Page 23 of Wolf Betrayed

And maybe he should start fighting for it.

Shane hurried his pace to catch up to Gideon, and soon, the two of them were jogging peacefully through the woods. He didn’t know if it was just being near a wolf of such immense strength or the forest itself, but Shane could feel himself relax a bit. It wasn’t like it was when Bram or Charlotte were around, but it was something, at least.

The stopped by a cool stream and each drank some water before resting alongside a large rock.

“Why did that help me?” he asked.

Gideon looked over at him. “Because we’re not human. Not fully anyway. We have wolf counterparts within our bodies. For those of us who are born wolves, that connection is always there and always will be. We don’t start being able to shift. That comes when we are two or three, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, but we’re still wolves in human form. That’s what scares some of the humans who are against us. That and a few other things. But though we’re wolves, we also have human halves that give us the ability to reason and to live like we do. We try to find peace, and we had for a long time before the Unveiling. I hope we can find that peace again in my lifetime.”

Since wolves apparently lived for hundreds of years, that was quite a statement.

“With wolves who are changed, things are slightly different, but not forever. They have to learn how to live with another…being within them. They need to control the wolf, to allow the moon goddess to tighten and strengthen the bonds. They need to believe. Not only do they now have the ability to shift into another form, they also have to fight the instincts they had as humans and learn to live in a new type of societal structure. There are submissive wolves, maternal ones, dominants, and those in the higher powers with gifts from the moon goddess and even more bonds to the Pack like my family. It takes time, and we are constantly evolving and changing as we learn and grow, but eventually, a Pack can lead to calm, to peace.”

Shane listened, learning, soaking in as much information as he could. “But I’m not either of those things.”

Gideon nodded, a frown on his face. “No, you aren’t. Montag’s people created a serum that somehow mimics what a bite from an Alpha or a very dominant wolf can do. Not every wolf can change a human into a shifter, and not every human is able to change at all. It usually takes that human being near death and getting multiple bites from a specific wolf for a change to occur. You almost died, for sure, and now you carry the scent of a wolf along your skin, but we won’t know what will happen to you on a full moon. The moon is coming, and we’ll be here to help you if you do change.”

“If,” Shane whispered. “That’s a big if.”

Gideon nodded. “Yeah, it is. And that’s one reason why some within the Pack aren’t fully ready to accept you.” He shook his head. “Our Pack isn’t as healthy as the Redwoods. We went through hell during my father’s time as Alpha, and it’s taken years to get where we are now. Those that opposed me as Alpha are mostly gone either because they left for other Packs or became lone wolves.” He paused. “Others fought and lost.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hate that, you know. I hate that I had to fight wolves that I knew since I was a boy because they’d rather have a tyrant as a leader than me. But I fought. And yet there are still those that hold a sliver of distrust or resentment. The moon goddess chose me as Alpha, but I still had to fight for the right. Some believe I didn’t fight hard enough. Some believe the moon goddess chose wrong. But when the time comes, and you need to shift into a wolf, we will stand by your side and help you. You saved my brother, and for that, I can never repay you. However, I can at least do this.”

Shane listened to the Alpha bare a part of him Shane wasn’t sure he let many others see. He didn’t know why Gideon was telling him such personal things, but he knew it was a gift in and of itself. He wouldn’t take that for granted.

“I want to help more,” Shane said. “And I have an idea if you’ll listen.” Something had been percolating in the back of his mind.

Gideon’s eyes brightened. “Good.” He got up and stretched. “Then come with me to my house. The others are gathering there for a meeting, and you can tell them all.” He nodded. “After you tell me on the way, of course.”

Shane held back a snort at the order. Once an Alpha, always an Alpha.

When they made it to Gideon’s home, Shane’s wolf, or whatever it was, had pushed him close to the edge once again. The walk with the other man had helped, but it hadn’t been a permanent solution.

It probably didn’t help that so many wolves were inside Gideon’s home. It would probably make anyone who wasn’t used to the amount of sheer power unnerved. Gideon was there, of course, and his pregnant mate, Brie. The Beta of the Pack, Mitchell, stood with his back to the wall next to the Enforcer, Kameron. Ryder, the Heir, and his mate Leah sat on one couch next to Brandon, the Omega. Walker, the Healer, lazed in an armchair, while Max lay on the floor next to him. Though it was mostly Talons in the room, the Redwoods were on the large computer screens someone had set up, and Bram and Charlotte were on the other couch in the room. He figured those two were there to help him, and, while he was still confused, he was grateful.

“Take a seat,” Gideon ordered.

Brie rolled her eyes. “Nice to see you,” she added, and Gideon let out a little growl.

Shane gave a small smile and took the only seat left in the room—the one next to Charlotte. He figured there was a reason everyone had left that space, including Max, who had taken a spot on the floor, but he wouldn’t ask about it now. First, he had to lay out his plan, and then he could deal with the other things. He used to be better at multi-tasking, but that had been before a crazed man had stuck a syringe full of poison in his vein.

He sat down next to Charlotte, their thighs touching, and he did his best to ignore the way her mouth parted at the contact. He met Bram’s eyes over Charlotte’s head and saw a heat in them he didn’t understand. Were the two of them together and Shane was too close? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he had to worry about that later, not now.

“So, what do you have planned for us?” Mitchell asked, pulling Shane from his dangerous thoughts. The other man frowned at Shane, but he didn’t take it personally. Mitchell seemed to frown at everyone.

“If there are others worried about how I became what I am and frankly, what I could become, then why don’t we find a way to make sure that can’t happen again?”

Gideon nodded. The other man knew what Shane was going to say, and Shane was grateful the Alpha had looked interested on the walk over.

“What do you have in mind?” Ryder asked, his voice a little quieter than the others. He had his arm around his mate’s shoulders, a content look on his face that seemed a little new to Shane. He didn’t know the man other than what he’d seen in the news with the twenty-four-hour coverage of the Packs, but he knew Ryder’s mating was new and hard-fought.

“Now that I can actually think again and can stay awake for longer than an hour at a time, I can remember where I was taken and where Montag injected me.” Shane didn’t look at the other two on the couch since he figured they knew they were the reason for his ability to think at all.

Mitchell leaned forward. “You can find the building?”

Shane nodded before frowning. “They caught me getting Ryder out of the other building and took me to this one a few miles away that I hadn’t known existed. I heard others around me, but I don’t know if they’ll still be there.” He met the others’ gazes, one by one. “They could have been wolves or even humans Montag wanted to inject the serum into. Either way, they were there, and we might be able to help them now that I can remember where to go.” He sighed. “I regret that it took me this long.”

Charlotte reached out and took his hand. The contact sent a shock through his arm, but he didn’t pull away. “You needed to heal first. We understand that.” Though she wasn’t a Talon, she looked at the others with her brow raised, and they nodded slowly.

Fierce.

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