Page 1 of Wild Fated

Chapter

One

Lana

The first light of morning filtered through the grimy curtains. Just enough to illuminate the peeling wallpaper and worn carpet. Delightful.

I stretched out my legs under the thin, scratchy blanket, which did little to ward off the morning chill seeping through the cracks in the window. The bathroom light flickered like it was trying to decide whether it wanted to live or die, throwing erratic shadows across the wall. This place looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since the eighties, and I was sure as hell that was the last time the sheets had been washed.

I glanced over at Kael and Callista, both still sleeping on their lumpy queen mattress. Callista cuddled up to him, and I was mildly jealous of her built-in heater. Kael lay on his back, his arm draped over his eyes, his chest rising and falling in a slow, measured rhythm. I was happy for them, but that picture of domestic bliss was a little bit disgusting.

I sat up, my muscles protesting, and the weight of the dagger pressed against my side. I pulled it out from beneath my coat, its hilt warm against my palm. The blade hummed against my skin like a living thing, and I ran my thumb over the intricate engravings.

It was strange, this connection I felt to it. Ever since I'd drawn it across my palm and let my blood seep into its metal, it had been with me. A constant presence. A silent companion. It didn’t speak to me, but it didn’t need to.

You already have a companion, my wolf growled.

A piece of metal isn’t going to replace you, I shot back. I was equal parts terrified and intrigued by the things I felt happening in my body. To my wolf and my magic. And then there was the guilt and the grief.

Rowan had given me the go-ahead to leave our new Kootenay pack, but we’d barely blended Kitimat and Black Lake. This damn dagger had been the cause of a revolution, not only in our packs but all the packs in British Columbia. As the third to Rowan, my alpha, I’d been a leader in Black Lake. At least in my absence, Blake was there to step in.

I still didn’t know if my school had found a replacement teacher for me. I’d left them a hurried message about my last-minute change of plans and received an email acknowledgment on Monday morning. They weren’t happy with me, and I didn’t blame them. I didn’t know how long I was going to be gone, but I doubted I was going to find the rest of the relics and save the world in a week and a half. Which meant I was letting my school down, too.

Students didn’t return until September. There was still a chance I could go back. But it wasn’t looking good.

I slid the dagger back into place at my hip and stood to use the bathroom.

“Morning,” Callie groaned from behind me.

I turned. “Hey.”

“Ready to get on the road?”

I grinned. “More ready than you are.”

Callista smirked and nudged Kael in the ribs. He grunted, and I stepped outside to give them some privacy.

Once we were all in the truck, I insisted we stop at a gas station. The only option for sustenance this far north. They could starve themselves if they wanted to, but I was done with it. We pulled into a lot surrounded by flickering neon signs and dingy storefronts. The store was half-empty, and the cashier barely looked up as we grabbed our breakfast burritos from the hot food case.

"These look like a culinary masterpiece," Callista muttered, picking up a burrito that oozed grease onto the wax paper.

I shrugged. "They can't be worse than the gas station sushi I had last month." She made a face, and I smirked. "Don't worry, I didn't die. Yet."

Kael didn't say a word, just grabbed a couple for himself, curled them into the crook of his arm, then glanced at Callie and grabbed an extra. When we got back to the car, he handed it to her. "You need to eat more."

Callista rolled her eyes but took it. "For the last time, you are not my mother."

Kael just grunted and handed her napkins and a bottle of water.

I rolled my eyes. Those two were completely twitter pated. I hadn’t known Kael for long, but he’d come a long way from trying to stab her in a tent. All of it was weird. Endearing, but weird.

I still don’t trust him.My wolf sat back on her haunches. I rolled my eyes internally. She didn’t trust anyone, so that wasn’t anything new. After years, she’d finally stopped complainingabout Rowan, so Kael didn’t have any hope for the foreseeable future.

We sat in Kael’s truck parked on the edge of the lot, the morning sun climbing higher in the sky. My burrito tasted faintly of sausage and eggs with a hint of regret.

“We should get there by two,” Kael said.

“Then wait for nightfall?” Callista asked.

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