Page 56 of Tangled Fates

I shot him a look. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Hudson turned to face all of us. “It means that your parents did you a disservice, and as much as I loved and respect them both, that doesn’t mean I have to be happy with them.”

I rushed up to his side. “Tell me. Just… just tell me, okay? Please?”

His brow furrowed lightly, and his gaze seemed to soften. “Your father comes from a long line of very powerful alphas. Magic has been passed down in your family for generations upon generations. That kind of old magic can’t be dampened. So, it’s likely that your father’s powerful magic is making up for your human nature.”

“What kind of magic, though?”

“I hate to break up the party,” Dean said, “but we have to get going. The more daylight we burn, the longer it’s going to take us to get to Brody.”

Hudson nodded. “He’ll have a hell of a lot more answers regarding your family than we will.”

Levi took my hand in his. “So, let’s get going. If we shift and keep our running in shifts, we’ll get to the lake’s edge before nightfall. Then from there, I can use my tracking senses to figure out where exactly they’ve got Brody.”

I drew in a deep, sobering breath. “Okay, let’s get at it, then.”

The run was long and the day, even longer. But the moment I smelled fishy lake water, hope blossomed in my chest. I tore to the front of our group, putting miles behind us in mere minutes as I pulled myself forward with the power in my front legs.

However, when Levi skidded to a stop and stuck his snout in the air, I knew better than to keep pressing forward.

Hold on, guys. Levi? What is it?

He sniffed the air deeply before putting his nose back to the ground. Give me a second.

Hudson stalked around us. We’re sitting ducks by this lake. Hurry it up.

Dean walked up to Levi’s side. What can I do to help?

Levi turned and pointed his entire body north. I know where Brody is. He’s in a cave, just north of the lake. But his voice is muffled.

All of the guys turned to face me and I almost threw up in my own mouth. Lead the way, Levi. We don’t have time to lose.

Hudson started off toward a massive, dilapidated cabin. We need to shift back into human form. They’ll smell us coming if we aren’t careful.

And I was glad that we all morphed back, choosing to hike to the cave rather than charge in with our wolves on full display.

Because as we stood about forty feet from the mouth of the cave that reeked of Brody’s fear, we came face to face with a large encampment of bears.

Scratching their stomachs and resting against the outer sides of the caves like they were in their own damn living rooms.

19

RAVEN

“What the hell do we do now?” Dean whispered.

“Hold on,” Hudson murmured.

I tried to reach out for him, but he was quick to slip away. “Hudson, cut it out.”

He shot me a look over his shoulder. “Just give me a second, Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, we knew how to operate before you came along.”

“Well, then,” Dean muttered.

I ground my teeth together. “If they spot you, you’re on your own.”

Hudson scoffed. “Spoken like a true Alpha.”

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