Page 24 of Chosen Destiny

I didn’t want to tell him too much. Not because I didn’t trust him—I did. But I didn’t want to tell him anything that he’d have to hide from the queen.Listen to me. We’re going to be together again. I promise. I love you, and I won’t let that bitch keep us apart.

“Callie, I can’t link with him,” Jasmine gasped. “I wanted to check on him, but it’s like there’s a block.”

“It has to be because he’s latching on to Callie and their fated-mate bond,” Samuel growled. “I can’t either.”

“I’m taking on some of his pain.” I kept pulling to give him relief. I was so glad Dina had mentioned that fated mates could share things like this. When this was over, I would have time to eat, drink, and heal. My mate wouldn’t.

I wasn’t sure how long it went on, but Bodey’s link cooled back to lukewarm as he linked,Your parents…before fading completely.

Growling in frustration, I wondered what else I didn’t know about my parents. I reined it in. At least Bodey wasn’t aware of his pain anymore, but… damn. Every time I believed I was getting a handle on things, something else popped up.

I didn’t get a break because Mom linked to me and said,Unfamiliar wolves are approaching us. Pearl saw them during a run, and they’re on their way here.

Shit. Maybe he’d meant my adoptive parents.

CHAPTEREIGHT

I placedone hand on the center console and the other on the door armrest. The queen was relentless, and every time I thought we had a moment to gather our wits, she attacked us again, catching us off guard.

At what point would we not be taken by surprise?

What do you mean, ‘unfamiliar wolves’?I couldn’t react irrationally, but then I spoke out loud to Samuel, “Go faster. Oxbow might be under attack soon.”

Wolves we’ve never seen before are five miles out,she said hastily, which wasn’t like her.

“What?” Theo croaked and leaned forward, placing his head between the two seats to stare into my eyes. “You can’t leave me in the dark. I’m the alpha now.”

I winced. “I’m sorry. Mom linked to me. I’ll include you in the conversation.” With that, I tugged his link into the connection.

Samuel pressed the gas, going faster, as I focused on Mom.

The base of my skull throbbed from an oncoming headache. Everything was catching up to me, and I felt helpless and useless. I was certain any of the advisors would be doing a better job than me.

We’ve been mostly isolated from the other Oregon packs. Are you sure it’s not one of them on a run?I didn’t want to jump to the worst conclusion and give Queen Kel more power over us than she already had.

I’ll have Lynerd reach out to all the other packs to see if anyone is outside their territory,Theo added.

That was an excellent suggestion and one I should’ve thought of myself. Damn, even Theo was better at this than me.

Someone else joined our link, and my breath caught.

Pearl.

Her joining our link startled me since she’d never liked to speak to me in person, let alone now that I could finally pack link.

We need help.Pearl’s words were rushed.They found our scent, and five of them are chasing us.

Aren’t you heading back to the pack?When Mom had mentioned that Pearl had seen the wolves, I’d assumed she’d be running straight home. Staying in the woods was dangerous. At least, in the houses, she would have a chance at hiding.

We were running in the opposite direction from the wolves,she replied.

Why weren’t you heading back to the house?Mom asked.

I already knew the answer. Charles, the leader of their friend group of five, and Pearl had many things in common. They wanted to appear stronger than they were, thought their poop didn’t stink, and were completely self-absorbed. They were probably running away, hoping they wouldn’t get caught up in an attack. A sour taste filled my mouth.

Because…She trailed off, confirming my assumption when she couldn’t come up with a reason.

Listen, if these are Queen Kel’s wolves, that likely means they’re attacking this pack because it’s where I was raised and they know my adoptive parents are there.That comment alone solidified my fear. Now I was on the same page as Mom—these wolves had to be Kel’s. She wanted to take everything I loved away from me. What better way to start than with my fated mate and the people who’d raised me? How was I supposed to fight someone so cruel and vindictive?Mom—you and Dad need to go to someone else’s house so they can’t find you right away.

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