Page 64 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

The mercenary digs something out from his pocket and shoves it into my mouth, ordering sharply. “Eat. Eat it.”

I quickly chew what tastes like a strange herb mixed with meat. It doesn’t taste particularly nice, and when I swallow it, I feel a little lightheaded. The mercenary has already shifted his attention to Alex, forcing same thing down his throat. My mate wakes up with a jerk and tries to struggle, but he receives the same instructions. However, Alex is not somebody that can be ordered around. He tries to spit the medicine out, but I clamp down on his jaw with my foot.

He gets the message.

Quickly chewing whatever we were given, he swallows, and I see the clarity in his eyes.

“Shift back, both of you.” The mercenary orders.

Something is clearly wrong, so I quickly do as he says.

But as soon as I change back to my human form, the entire forest changes.

What I had thought was soft, warm grass is a strange mud. The lush trees that I had admired are bare with a few discolored leaves. The fruit that had seemed so delicious and ripe, is rotting and smells disgusting. Without thinking, my eyes turn to the dead deer and I swallow my gasp.

That’s not a deer.

Whatever that thing is, it is the farthest thing from a deer. It’s got eight eyes, like a spider’s. Its neck is thick and hairy, and where it should have had hooves I see deadly looking claws.

That thing had its face near mine? I resist the urge to throw up.

Alex looks equally shocked. “What is this place?”

“You should never have entered this forest in your animal form.” The mercenary looks annoyed. “At least do your research before entering an unknown place.”

Alex has a suspicious glint in his eye. “What are you doing here? Were you following us?”

I have a question of my own. “Why were we seeing a different place in our wolf form?”

The man chooses to answer my question rather than all of Alex’s. “That’s sweet smell in the air is a toxin. Very deadly to wolves. The only way to travel through this forest is in your human form. As a wolf, your senses become dull, and the forest shows you what it wants to show you. It lures in wolves by showing illusions. It’s meant for normal wolves but it’s still harmful toshifters. You should never have entered this place. You should’ve used the other entrance.”

“Which entrance?” I frown. “This is the one marked on this map.”

“The one through the caves,” the mercenary tells us. “It’s the one the wolves from the Central Alliance use.”

Alex and I exchange a look. “We didn’t see any such entry point.”

“That’s because you have to go all the way down the mountain. When you enter the valley, the caves begin there.”

“How do you know all this?” Alex steps in front of me protectively. “You don’t even know who you are.”

The mercenary looks uncomfortable. “I’m remembering bits and pieces. I don’t know who I am or where I came from. But I do know the Central Alliance. I must’ve worked for some pack here as a mercenary. When I followed you…”

Alex makes an angry sound. “So you were following us!”

The man growls. “So what if I was? What I was saying, was that when I entered the Central Alliance, my body automatically knew where to go, as if its traveled these paths often. Mercenaries travel a lot. I must have moved within the alliances. If you don’t want my help…”

I smack my mate in the arm. “He just saved us, Alex. This is not the time or place to pick a fight. He knows the way out of here. Don’t you?”

I look at the man for reassurance.

“I do, little wolf.” His voice is softer when he speaks to me.

“It’s a little suspicious that he showed up right now,” Alex argues with me.

“He just admitted to following us,” I argue.

“He might be working with somebody to harm you…”

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