Page 8 of Soul Fated

The truck engine hummed beneath me as we pulled out of the gas station parking lot, and I shifted in the passenger seat, crossing my arms over my chest. Tall evergreens blurred past the window, their dark limbs stretching toward the sky, and I resisted the urge to drum my fingers on the armrest. I wanted to play music, but Lana didn't seem like the chill, folksy type and that was everything on my playlist as of late.

Lana gripped the steering wheel. The muscles in her forearms flexed as she navigated another curve in the road. I glanced at the speedometer.

"Do you have a problem with my driving, Callista?" Her eyes were trained on the road ahead.

I shook my head. "Zero problems." I didn’t trust myself to drive, and I was glad she didn’t question it.

It was a three-hour drive, and we were making good time. We'd only had to stop once for gas and food. The donair I'd picked up at the gas station had left much to be desired, but at least it hadn't given me food poisoning.

"Almost there," Lana murmured, her voice softer now. I glanced at her, catching the flicker of something in her eyes before she turned her attention back to the road.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yeah." There was a time, not so long ago, when I would’ve been thrilled at the idea of a road trip through the woods. Evelyn and I used to pack the car full of camping gear and snacks, our suitcases stuffed, and head out on our next adventure. Now? I was terrified.

My thoughts drifted to the camping trip Evelyn and I took one summer as kids. We were both nine or ten, and Evelyn had insisted on packing the car herself, refusing to let our parents help. She’d stuffed the backseat with pillows and blankets, creating a nest for us to curl up in during the drive.

I could still smell the sun-warmed leather of her family’s old Subaru, hear the way she’d sung along to the radio, her voice always a half-step behind, and see how her eyes crinkled at the corners when she glanced back at me. She’d taught me how to roast marshmallows to the perfect golden brown, and we’d stayed up late, whispering secrets under the stars.

I clenched my teeth at the memory, a bitter taste coating my tongue. This wasn't a camping trip with s’mores and blanket nests.

Lana glanced at me, her eyes narrowing. "You're staring again."

I huffed out a breath and turned my gaze to the trees. The blur of green felt like it was swallowing me whole. I could almost feel the forest closing in, pressing against the windows, threatening to suffocate me.

These last forty minutes were going to be torture if we couldn't find some way to pass the time. "So. Evelyn tells me you're a teacher?"

Lana nodded. "Yep. Special Ed. I start back at the end of August."

"Why did you choose that?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. She didn't seem like the warm and fuzzy type.

Lana's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, then back to the road. "My brother." Her voice softened, and I could see the muscles in her jaw relax slightly. "He had muscular dystrophy. He was my best friend."

Was. I sucked in a breath, my heart squeezing at the raw emotion in her voice. "I'm sorry."

Lana shrugged, her shoulders tight. "It was a long time ago. But it's why I do what I do. Teaching helped me cope. It gave me a purpose." Her gaze flicked to me, then back to the road. "Rowan was there for me. For my family. It's not something I'll ever forget."

I cleared my throat. "Tell me more about him. About the pack." I'd been gobsmacked to find out that not only was Evelyn back, but she was fated to Rowan Steele. The stories I heard about him weren't good, but I'd always taken them with a grain of salt. Everyone in Kitimat knew how Nathan felt about Black Lake's alpha. Now that I had first-hand experience seeing how deeply Nathan had entrenched himself with the alphas in the north and, apparently, dark magic, I wondered if I needed to rewrite my version of history.

"Rowan's a good man. Kind."

That was true. I remembered him as a kid. Evelyn had been better friends with him than I was, and...I realized right then that my bias against Rowan had started at fourteen. The day I found out Evelyn had gone with him to the creek instead of calling me. Was I jealous of him? No. That was ridiculous. I was happy for my friend, wasn't I?

Lana clicked her tongue. "I was proud that Rowan took his place as alpha. The whole thing...it was a mess."

I remembered. It had been years, but we were still too close to the day our pack split. It felt like we were being yo-yo'd with it joining back together. "I think it will be good. Especially with everything going on. We need to band together."

I said it like we had a tough work schedule or something. Not that dark magic was working to infiltrate our towns and our lives. Even after seeing Nathan with the dagger, I still didn't know what he wanted. Why was he working with the alphas in the north? Why did he come back looking for blood? He wanted Evelyn, but I doubted the alphas had given him a powerful ancient relic to force his ex back into his arms.

He'd killed with that dagger. He'd wanted to kill me.

I shivered as the car rounded a bend, and I caught a glimpse of a lake through the trees. My heart skipped a beat, and I leaned forward, straining to see.

“Really almost there," Lana said, her voice breaking through my thoughts.

I nodded, my pulse quickening. I barely noticed the growing throb in my arm. I had no idea what we were walking into, but we couldn't turn back now.

The car crested a hill, and the lake came into view, the water shimmering in the fading light. I held my breath, my eyes scanning the shore. There. A cluster of tents and cars. People milling about, setting up camp.

We followed the path toward the campsite, and I immediately caught the scent of roasting hot dogs. My stomach growled in response. I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

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