“Vance is usually our scout, but Caleb volunteered today,” Gideon says, gesturing into the wilderness. “We’ll catch up with him eventually. If there’s trouble, he’ll let us know.”
Four men are ahead of us. A wolf scouting the way. Four scared women, daring to hope they’ll see home again. And me.WhateverIam. Hope. That’s what Silas said. Or The Aether, speaking through him.
Once we start moving, the brothers shift into formation without a word. It looks like something the peace officers did, when they would come to the school and run through their drills. There is rarely trouble in Haven North. Not in the College District, at least. At worst, a drunk first-year student who hasn’t gotten used to the Green Syrup yet.
Gideon takes the lead. Jace watches the right. Vance holds the left. Knox trails silently at our backs. I don’t notice the trail at first, but it’s there—subtle marks in the soil, a fresh notch in a tree that doesn’t growl. The Tangle is mostly quiet. A vine slips out of our path. Timber creaks. Brush sighs. Like it knows we’re passing through and is choosing to let us.
I fall out of step with my friends, lingering back until I’m closer to Knox. The platinum wolf. My next mate, when he catches my scent. I can’t help being curious about him. He’s the broadest of the brothers. More battle-scarred, too. Both as a wolf, and as a man. He’s got some on his knuckles that suggest he used his fists when he earned them, rather than paws. Hitting something very, very hard.
“Are you getting tired, little girl?” he taunts, chuckling softly under his breath. “Need me to carry you?”
I glance over and our eyes meet. There’s a different flicker in his eyes than his brothers. A platinum scar on the iris, but his gaze seemsolder. Almost like Gideon is a puppy and he’s the elder. Except Gideon is older. A little bigger, even if he’s not as wide. Maybe what I’m seeing is wisdom.
I lower my voice so the ones in front of us can’t hear what I’m saying.
“No, I’m fine,” I murmur. “But you’re going to be my next mate. I thought it would be nice to know more than your name.”
“Mm.” He nods. “Did you get Gideon’s rap sheet and Jace’s permanent record before they bedded you last night? Or did you just start screaming immediately?”
“Hey!” I whimper, although I’m not exactly sure what a rap sheet is. “Not so loud. I don’t want the others to know… yet. I’ll tell them when we get to Haven North.”
“What a happy occasion that’ll be for them,” he says. “They’re finally home and the one who got them home is leaving with a pack of wolves. To fuck them. I’m sure your friends will understand.”
I feel a tremor inside me. A spark of anger. I do my best not to let it show in my voice. “You don’t have to be so callous about it. I made the deal to save them. What choice did I have?”
