“No,” I murmur through gritted teeth, realizing that Rissa wasn’t trying to poison me, but used the strange fungi growing on the wall to extract a liquid that masks her scent. It’s almost asif she’s not even in here with me, and I turn my head to the side to give her access to my neck with a curt nod.
It takes every ounce of inner strength to remain calm as I stare out through the narrow slits between the vines hiding us in the cave, just as the approaching steps of giant paws grow louder outside. Rissa touches my neck with soft, delicate fingers covered in the cold, watery liquid extracted from the mushrooms. I shudder from the sensation, becoming alert that my own scent becomes masked to my nose, as if my inner wolf has just become invisible.
I turn my face slowly toward Rissa, shock keeping my breath hitched despite how uncomfortable I’m becoming. I hate small spaces, feeling like there’s a noose around my neck, but I’m more surprised that Rissa was able to think quickly enough to mask our scents, even if it’s only long enough for the werewolves outside not to sniff us out.
Why am I surprised? She’s the pack’s healer, anyway. It can’t be awe I’m feeling right now when I’ve known she’s capable of healing our pack members with a range of herbs and plants at her disposal in Girdwood.
Perhaps knowing that she’s destined to unearth some mystical gifts if we’re mated makes me briefly glimpse her in a new light. It’s as if her vibrant eyes hold that power in them, even if they’re doe-wide and uncertain right now.
She doesn’t believe she has magic in her. I didn’t want to, either, initially, but the more I thought about it, the more it makes perfect sense. How can I be a skeptic of what the Elders believe? Of what Luna Yvonne saw in her vision?
Maybe it’s because I only ever saw Rissa Rudolph as the lowly omega I was forced to despise. She’s only gone and made it worse for herself by trying to run away, and as my angerresurfaces, I hold my breath when I hear the sounds of the werewolves patrolling the area close to the cave, so close that I can pick up on their unfamiliar, putrid scents.
Something compels me to press a finger back to Rissa’s plump lips to urge her into silence. My eyes narrow as I stare at her face firmly, and I feel her tensing as the Valley Moon patrollers march around us.
The seconds tick by like a time bomb threatening to detonate if we so much as make a sound. It’s only when those heavy, trudging steps grow fainter the further they go that I let out the breath I’d been holding. It comes out as a sigh of relief, but it quickly turns to dread, because we’re still in this small cave.
We have to get out.
I pull my finger away from Rissa’s lips and grab her hand, staying silent as I yank her out of the cave.
“How long will this keep our scents masked?” I whisper stealthily as I scan our surroundings, listening to the sounds of Valley Moon in the distance as they patrol the area.
Rissa steps closer, her hand tense and rigid between mine, when she whispers, “Only about half an hour before the effects wear off.”
“We can’t shift, then,” I consider as I bite my bottom lip, keeping my eyes focused on our surroundings. The easier way back to Girdwood is through the city, but the Valley Moon wolves have headed in that direction.
We’ll have to cross over the Cook Inlet, journey through Hope, where it’s safer, then skip the river again into Girdwood. It’s a longer distance, but it’s the only way we can avoid the Moon Valley Pack, who are longstanding enemies of Snehvolk.The last thing we need is to get caught by an enemy pack that’s been looking for any reason to fight us. If a sub-Alpha of Snehvolk is caught on their territory, a war will break out.
Securing Rissa’s hand in mine, I drag her further into the woods, taking care to stick to the shadows as we navigate the path out. She doesn’t say a word, her breathing barely audible as she follows my lead. Once we’re out in a clearing, I release her hand and point to the body of water where the surface glimmers with moonlight.
“We’re gonna have to cross the river,” I say, nodding at the docks and spotting an old rowing boat tied to a platform. “But we can’t go in wolf form. Not until we’re out of Valley Moon territory.”
“I’m not going back,” Rissa argues, prompting me to turn back with a frown.
“What do ya mean, you’re not going back?” I scoff disdainfully, taking a step forward and noticing the way Rissa reels back. The first traces of her scent are beginning to show up, stirring my senses and alerting me that we’re running out of time. But she freezes up, clutching the strap of her bag on her shoulder as she lifts her chin.
“I’m not going back to Girdwood,” she says pointedly. “I don’t want to see Yvonne’s vision through, and I definitely don’t want to be mated to you.”
Her last statement cuts through me like a sharpened knife, as if I’m offended. I pause with a gulp, recognizing that it’s my inner wolf who feels rejected by the omega—something that shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. Shrugging it off, I cross my arms and reclaim my rank as the alpha, facing a defiant omega.
“You do not have a choice, Rissa,” I warn her, my voice turned gravelly and stern. “You are a Snehvolk wolf, and it’s your responsibility to follow the council’s instructions.”
Rissa shakes her head, her eyes glinting with a hint of fear that she seems determined not to show when she says, “I don’t care what the Council thinks. I don’t want any of it.”
An angered growl rumbles in my chest, leaving my nostrils with a heated flare as I decide to take matters into my hands with a more physical approach. Taking a step forward, I uncross my arms and, without warning, I grab Rissa off the ground and fling her over my shoulder, to a series of crude remarks as she voices her shock.
“Let me down, Brooks!” she yells, pounding tiny fists on the wall of my back. “I’m not going back to Girdwood! This is ridiculous!”
Ignoring her, I spin around and march toward the abandoned docks, my hands gripping her thighs tightly to keep her still while she squirms and wrestles to get down. Even if she tried, it’s a long way to the ground, and she’d only get hurt. I’m protecting her, I think in my defense, only setting her down once I’m on the platform. Swiftly grabbing her by the shoulders, I lift her off her feet again and set her down in the center of the boat.
The boat rocks and water splashes about, but I don’t wait for it to settle before hopping on, simultaneously dragging the rope off the pole and kicking us further into the water.
When I’ve settled on the plank bench, I lift the oars over my knees and raise an expectant brow. Rissa has no choice but to settle in, grabbing the edges of her seat to prevent herself from falling off when I begin rowing us away from Anchorage. She scoffs and defiantly turns her face away, her wild, unruly curlsbouncing and scattering across the side of her face to hide her scorn.
The journey across the calm river is made in silence, and it couldn’t be more deafening in the face of our disagreement. As a sub-Alpha of Snehvolk, it is my duty to ensure that the Council’s instructions are followed, even if I don’t agree with them.
It’s not like I’m a willing candidate for this mate bond. Having a mate isn’t something I considered for myself. I was happy with the way things were without one, and now I’m being forced to rethink everything.
