As we moved further into the winding and narrow streets with wood cabin–style houses dotted in and amongst the trees, the few shifters who were lingering around scattered like scared mice, disappearing into their homes. This in and of itself was not odd since Mera and Shadow had already built quite the reputation among the packs, but usually someone was brave enough to approach and greet us.
We continued on, moving further into Hrento, a village which could be described as having a treehouse vibe. They had really worked in harmony with their landscape here, taking away as little from the natural habitat that they could. It was a nice place, and from what we'd observed, this pack appeared to be far less brutal and rigid with its members compared to Torma. Yet Sam had done everything she could to escape them.
And then she’d come back. All of it was confusing, and I didn't blame Mera for feeling the need to continually check in on her.
Mera’s face was somber as she strode along, and I knew all of us were using whatever extra senses we had to probe at the undercurrents of this pack.
“It feels really calm today,” I said, feeling barely a ripple in my energy.
“Too calm,” Shadow said shortly.
Mera stopped walking, her face shadowed by the trees above as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “There’s no one here,” she finally said, opening her eyes again. “I mean, outside of those who vamoosed when we arrived, I can’t feel any other energy.”
Shadow was the one now to close his eyes and send out his power to probe through the shifters. They were his creation after all, and none could hide from him.
Letting them do their thing, I walked to the closest house, one with large pots of lavender gracing either side of the front door. Peeking inside, I noted the dark interior and a slightly stale scent wafting out from under the window.
Not only was no one home, but it appeared they hadn’t been here for some time.
“The town is empty,” Shadow said, and I turned to find them both on the front porch with me.
We’d all reached the same conclusion, and now we needed to find out why.
7
Mera's face was pale as she swallowed roughly. "This is bad."
"Let's find those few who remain," Shadow bit out, his annoyance spilling over in the clipped words. "They must know something. Maybe there's a pack mixer or meeting away from Hrento."
A normal male would have just gone door to door and knocked to find the ones who remained, but Shadow was never going to be “normal.” He released his flames, the beast side of him poking its head out, and as that energy spilled into the mountains, ten shifters hurried out of their homes to stand before us.
Two of them—both females with very blond hair and tall, athletic builds—lifted their heads in an attempt to meet Shadow's eyes. But as soon as they did, his chest rumbled, and they dropped their gazes quick smart.
There was only one alpha here.
Okay, maybe two with Mera. "Where is the rest of your pack?" she snapped.
One of the males—who was almost on the ground, he held himself so low—whimpered before choking out some words. "Away on pack business."
"What business?" Mera pressed, clearly frustrated at having to pry this information from them.
One of those two women who had initially hoped to challenge Shadow let out a huff. "There's a meeting of all packs in New Orleans this weekend. It's one of those yearly catch-up-on-business events, and this year our alpha didn't feel safe going without most of our members."
She eased her head up a touch. "We were chosen to stay behind to keep the town running and feed the livestock and such, but the others are all there. They'll be back next week."
Mera, who'd clearly had enough, let her flames fly as she reached down to touch the blond shifter’s head. There was about a thirty-second pause as Mera searched through her memories.
"Okay, she's telling the truth,” she finally said with a sigh. “And Sam appears to be safe in these memories. She looks unhappy but not harmed, so it appears that whatever is holding her here continues."
The blond shifter shook her head, dislodging Mera's hand. Shadow's chest rumbled—his protectiveness toward Mera had never been higher than since she’d fallen pregnant. And considering how high it’d been before...
"Do you have something you want to say to us?" he growled at the blond, and all of her fight died as she crumpled forward.
"Sam is none of your concern," she choked out. "She's doing her duty for the pack, just like the rest of us, and as long as she keeps her side of the bargain, we will all be okay."
She now had Mera’s complete and total focus. "What bargain?" she snarled, taking another step closer. Shadow didn't like that. His expression darkened but he knew that these beings were no true threat to his mate, so he refrained from dragging her back.
"What fucking bargain?" Mera pushed harder. "We'll get it from you one way or another, so you might as well save yourself the torture."
