she said, “There must be
something more that keeps you at Two besides your parents.”
I nodded and gestured to the red rocks
around us. “This keeps me.”
She shot me a look. “Dirt and rocks?”
I shook my head and pointed at the achingly
blue sky above the stark red sands. “The azure sky, the red
sandstone, the cool nights and hot days. I'm free out here in my
own way.”
“ And trapped as well,” she
replied. She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to argue. “Don't
get me wrong. You can have your blue sky and rocks and all, but
this isn't freedom.”
“ And you have freedom?” I
pressed.
She glared at me and turned away in a huff.
We walked in silence back to the vehicles, then said goodbye to Ron
and his team.
“ Another find to make me
look bad,” Ron said good-naturedly as he shook my hand.
I grinned. “You just started missing me,
that's all.”
He rolled his eyes and opened the door to my
jeep. The wolves jumped in and Nora started to climb gingerly up
after them, but Traer stopped her and motioned toward the front
seat. Nora glanced back at me in surprise. I shrugged to hide my
own astonishment. She limped around the jeep and climbed into the
front seat, then threw Traer a grateful smile.
He met my eyes with a slight touch of red to
his cheeks and got in the back with Seth and Max. I bit back a
smile and started the engine.
Chapter 6
It felt good to phase in the light of the
moon. I chose to do it outside away from Nora so as not to scare
her. She was adamant that she wouldn't try to leave, and I hoped
the idea of nine wolves running around was enough to keep her from
taking back her promise.
Brian, Ben, and Thomas, the other three
Alphas at Two, joined me for our usual run around the perimeter.
The six grays, Max, Seth, Traer, Johnny, Zach, and Drake, followed
close behind. It was a silent, formidable group, but my bones ached
deep inside for a real pack and the closeness and loyalty that came
from running with a true family. My own parents, Alphas themselves,
had only run with me once for my first phase at Two when I was
seven. The other werewolves around me had similar stories, and we
had learned to rely on ourselves for friendship and camaraderie, a
hard thing when most males branched out to start their own packs in
their late teens and early twenties. It stung to be forbidden even
my rights as an Alpha, though the gaping absence of the other
wolves who should be with us was a stark remind of my failure to
them as well.
I shook my head to clear the dark thoughts
and broke into a run. I veered away from the others and loped
across the soft desert sand through red rock walls that twisted and
branched to the point where loss of attention to the path meant
getting lost and possible death by starvation and thirst if not by
rattlesnakes.
I loped through scrub brush and down winding
game trails until I left the other werewolves far behind. I cut
across the path of our jeeps from the day before and followed them
at a breakneck speed. I didn't slow until I reached the mouth of
White Horse Canyon. The scent of death touched my nose before I
traveled half a dozen feet along the narrow trail. The jeeps would
have had to take it easy here with their cargo. I pushed the
thought aside and padded through the salt grass and rocks that
lined the meager trail.
The canyon turned to the west to follow the
river that had once been great enough to carve its deep channel,
but now trickled along the bottom until swelled by the occasional
flash flood to cover the trail. I followed it a short distance,
then turned up a deer trail that smelled of Zach, Max, and lifeless
bodies. They must have carried them one or two at a time up the
winding trail to the canyon hidden behind.
I took a steeling breath, then topped the
rise. My stomach turned and breath caught at the sight and smell of
twenty-four bodies in the ravine below. I was responsible for
fourteen of their deaths. I swallowed and forced myself
something more that keeps you at Two besides your parents.”
I nodded and gestured to the red rocks
around us. “This keeps me.”
She shot me a look. “Dirt and rocks?”
I shook my head and pointed at the achingly
blue sky above the stark red sands. “The azure sky, the red
sandstone, the cool nights and hot days. I'm free out here in my
own way.”
“ And trapped as well,” she
replied. She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to argue. “Don't
get me wrong. You can have your blue sky and rocks and all, but
this isn't freedom.”
“ And you have freedom?” I
pressed.
She glared at me and turned away in a huff.
We walked in silence back to the vehicles, then said goodbye to Ron
and his team.
“ Another find to make me
look bad,” Ron said good-naturedly as he shook my hand.
I grinned. “You just started missing me,
that's all.”
He rolled his eyes and opened the door to my
jeep. The wolves jumped in and Nora started to climb gingerly up
after them, but Traer stopped her and motioned toward the front
seat. Nora glanced back at me in surprise. I shrugged to hide my
own astonishment. She limped around the jeep and climbed into the
front seat, then threw Traer a grateful smile.
He met my eyes with a slight touch of red to
his cheeks and got in the back with Seth and Max. I bit back a
smile and started the engine.
Chapter 6
It felt good to phase in the light of the
moon. I chose to do it outside away from Nora so as not to scare
her. She was adamant that she wouldn't try to leave, and I hoped
the idea of nine wolves running around was enough to keep her from
taking back her promise.
Brian, Ben, and Thomas, the other three
Alphas at Two, joined me for our usual run around the perimeter.
The six grays, Max, Seth, Traer, Johnny, Zach, and Drake, followed
close behind. It was a silent, formidable group, but my bones ached
deep inside for a real pack and the closeness and loyalty that came
from running with a true family. My own parents, Alphas themselves,
had only run with me once for my first phase at Two when I was
seven. The other werewolves around me had similar stories, and we
had learned to rely on ourselves for friendship and camaraderie, a
hard thing when most males branched out to start their own packs in
their late teens and early twenties. It stung to be forbidden even
my rights as an Alpha, though the gaping absence of the other
wolves who should be with us was a stark remind of my failure to
them as well.
I shook my head to clear the dark thoughts
and broke into a run. I veered away from the others and loped
across the soft desert sand through red rock walls that twisted and
branched to the point where loss of attention to the path meant
getting lost and possible death by starvation and thirst if not by
rattlesnakes.
I loped through scrub brush and down winding
game trails until I left the other werewolves far behind. I cut
across the path of our jeeps from the day before and followed them
at a breakneck speed. I didn't slow until I reached the mouth of
White Horse Canyon. The scent of death touched my nose before I
traveled half a dozen feet along the narrow trail. The jeeps would
have had to take it easy here with their cargo. I pushed the
thought aside and padded through the salt grass and rocks that
lined the meager trail.
The canyon turned to the west to follow the
river that had once been great enough to carve its deep channel,
but now trickled along the bottom until swelled by the occasional
flash flood to cover the trail. I followed it a short distance,
then turned up a deer trail that smelled of Zach, Max, and lifeless
bodies. They must have carried them one or two at a time up the
winding trail to the canyon hidden behind.
I took a steeling breath, then topped the
rise. My stomach turned and breath caught at the sight and smell of
twenty-four bodies in the ravine below. I was responsible for
fourteen of their deaths. I swallowed and forced myself
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