Page 68 of Mated By the Pack
“You’ve decided it’s instinct?” Vance chuckles. “I guess I’m the only one who believes in fate.”
“Does it matter?” I ask. “Instinct? Fate? We have no control over it.”
“No, unfortunately, we don’t,” Vance says. “Caleb is returning. I guess it’s my turn to scout.”
I could share more, but I barely understand it myself. Vance would ask a million questions. Questions I can’t answer. I’ve seen how fascinated he is with my bracelet. His brothers were fascinated with it too, after they heard what it could do.
Caleb shifts and takes Vance’s place, but far away from me. Vance shifts and disappears into The Tangle. After we continue for another mile or so, Brenna and Caleb start talking. I keep an eye on the wilderness around us, dwelling on all the thoughts tumbling around in my head. Mostly I’m dreading the inevitable. Going back with the wolves. I’ve accepted that. But I still have to tell everyone else, once we get to Haven North.
“Vance is returning,” Gideon calls out. “He must have news.”
We pause and wait for Vance to shift, put on his military fatigues, and join the group.
“Slavers,” Vance says. “About a mile ahead. We can avoid them.”
“Good,” Jace grunts. “No reason to pick a fight if we don’t have to.”
“Do they have… women?” Nara asks cautiously. “Like us?”
“Yes,” Vance answers. “Looks like they just left Haven North. Not the same slavers that took you. All of them are dead.”
I see the anger in Nara’s eyes. Fear radiating from Fiona and Tansy. Brenna narrows her eyes, like she’s about to say something if I don’t.
“We’re not leaving them behind,” I state firmly.
Jace growls under his breath. Caleb glares at me. Knox just shakes his head.
“What’s guarding the cargo?” Gideon sighs. “Just slavers?”
“No,” Vance says. “Two Gen-Lynxes. They’re young, though. Barely more than cubs. We could take them.”
“Gideon, no,” Caleb grinds out, and I have to do a double take, surprised he’s speaking up. “Even if they’re cubs, fighting two of them is dangerous. If we can avoid the slavers, we should.”
“How would you feel?” Brenna asks. “If you were in a cage, and people who could help just walked right by?”
“Theydid,” Caleb spits back, then he glares at his brothers. “We agreed we wouldn’t get involved in human affairs. Not anymore. The last time we did that, they betrayed us, and we lost Silas.”
“We’re already doing it, brother,” Knox grunts. “We’re hauling four of them across The Tangle right now.”
“We honor our deals,” Caleb growls. “Even the ones I don’t like.”
“Well, while we’re arguing, our mate is already going to fight them on her own,” Knox grunts, pointing in my direction.
He’s right. I’ve already pushed into The Tangle, following the path Vance carved. Running right toward danger. Again. Despite promising I wouldn’t. But I can’t abandon them. I know what horrors await those women. Know how scared I was, when I was in that cage.
“Calla, stop!” Gideon calls out. “We’re not done talking about this!”
“Then keep talking!” I answer, moving further away from my mates. “I’ve made up my mind.”
I glance at my bracelet, hoping it will respond if I ask. That this piece of The Aether inside of me cares enough about my survival not to let me get killed by slavers. But it offers its help in a different way—five wolves that rush to my side. The girls follow behind us, but I set the pace. Vance leads the way once his trail becomes difficult to follow, shifting once we get to the top of a hill.
“Down there,” Vance says. “Four slavers. Two hybrids. Four hostages.”
“They’re our replacements,” I mutter, trying to get a better view. “The ones who took us said the buyers wanted four. They took five because they had to give one to the guy who ran The Outpost.”
“Yeah…” Fiona whispers nervously. “Brenna killed him.”
“And we’ll deal with these fuckers like we dealt with them,” Brenna says, clutching her stick.
