Jos is tight lipped for the entire trip home, only responding to his father's questions with the absolute minimum. I'm ignored for the most part by both of them and don't dare to open my mouth. Since the petition for the injunction was dismissed, the Alpha is in a good mood and even switches the radio from classical to a modern song when we reach the fence to the territory.

"The next step will be the expert visit. A couple of gray wolves from the pack will give the scientists a good show and there's no way they will seize the land after that."

"Who are you gonna use, Dad? Gray wolves are rare, even for our pack."

The Alpha gives him a fond smile. "For starters, you are gray. Just need to find you a female and a couple of cute pups."

"Yeah, I guess that could work."

We reach the stretch of road paved with potholes and the poking of the rod starts again.

Jos tosses me a glance over his shoulder. Undoubtedly, he wants me to catch this part of the conversation. "Do you have any particular female in mind?"

"Honestly, I'm not even sure which one of them is gray."

"I'm gray," I butt in.

"Oh, really? Well, I guess we got our couple then." The Alpha grins. "By the way, where did you all of a sudden disappear to during the hearing?"

"I had to use the bathroom."

"You were gone for a long time."

My mind scrambles to come up with a logical explanation why I missed most of the proceedings. Jos gazes at me with a smirk. Don't get busted, his eyes warn.

"I was sick. Must have been the painkillers. I usually can't stomach them."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." A concerned frown creases the Alpha's brows. "I hope you feel better now."

"Much better, thanks."

"Good, because I want Jos and you to scout out the land to find a spot where we can stage the wolf family. With everything that's going on at the moment, we need to be prepared at a short moment's notice."

"I think we can do that." Jos turns around again, his eyes much softer than before. "Is that okay with you, Raelyn, or do you have other plans?"

What other plans could I possibly have? "No, that sounds good." And the best part is that I'll get to spend some time in the woods. My wolf is itching to stretch her legs, even if Jos will likely take this as an opportunity to give me a good roasting for talking to Eric.

As soon as we get back to the packhouse, we take off. Though I still favor the burned front leg, I'm able to limp along without too much discomfort. Jos and I stroll down the beaten path alongside the shore of the lake and he slows down whenever I fall behind. His snout keeps nudging me as a reminder to take frequent breaks.

After what seems an eternity, we reach the cabin. Just as he did before, he shifts outside, his toned body a sight for sore eyes. Even though a small shadow of Dante's grief still presses on my chest, my wolf rumbles with pleasure. The strong attraction to Jos plays into her desire. She growls and snaps, demanding for him to shift back and mount her. Even my rational self is craving affection and I stretch into my skins.

Self-conscious of his burning eyes, I walk up the steps to the cabin. He follows me, his hand cupping my butt before I even reach the door. Turning me, he pins me against the wall. His heated lips trace kisses along my jawline.

"You shouldn't talk to a human," he mutters between heavy breaths. "If my father had caught you, he would've killed him and his family and made you pay a heavy price."

"I know. And I swear I didn't tell him anything about the pack."

When his arousal presses against my crotch, a moan escapes.

"Then what did he want?"

The gentle touch of his hand caressing my thigh casts caution to the wind. "He wanted me to leave Dante. His father thinks he's abusive."

For a second, his warm lips leave my neck. "You aren't seriously considering it, are you?"

"Of course not." In my old pack, a few younger wolves tried to break free from the confinement of the pack. They all failed. My mother used to tell me horror stories of their wild nature taking over, tearing to shreds their human mates and neighbors before a bullet of an animal control officer ended it all. Spending hours with humans is tolerable, but their weak smell ultimately brings out our bloodlust. Wolves are not meant to cohabit with humans.

Jos pinches my nipple and I moan against his skin. My body is so deprived of affection that any resistance is futile. As his finger enters forbidden territory, my body turns into a puddle of lust.

He sighs with a heavy breath. "Oh, Raelyn, being apart from you has been hell."

"I missed you, too."

Tilting my head back, I push my chest against his mouth to give his lips access to my breasts. Heat courses through my body; my muscles tighten with need. When my knees go weak, only his strong arms keep me from falling.

I pant for air. "Take me inside."

He hoists me on his hips and I cradle my arms around his neck. Sitting right on his arousal is a total turn-on. A burning hunger settles in between my legs that is stronger than ever before. When I make out a sudden silhouette of a man against the sun, my body goes rigid. My shriek has Jos freeze. After setting me back down on firm ground, he spins around.

On closer inspection, the man is nothing more than a young boy just short of his adolescence, though he is rather tall and bulky for his age. Dressed only in a black loincloth, the rest of his dark-bronze skin is painted with colorful markings that have no apparent meaning. His long, raven hair reaches just past his shoulders and blows lightly in the wind. As his silver eyes hold my gaze, a chill runs down my spine. He looks as if he warped here from an ancient native tribe while he was on a warpath.

When Jos shifts, the boy's lips curl to a smirk. Leaping forward, Jos crouches in an attack position, his tail beating the forest ground. Teeth exposed, a deep growl resonates in his chest.

The boy grins. "Awe, look at the cute pup. Let's play, shall we?" The words aren't spoken aloud but carried as a whisper of the wind.

Jos dives forward just as the boy swoops his hand. The world explodes in a ball of light; when the sparks settle, Jos is lying motionless on the ground.

"Jos!" With a few long strides, I'm next to him, squatting down. His chest is moving and no blood streaks his fur. I stare up at the boy who smiles at me with this weird smirk that manages to chill every fiber of my bones.

"Who are you?" I yell.

The wind carries the answer. "The ones who have to ask shall not know."

What a creep. "You better stay away from me." My teeth descend and I snap at him, more for my own reassurance than to scare him off. After that sparkly shit he pulled, he isn't someone I'd want to mess with.

A soft breeze caresses my shoulder and before I realize that he has moved, he's already beside me. When he reaches for me, I scoot back, raising my arm in an innate defense. His fingers brush over my bandage, leaving a searing throb behind. Like fireworks, the pain explodes in my head. Darkness engulfs me.

When I open my eyes again, I lie face down on the forest floor. Dirt tickles in my nose with every breath. Thank the Moon Goddess I'm still alive. Sitting up, I press my palms into my temples to fight the splitting headache and nausea. Jos is still out cold and I yank his front paw.

"Jos, wake up."

He stirs and tries to stand, but it takes him a few minutes before his legs don't buckle underneath him. After a few more tries, he manages to take a few tentative steps forward. Shifting back into his skins, he sits under the golden globe of the afternoon sun, massaging his forehead. "Geez, what happened?"

"This boy attacked us."

"What boy?" He glances around, his eyes unfocused.

"There was a boy. Don't you remember?"

"No."

"Then what do you remember?"

"You and I were walking up the path from the lake. We came upon this clearing. Then there was this sudden darkness and the next thing I know, I woke up on the ground, feeling like crap."

"Well, let's go inside the cabin and drink something cold. Maybe that makes us feel better."

"What cabin?"

I squint at the spot by the edge of the forest where the cabin used to stand. Somehow, it vanished. I blink a few times, certain that my eyes must be playing tricks on me, but the result remains the same. No cabin. "There used to be a cabin back there."

Jos laughs. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? There was never a cabin."

"Sure there was. You used to come here all the time when you wanted to be alone. One day, we almost made love in there."

"Honestly, it sounds fantastic, especially the last part, but no. There was never a cabin in this clearing, and I lived here all my life."

"But Jos—"

When I try to wrap my arms around him, he turns away. "Please, Raelyn, I thought you were joking. You are my brother's mate."

It takes all my effort for my jaw not to drop. "So you don't remember kissing me?"

His chuckle is awkward and he can't hold my gaze. "Like I said, you're Dante's mate. I would never kiss you. It wouldn't be right."

The coldness in his eyes makes me recoil. What the hell is going on?

His gaze flicks to the sun. "It's getting late. We should try to find a spot where we can set up the wolf family and then get back to the packhouse. The death watchers will burn the bodies tonight and we can't afford being late."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

~~~~

Hundreds of torches light the field behind the packhouse and every wolf has gathered to pay their respects to Lara and her parents. Their bodies lay out on wooden pyres, dressed in the purple garment of death that will allow them to cross into the spirit world and ascend to the realm of the afterlife.

As the wind picks up, drums begin to beat in a slow, even rhythm. The flames of the torches flicker, skewing the long shadows that stretch across the field. I shudder. In my old pack, burials are a quiet, family affair; only the death watchers join in for the burning of the body. Here, funerals are like a circus event. The elders have formed three circles in front of each of the pyres, their chanting carrying over the beat of the drums.

Jos walks up behind me. The lemony pine scent of his shower gel still sticks to his skin and his hair is wet and unruly. Since the incident in the clearing, he has not once looked at me and keeps his distance even now, careful that our arms don't accidentally touch. If his behavior wasn't so odd, I would probably be upset, but I'm still hoping he'll snap out of it.

The drums and chanting stop as abruptly as they started. Through the chasing clouds, I catch a glimpse of the moon. Tonight, it's only a thin, silvery crescent. Dante's grief hits me unexpectedly; my mate mark burns and pulses. As the chanting starts again, pain chokes my breath and black dots swim in front of my eyes.

The strong whiff of incense stings my nostrils. The pain is now so overpowering that I drop on my knees. As Dante's and my soul connect, tears run down my face. I weep for the she-wolf who has always been a thorn in my side as if she had been my true mate. Unable to break the powerful connection of the mate bond, I keep gasping for air. Bile laces my throat, gagging me, before my hand clutches my mouth to prevent me from hurling into the grass.

"Raelyn, what's wrong?" Hailey's words barely make it through the sick wall of fog surrounding my brain.

I choke on my reply. As the drums pick up speed, every beat is a stab to my chest. Hailey shakes me and her lips are moving, but I no longer hear a sound over the whooshing in my ears. The pain from my mate mark has traveled to my skull, threatening to combust in my head. When the torch of a death watcher lights up the first body, a jolt of pain shoots straight into my heart like a dagger.

The second body goes up in flames and I tumble to the ground. Sobs turnmy insides out; I desperately try to catch my breath. Though I don't see thetorch that sets Lara's body on fire, I feel her burn. My body convulses, mymuscles spasm. As Dante completes the circle ritual with the other deathwatchers to set her spirit free, my soul is left to chatter. For a second, I'mpulled out of my body, watching down on the clearing with the corpses engulfedby flames, before crashing back onto the ground. Darkness consumes me. All Ican do is let myself fall.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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