“So, what are you going to do?” Nishiki asked.
“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”
The corner of Nishiki’s mouth curled. “It’s your life, Nero. What doyouwant?”
Focused determination settled over me. For the first time in months, I knew exactly what I needed to do.
“I want answers. To every single one of my questions,” I told him. “And I’m going to go out and get them.”
3
Remington
Being alone sucked.
I’d forgotten what it felt like and how much I never wanted to experience it again. Being a stray once in my life was hard enough, but now I was going through it a second time. At least now it was due to my own actions and not born out of shitty life circumstances.Hooray.
I stopped running after a couple hours. My energy ran out, sapped out of me because of my foul mood. The knowledge that I was completely alone out here weighed on me like a boulder crushing my spine. How did I manage this the first time? It was depressing.
But there was no turning back. If I ran to the pack with my tail between my legs, they’d think I was more useless than they probably did already. Poor Remington. He can’t evenrun awayproperly.
I scuffed the ground with my paw. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the sharp rock right in front of me. It jabbed my paw pad, making me yelp in pain.
“Damnit,” I muttered.
Great. All I needed on my epic quest was a stupidity-induced limp. The gods were probably laughing at me right now.
I held up my paw, not wanting to put too much weight on it, and kept on walking. I looked stupid. If I was a prey animal instead of a wolf, I’d look like an easy meal. Injured and alone: the Remington Augustin experience.
I didn’t know where I was going except away from the pack. The wildlife reserve was huge. It was honestly my saving grace. Without it, would the pack have ever accepted me? Because I legally owned this land, I’d given them a place to live. If I hadn’t inherited it, I would have nothing to show. No reason for the pack to like me.
Depressing thoughts swamped me again. I sighed. I just wanted to find a place to curl up into a ball and wait for the day to be over.
In the distance was an area I’d never seen before. My ears pricked forward and my nose twitched. The scent and sound of rushing water hit my nose. A waterfall? I licked my lips, realizing I was thirsty and needed a good drink. A waterfall meant high and low ground, which usually meant alcoves to sleep in. It was exactly what I needed right now. A small blessing. I guess the gods hadn’t entirely abandoned me.
Encouraged, I picked up the pace, ignoring the pain in my front paw. The throbbing injury would appreciate a dip in cool water, too.
I approached the area carefully. It was useless in the daytime, but my black fur was perfect camouflage beneath the dusk sky. A huge pond spread out before me, surrounded by lush grass and sweet-scented wildflowers. It was backed by a short cliff from which the waterfall splashed down. A few streams jutted out from the pond in all directions.
This must be where the local rivers stem from,I realized.And if there’s a waterfall, it must come from an even bigger water source.
My ear twitched at the sound of rushing falls. It would disguise my footsteps, but also the presence of any danger. Even though this place seemed tranquil, I had to be careful. I knew from experience that enemies could lurk anywhere.
And I don’t have the pack to protect me right now…
I loped ahead with my tail dragging behind me.
Turns out I was right about sleeping spots. A small alcove lay in the cliff beside the waterfall. It had a gentle overhang that functioned as a roof to keep out the elements and disguise the alcove from above. My paws ached at the sight of it. My body instantly made the decision for me and I entered it, curling up into a wolf ball in the deepest corner.
When I finally felt like I found a safe place to rest, I let out a long, heavy sigh.
I was alone. Like, really alone. None of the pack had followed me out here—or at least, if they did, they did a damn good job of hiding themselves. But realistically, they had no reason to chase me. Hugo and Len, Dax and Morgan, Xander and Sage… They were all fated mates with young children to look after. It wasn’t like they could pick up the whole family and follow me across the wildlife reserve just because I was having an existential crisis.
And Red was the one who encouraged me to go out on my own. There would be no point for him to trail me.
I laid my snout between my paws and shut my eyes. It was dark in the alcove and the sound of rushing water smothered any other sounds. I felt like I was nowhere. Like out here, I didn’t exist. Maybe I liked it that way.
Or I was just trying to convince myself that I did.
