Page 32 of Mated By the Pack
The horrors around us are forgotten, if only for a moment.
CHAPTER 9
Knox
Ilet out a sigh as I sit down to rest.
We’ve been running ahead, doubling back, and fighting everything we couldn’t lead away since Calla and her companions started their trek across The Tangle.
Why? Because she’s apparently different from other humans. She might not even be human—not entirely. Whatever she is, she’s got Gideon worked into a frenzy and while Jace is trying to hide it, I can tell it’s impacting him too. I should be next, if it’s following the natural hierarchy, but the only thing I feel is disdain.
We’ve lost brothers and sisters to The Tangle. After we lost Silas, we swore that we’d make decisions as a family. As a pack. When I made that agreement, I never imagined my brothers going crazy and losing their minds. Leading us right into danger, instead of choosing to avoid it, like we agreed.
Caleb walks up beside me and shifts into human form. Gideon and Jace are closer to the oasis we herded the women to, trying to learn more about their prize. Vance is scouting ahead, probably talking to the fucking trees or whatever he does when he tries to communicate with these cursed weeds.
“Still not buying it?” Caleb asks, his gaze lingering on Gideon and Jace.
Caleb doesn’t talk to our brothers very often, but he talks to me. Probably because he realizes I’m the most levelheaded one, even if I’m the first to leap into battle when there’s a good reason to fight.
“No,” I grunt. “We’ve been roaming The Tangle for a long fucking time. If we were going to find a mate… if such a thing was even possible… it shouldn’t have taken us this long to find one.”
“The scientists at Haven North could have experimented on her,” Caleb offers. “Infused her with wolf DNA, like they did with our parents.”
“I’ve considered that,” I reply, nodding. “Haven North has come a long way since the walls went up, but I don’t think they have access to that kind of technology. Not yet. They’ve got an electrical grid, but they would need a lot more power than that to do genetic experiments like they were doing before the Great War.”
“It’s a fucking breeding colony,” Caleb growls. “I’m sure they’ve made it a priority.”
“Maybe, but we can smell other wolves, especially hybrids,” I mutter. “I can’t even get her scent. I can practically taste thedespair radiating from the other four, but not her. It’s like she isn’t even there.”
“Just so you know,” Caleb sighs. “I’m not going to talk to you anymore if you start acting like Gideon and Jace—or Vance, even though he’s always been weird.”
“Are you ever going to be ready to talk to them?” I ask, glancing at my brother. “I know you blame them for what happened to Silas, but we were all there.”
“It’s not just Silas. It’s everything.” Caleb shakes his head angrily. “I’m tired, Knox. Tired of fighting. Tired of this fucking wilderness. Tired of wondering which brother I’ll bury next. Hell, maybe it’ll be me. That would be a relief.”
“Don’t say that, brother,” I growl, then force a smile. “You really want to leave me alone with two feral wolves and a guy who talks to plants? You’re the only sane one left.”
“We could do what we talked about,” Caleb says. “Disappear into The Tangle. Go to New Chicago. Try to pass as humans for a while and see if we can learn to be men again, instead of beasts.”
“That’s fantasy, Caleb,” I sigh. “Like all those people who used to spend their money on lottery tickets before the Great War. We could never abandon our brothers, even if they’re being more irrational than they usually are.”
“I know,” Caleb answers. “I fucking know.”
I catch Vance’s scent and turn in his direction. Caleb moves away from me and folds his arms across his chest. Vance is moving too fast for it to be good news. Here we go again.
“What’s the rush?” I grumble as Vance skids to a stop and shifts into human form.
“Caleb, go get Gideon and Jace,” Vance pants. “Slavers are coming. The guy who was in charge, and it looks like he’s got reinforcements—including the Gen-Lion.”
“Fuck!” I roar, turning to see Caleb disappear into the underbrush mid-shift. “How long until they make it to us?”
“The Gen-Lion has their scent, so it won’t be long. They’re covering ground a lot faster than Calla and the others,” Vance hurriedly explains.
We’re going to have to fight a Gen-Lion. Again. The memories of our last battle with a fearsome lion-hybrid still haunt me. It’s been a long time since we’ve encountered one. I started to believe they were extinct, although I haven’t been eager to meet something in The Tangle that could handle one of them—much less more than one.
Class-1 hybrids are more beast than man. Mutated, menacing, and powerful. Their offspring are different. Stronger, faster, and more cunning, blending beast and man into something more threatening than either. Gen-Lions were the pinnacle of those genetic experiments before they switched over to Class-2 hybrids.
Gideon darts by with our other brothers on his heels. I shift and bring up the rear, just like always. I can sense the tension in the pack’s movements. None of us are eager to fight a Gen-Lion. There’s a good chance some of us won’t survive it, and without Silas, this may be our last stand.
