Page 71 of Mated By the Pack
“We’ll see the wall soon,” Jace says, catching up to me. “If Vance hasn’t howled for us or returned, then the way must be clear.”
“My thought as well.” I nod in agreement. “Calla seems be able to use the bracelet more than we realized.”
“Yes. But I’m not sure if we should be impressed or a little terrified,” Jace chuckles. “Next time it could be one of us tied to a tree.”
“Perhaps. Especially if the vines are as strong as the roots that came out of the ground when we were fighting the Gen-Lynxes,” I say. “That wasn’t spikeshade. I’m not an expert like Vance, but those were tree roots.”
“Which means that bracelet is more than just a piece of The Tangle, still resonating with life,” Jace growls. “But Calla’s our mate. We have to trust her.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about,” I mutter, kicking a stick out of the way. “Plus, I’m always a little uneasy when we get this close to Haven North.”
“Two cities built in the same place,” Jace spits out. “Both of them full of shitty memories and things I don’t even want to think about.”
“It wasn’t terrible before the Great War. Sure, we were lab rats, and they were more concerned about breeding us than anything else, and they treated us well,” I sigh. “Until they decided we were going to be soldiers.”
“We were still prisoners,” Jace grunts, shaking his head. “We rarely saw our mom. Dad was… well…”
“Yeah.” I bite my tongue. “Nothing left of our family now except the five of us. Calla will change that. Speaking of, we need to talk with Vance about some modifications to the den when we get home.”
“Like what?” Jace asks.
“We’ll have to baby-proof it,” I chuckle. “Can’t have our puppies chewing a loose wire and getting electrocuted, can we?”
“Do youthinkit’ll be a puppy?” Jace glances at me in concern. “Or will it just be able to shift right out of the womb? I’m… not sure which one would be easier.”
“This is uncharted territory, brother.” I shrug nonchalantly. “Whatever the challenge, I’m sure we’ll be up for it, even if she has a litter.”
“A litter?” Jace scoffs. “We weren’t a litter. Our mom didn’t even have any twins.”
“Like I said, uncharted territory. I have no fucking clue what to expect.” I glance back at Calla. “But I’m getting hungry again. How about you?”
“Absolutely,” Jace chuckles, glancing back at our mate as well. “Soon as we get the rest of them home, we get Calla all to ourselves. No more sneaking around. No more worrying about who can hear us. We’ll keep her on her knees, ready for us whenever we get the itch.”
“We’ll see how that goes,” I laugh. “Caleb should have her scent soon. I’m not sure how that’s going to go down.”
“Me either,” Jace admits. “I’m not sure he’ll join us like Knox did. He’s turned into too much of a loner since Silas died.”
“Knox may convince him. If not, we’ll figure it out. He’ll feel the same thing we do, even if we’re not as close as we used to be.” I motion ahead. “There’s the wall.”
“Fucking Haven North,” Jace growls.
It’s almost nightfall. Haven North is mostly unguarded. They don’t have much to fear with the wall protecting them. Still, I’m not leading them directly to the front gate. I’m not dealing with the fucking peace officers who will ask too many questions. They wouldn’t be much of a match for us, but they’ve got numbers and weapons. We didn’t come here for a fight.
“This way,” I call out, gesturing for the group to follow me.
“Wait.” Calla hurries to my side. “Why are we going this way? Can’t we just… walk in?”
“There are plenty of other ways into Haven North,” I say. “You don’t think the slavers are driving cages full of women through the front gate, do you?”
“Well, no, but…” Calla’s voice trails off.
“What is it, mate?” I question, glancing over at her.
“I know I promised I would go back with you, and I will, but I need to go inside,” she says hesitantly. “I understand if you don’t want to come with me.”
“No,” I state firmly. “We aren’t going inside. We made a deal to get them home. We’ll honor it. I promised my brothers we wouldn’t go any further.”
“It’s non-negotiable, Gideon,” Calla states, her voice as firm as mine. “The guy who jammed a needle in my neck is supplying drugs to the slavers. He’s helping them kidnap women. I can’t just walk away knowing other women could be in danger.”
