Page 2 of Wild Fated

He shook his head. “It won’t give us any advantage. We can park at a pull-out near the old mill. Then we’ll shift and run the rest of the way. I’ll scout things out.”

I didn’t argue with him. Normally, I would’ve made a bigger deal about me taking the lead, but he’d been there before. Possibly more than once. I still wasn’t completely clear on how long he’d been with the alphas before he came to find Callista. It didn’t matter now. He’d more than proven himself trustworthy.

The scenery outside the car window flicked past like a montage in an indie film as we drove—thick forests bleeding into barren fields. We drove past crumbling industrial buildings, their graffiti-covered walls standing as monuments to a forgotten era. The highways and backroads stretched out like veins, empty and desolate. The only signs of life were the occasional dilapidated farmhouses and rusted-out cars abandoned on the side of the road.

Kael’s jaw was tight as he drove. “You shouldn’t have brought the dagger.” He glanced over at me, then back out the windshield.

“I couldn’t leave it.”

Kael tapped his fingers on the wheel. “They’ll know you have it. You’ll have to stay far?—”

Hell, no, my wolf growled. I agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m not letting you go in there without me.”

Kael exhaled sharply and glanced down at Callista next to him on the bench. I knew what he was thinking. Yes, he wantedme to be safe. But he was infinitely more concerned with his mate. I couldn’t blame him. But I wasn’t going to stay back and watch, either.

“Let’s see what we’re working with. Then we can make decisions about who’s going where.” Callista plugged the cord dangling from the dash into her phone and started a playlist. We listened to music for the next couple of hours until Kael pulled off the main road. After a few minutes of jostling over gravel, he drove the truck into the trees.

Kael threw the truck into park, cutting the engine. The sudden quiet wrapped around us. He and Callista slid out of the truck first, heading to the back to grab their packs, and I followed, my boots sinking into the soft mulch. The forest loomed around us, thick and shadowed even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

Kael popped open the truck bed, and we pulled out our packs that held extra clothes, water bottles, food, and emergency supplies we might need if things went south. I double-checked my pack, then slid the dagger in with the rest of my things.

Callista slung her pack over one shoulder and gave me a quick look. “You good?”

I nodded, already pulling off my jacket. Shifting wasn’t something I liked to do in front of others—something about being that vulnerable, even with people I trusted, made me twitchy. “I’ll meet you in a minute.”

Kael arched a brow but didn’t comment. He and Callista exchanged a glance, then disappeared into the woods together. I heard the soft rustle of clothes being stripped off behind the trees, followed by the low growls and stretching sounds of two wolves taking form. I stayed by the truck, peeling off my layers quickly and stuffing them into my pack. The cold air bit at my skin as I shifted, fur replacing skin in a smooth ripple of change.The wolf settled beneath my bones, itching to run, to find what waited for us at the building ahead.

Once I was in wolf form, I could feel Callista through the pack bond, a warm, steady hum at the back of my mind.

Ready?Her voice came through the link. She was already moving.

Right behind you,I answered. Callista and I could communicate freely through the pack bond, even though we were miles from the heart of the Kootenay pack’s territory. But Kael? He wasn’t officially one of us yet. I couldn’t hear him directly. Not like she could as his mate. For the time being, Callista was our mediator.

The three of us took off through the forest, weaving between trees and leaping over undergrowth. Callista and Kael moved as one, their wolves in perfect sync. It was strange, being part of a pack and yet not. I was looking for the Shadow Pack, to find a piece of myself that didn’t have a place in Kootenay or anywhere else.

But it was at the expense of this.

Would I ever run with my pack again? I’d been Rowan’s third, responsible for keeping order, for standing between the pack and anything that threatened it. That had been my job—to protect the humans in our territory and keep the dark things at bay. Enemies of shifters lurked on the edges of the world, and it was our job to keep them there, no matter the cost. It was simple. It made sense.

I’d worked next to Rowan and Jasper for years, and now? What would my role be if I wasn’t in Black Lake or Kootenay anymore? What if I couldn’t find the other relics?

We slowed as the forest thinned, and the outline of the building emerged through the trees, a dark silhouette against the dimming sky. Kael’s wolf went rigid, ears pricked forward.

Callista’s voice touched my mind again.Let’s scout the perimeter. See if there’s anyone here.

Kael let out a low growl in protest, circling Callista briefly. He didn’t like splitting up from her—I could feel that loud and clear, even without hearing his thoughts directly. But she nudged him back with a flick of her tail, and I wished I could hear whatever words she sent his direction.

Reluctantly, Kael fell back beside me, his muscles coiled. Part of me hoped one of the alphas threatened Callista. I’d love to see how fast Kael ripped out their throat.

Together, we moved through the underbrush, working our way toward the building from different angles, each step careful and deliberate. We circled, searching for any sign of life, but found nothing.

No vehicles. No lights. No movement. Even the scents I was picking up felt stale.

Anything?I pushed to Callista. All I got back was a low growl of frustration. When we met up back where we’d started, Kael didn’t waste any time shifting back to human form. I turned and did the same, quickly pulling my clothes from the backpack.

After tying my boots, I stood and wove through the trees to the entrance.

Kael blocked my way. “We don't know what's inside.”

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