At the terror Alexia heard in VanWolf’s cry, she barked, and the sound vanished in the whistling wind. She had to help him. No matter how she tried, though, she still could not connect with him through their mental link. She could only assume VanWolf had shut down their telepathic connection to protect her. Large snowflakes fell, coating their fur. Cathen formed a wall between her and the lean, black salivating werewolves.
“You can spare him if you come with us.” The glimmer in the thinner werewolf’s yellow eyes unnerved her. A waved of hatred from the beasts traveled through her body. Their intent was to harm her. Nothing would please them more than to figure out how to get the ancient Shunus’ abilities and rid the world of their kind once and for all. Furthermore, she was the key. At least that was what they believed. She didn’t know what she was. VanWolf called her a miracle. Part of her had stopped believing those would happen to her. Once again, it seemed she was right. Not that she wanted to be.
“Alexia, I need you to go with Cathen.” Weak and strained, VanWolf’s voice sounded in her mind.
“I can’t. I need you.” Did he know what he asked of her? She couldn’t lose another person she loved. Not again. The joy she’d known over the past few weeks as his mate dwarfed all the pain built up inside her from the loss of her mother, father and brother. With VanWolf, she was whole, and the pack provided her with the family she’d lost. “What of our child?”
“I won’t fail to protect my mate and child a second time. Don’t make me a failure, please.” The timber of his voice quivered in an echo of pain. “I won’t try to get out until I know you are both far from here and safe.”
She knew he meant what he said. “Okay, I will go with Cathen and meet you at the rendezvous point.”
The two werewolves swarmed on Cathen, at once forcing him to the ground. He pushed himself up and shook his body, throwing each in a different direction. A squeal pierced the frigid air followed by a low, menacing growl.
One took up a post in front and the other behind. Cathen backed up, forcing her to remain hidden. Red stained his white fur. Reaching forward, he seized the larger one with his paw and sliced through his neck. Blood poured from the claw-sized gashes.
The smaller werewolf sprinted away. Cathen pounced on him, placed his paws on both sides of the beast’s head, twisted and snapped his neck. A breath released from the were in the cold winter air, swirling like mist.
The wind whistled around her, chilling her to the bone.
“Let’s go before the two others pick up our trail.” He pushed her bottom with his snout. “And you stay in front where I can keep both eyes on you.”
If only she had listened, maybe VanWolf would have escaped by now. His words the morning after he’d marked her while they’d made love replayed. I don’t see my future, only my death. So when she’d made him promise after he’d said those words that they’d be together for eternity, he may have lied to her. She hadn’t given him much choice.
Cathen placed his clothing inside the leather bag and held the band in his mouth, then with a flick of his head, looped the strap around his neck. His amber eyes met hers, then they shone gold.
He nudged her to a trot. “We need to pick up our pace.”
“Fine.” As she sped to a jog, the frigid mountain night bit into her tender flesh. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why, even covered in a thick coat of fur, she still felt cold. She never seemed able to warm up. The air this high in altitude was thin. As she climbed the steep slope, her muscles cramped.
When she slowed down, Cathen growled at her. Since she’d paired with VanWolf, Cathen rarely spoke to her, and when he did, she wished he hadn’t. VanWolf had advised her to give him time, but Cathen only grew more distant with every passing day. He’d even stopped joining the pack for meals.
She had no need for his attitude. “I’m tired,” she responded. Fatigue plagued her aching body, and her mate could be dead.
“Why don’t you shift to human form and I will carry you?”
The provoking note in his voice annoyed her. He knew damn well she’d shredded her clothing when she’d shifted. Her abilities to morph from human to Shunu left a lot to be desired still. “You know I can’t.”
“And why would that be, princess?” The forced cordiality in his tone wasn’t an improvement.
She grumbled under her breath. He wouldn’t be content until she admitted her foolish actions, or her lack of practice.
“Because I shifted while fully dressed,” she said low, head turned away from his penetrating stare.
“You’re welcome to wear my attire.” Nothing out of the ordinary about how he’d delivered that.
Could she be reading too much into the way he spoke? “Really?” She glanced back at him. Was this a ploy to embarrass her?
His graceful movements displayed his strength as a warrior. It was why he was the Epsilon-Beta. “Of course the offer is sincere.” He met her gaze with his golden eyes.
Why had she thought otherwise? Because she couldn’t figure out if he hated her or not? When VanWolf had asked her if she should be saving herself for someone, she should have told him of her interest in Cathen, but the Alpha was all consuming and had burned right through her flesh to her soul.
Now she feared for VanWolf’s life. Not a word had come from him in the last while.
“Otherwise we may never get out of here.”
Cathen just couldn’t help himself from taking a swipe at her. That didn’t mean she had to engage in the banter. Part of her wondered if he did it in an effort to elicit a reaction from her.
He gestured with his snout a few yards ahead. “Over there looks like a good spot for you to change.”
The row of pine trees would provide privacy and good coverage from the wind. The moon was past the three quarter phase, and bright. Less than a week remained before the large orb went full, wreaking havoc on the pack.
He set the sack down and turned his back to her, giving her privacy.
“Thank you.”
Since her transformation, she still struggled to shift at will. Often in intense situations, she did so without warning, but controlling her ability was hit and miss. At least with her Shunu gifts. She spent more time concentrating on her chieftain skills, of which healing was the strongest. The ability had benefited nearly every member of the pack at least once in the past few weeks.
“What’s taking you so long?” He panted.
She pulled out his shirt, pants and jacket. “I’m trying to concentrate.” It was a small fib, wasn’t it? She might be responsible for VanWolf’s death. Tears burned her eyes.
Cathen was angry at her actions. At this moment, she couldn’t focus to shift back, and the cold stabbed through to her insides. She wanted to lie in the snow and wait for VanWolf to carry her, wherever he was. But she had
