still causing him tremendous amounts of pain, “Let’s get to the rendezvous point then, Tasha and the others have been waiting since dawn, they’ll be glad to know their alpha and druid are both still alive.”
“Arn, did your old pack set a rally point before making camp with us?” asked Roland as he picked up the assault shotgun he had looted from one of the hunter corpses.
“Of course, it’s out by Gendry’s Bluff, just a KOA campground but it was as good a place as any to set stake,” Arn responded in casual tones as he stood and dressed, “I don’t know how long they’ll stay there without me, as I’ve said I was losing control anyway.”
“Tell you what boss, I’ll take Arn here out to the bluff pronto, then head up to our spot” said Womack as he left the shed and started limping back to his bike, “If you head north another two miles or so I left Merric at the trailhead, he’s driving the beater so I’ll let him know you’re coming. This ATV trail is just too narrow for that old van, no way he was going to get it in here, kinda surprised my bike didn’t give out on me.”
“See you at the spot Womack,” said Roland as he and Brienne started walking up the road while Arn mounted Womack’s bike. The two shifters sped up the road and out of sight in minutes as the alpha and the druid trudged onwards.
“Womack is one tough bastard,” said Brienne as they hiked, “Last time I saw him he was digging silver shot out of his chest with a switchblade.”
“He’s a survivor that is for sure, and before I came along he was one of the best alphas this pack has had since previous generations turned in their horses for Harleys,” nodded Roland as he slung the looted shotgun over his shoulder and put his arm around his mate, “This pack is lucky to have him, and even that sly wolf Arn. After last night we are going to need all the help we can get.”
“I know the pack lore, but seeing for myself how hard the company hunts you, I don’t see how we can be safe anywhere,” said Brienne as she drew close to her mate, enjoying the way his warmth washed over her and kept the chilly morning air from biting too strongly.
“Our kind survived the Witch Hunts and the Inquisition,” snarled the alpha, “We’ll survive Raytheodyne. It’s time to hit the road, lick our wounds, and get stronger. Once we are ready, we’ll take the pack across the border, get down into South America where there’s a little more room to breathe. We’ll just keep moving and we keep living, because there will always be those who are going to try to take us down.”
“Outlast the enemy huh?” asked Brienne.
“Greed and Corruption have a way of burning themselves out,” answered Roland, “We just have to weather the storm, and we do that by staying alive and staying wild.”
“Life with you just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” laughed Brienne as she squeezed her mate.
“I hope that’s still the compliment it used to be,” said Roland as he scanned the forest while they walked.
“It is, but with a daughter mixed up in all of this,” said Brienne as she walked on, “Yes, let’s lick our wounds and heal our family. Priority one. Then we see where we stand. Do you think the pack will acknowledge you as their alpha?”
“Just because Arn submitted doesn’t mean they will. If he was weak enough to be worried that challenge might come soon anyway, then it is possible I’ll have to fight someone else. We’ll just have to see,” Roland breathed as he sniffed the air, “The fights just keep coming.”
“That is the way of the alpha breed,” boasted Brienne as she looked up at the shifter, “I learned that on our first date. Dark days ahead, but we got this.”
“So sayeth the wolfmother,” growled Roland as he bared his fangs in a feral smile.
Brienne squeezed his hand in response and the two of them continued down the trail.
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