Page 44 of Racing the Storm

He spoke, the words of a human tongue lost to me, but it didn’t matter. His tone told me he was glad to be there—that he wouldn’t have been anywhere else. I could taste him in the air as I opened my mouth and panted. He was pleased. My mate was pleased.

Fatigue stole over me again, the healing deeper than I realized it would be, and I sank to the ground. I felt him stretch out beside me, and when I rested my chin on the cut of his hip, his long fingers stroked along my ears.

For the first time in so long—in decades—even trapped in a cave away from my family, I was content.

I woke from my unintended nap with human arms and legs and entirely alone. Mikael had been kind enough to ball the pack up under my head, and sleeping in the stream of sun had kept me warm. The last vestiges of Arturo’s drugs were finally out of my system, and all that was left from the bullet was a fine scar that I knew would fade with time. Pushing up to sit, I sniffed the air, then trained my ears toward the caves, but I couldn’t find Mikael’s heartbeat. I knew he wouldn’t have left me, and I knew that if he’d been taken, they would have found me too.

I hoped he wasn’t reckless enough to venture out, but I didn’t know whether or not he was. He was a stranger to me—mate or not. I had connected to him in that perfect way most Wolves never got to experience, but it was severed too soon.

My heart ached a little again, but it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. I opened the pack to find a clean set of clothes—a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. It wasn’t the most realistic outfit for hiding out, but the fabric was soft and smelled a little bit like Kor.

Hugging my arms around my body, I gathered our supplies, then made my way back to the main cave just in time to see a sleek black Wolf dragging the hind of a deer along the ground, past the mouth of our sitting area. The scent of death and blood was overwhelming for a second, but I followed him anyway, to the second cave where I heard the very start of a crackling fire.

I stepped in just in time to see Mikael assume his human form—changing shapes with a grace most Wolves didn’t have. He didn’t bother dressing either, though he knew I was there.

“Can you cook?” he asked after a beat.

I laughed. “Not well.”

He frowned at the deer, then shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Kor didn’t leave us with seasoning.” He reached into the pack by the side of the fire and pulled out a long knife. “And at least that asshole left us something to defend ourselves with.”

I lifted a brow at him as I crossed over and knelt down. There was the smallest hole in the ceiling of the cave, and the smoke was gathering at the top. “Won’t someone see us?”

He followed my gaze, then shrugged. “I did a little exploring, and we’re in the middle of nowhere. Unless it looks like a forest fire, I think they’ll leave us alone.”

I wished I’d been able to share some of his confidence, but every time I breathed out, fear of being captured again gripped me. They might still go easy on me, but Mikael…

“Your heart is racing,” he said softly as he began to skin the meat.

I swallowed and shook my head. “I wish we knew whether or not they had Kasher. If he got his hands on you…”

“I’d rip his throat out,” Mikael said, like it was as simple as that. “You said he’s dying.”

“He doesn’t work alone,” I reminded him. “I let myself think our problems would be solved if they caught him, but…”

“He’s manipulated governments all over the world into thinking we need to be tamed. His version of tamed,” Mikael said flatly.

I bowed my head and let out a breath. “They’d use me for everything they could, and then they’d kill me. They’d turn you into an attack dog, just like they did with Yasin and Zane.”

Mikael bit the inside of his cheek so hard, I could see the outline of his cheekbone. “Before I left Mexico, I found out Alexei Kasher was making a bid for president. He’s running on the platform that the current president is too weak to do what is necessary—to combine governments.”

My stomach twisted. “Marion…”

“He’s likely in Kasher’s pocket,” Mikael said. He pulled a long roasting spit from behind the fire, then threaded several chunks of meat around it before resting it just above the flames. “Kasher probably promised him immunity so long as he conceded.”

“Has he?” I couldn’t help but ask. I hadn’t been gone long, but it was long enough for all of these dominoes to begin falling.”

“I don’t know,” Mikael admitted. “When I left, he hadn’t made a public statement, but that won’t last. Kor and Misha were listed as public enemies, and they’ve gone into hiding. Kor has some plan up his sleeve, but this one he’s refusing to share.”

I sucked in a breath. “What about Zane?” I’d been too afraid to ask for details, but the fact that Kasher hadn’t used my brother to taunt me spoke volumes. He’d escaped.

“He’s still in Canada with Orion, and the last time I spoke with Kor, he said he and Orion were planning to head back to Corland.” Mikael went quiet a long moment. “Kor wants Zane to take over as Head Alpha until he returns, but Nadya sent footage of your brother…” he stopped, but he didn’t need to finish.

I’d seen what happened to the feral Wolves under Kasher’s command.

“I’m sure they’ve already come to this conclusion, but there will be problems if that goes public.” Mikael stretched his legs out, then leaned back on his arms.

I regarded him, trying to read him, but he was once again entirely closed off. “Would you follow him?”

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