Chapter 257
Chapter 257
I would never admit it aloud to Greta, but she was right to retreat back to the cabin and let off some steam away from people I had hoped would stand by me. I needed to clear my head before I could face the problem head-on. We had welcomed them into our quiet little rogue pack, and they completely upended our world. Honestly, that was what infuriated me the most. I don’t care whether they like me or even want to come after me personally, but Amy and Janelle had infiltrated our pack and found Justin and me almost immediately. Neither of them was eager to be marked right away. I’m not sure what excuses Janelle gave, but Amy’s reasons always revolved around gaining power. For her, it was the ultimate prize at the end of her grand schemes. Every time I achieved what she wanted, she just pushed the goalposts further. There was always another task waiting.
I’ll also never tell Greta that she was the one I thought about while I let my body release all the built-up tension. It didn’t take much imagination and, embarrassingly, it didn’t take long either-but it worked. My wolf was right; I need to find someone back in Dark Moon to take care of this regularly. I’ve been celibate far too long.
“Finn!” Greta whispered sharply. “Where are we going p>
I almost forgot she was trailing behind me. “I told you you were right. I found the end of the tunnel on my way back.” I glanced over my shoulder as we made our way down the backside of the hill. “Once I figured out who was here, I started searching for the scents of people I remembered being close to Justin and Janelle. Like them, I assumed some had died in the fight with Dark Moon. I didn’t stop to consider that maybe some of them ran off to save their own skins instead of protecting the group that had given them shelter for years.” I didn’t want to sound bitter, but I was. Most of our rogue group was fairly loyal, but it wasn’t the same bond as being in a pack. At the end of the day, most people will put themselves first. I haven’t had anyone like that since Nan.
“You found someone?!” Her voice was eager, but it shouldn’t have made me feel proud. I’d decided to let go of the people-pleaser part of me after Amy. To Greta, I was just a means to an end.
“I found three someones. So that makes five I recognize from our rogue pack.” “That’s something, at least. What’s the plan p>
I let out a short laugh. “I’m pretty sure you already know the answer to that.” When was she going to understand that there are no plans out here?
“Well, let me give you one then,” she said firmly. “Shift as soon as you can, and we need to keep each other in sight since no backup is coming. If we get separated— which is highly likely take out as many as you can, then head back to the cabin. If you’re too injured to move, howl three long times every five minutes until someone finds you. Got it p>
“Yes, ma’am.” I heard her grumble under her breath, and I couldn’t help but smile. We followed the massive rolling hill north for almost an hour. The weather was cold, but not nearly as bad as Rory had originally feared. I had brought warm clothes for both of us, just in case we got snow.
“There,” I said, pointing as we finally spotted another clearing near the fork of the river, the boundary between Rory’s pack and whoever was to the west. I knew it was another pack in Ryker’s alliance, though I hadn’t memorized all of them yet. It was almost crazy how many people he and Kennedy were responsible for. I used to think our small group of fifty to seventy members was a lot.
“I don’t see anything,” Greta muttered behind me. She had this annoying habit of looking over my shoulder and breathing right into my ear. My body loved the sensation, but my brain hated how easily she could provoke a reaction. Follow current novels on.net
“It’s easier to see from up close,” I said. “I came from the cabin this way so I wouldn’t leave a trail for someone to stumble upon, and I ran into Billy heading back into a cave down there. When I checked it out, I caught all their scents. Each one was recent, which means they’ve moved through here since we overheard them talking the other night p>