“Easy,” he muttered to the wriggling pup. “You’re not falling in a river again on my watch.”
He glanced again in the direction Leon had disappeared, wondering how much longer he’d be. And then the hairs on the back of his neck lifted. Someone was watching him.
The forest stilled around them, until there was just the sound of the river and the soft whines from the pup. He continuedpetting the pup, drawing deeper breaths despite his ribs so he could subtly scent the air. The only scents on the breeze were woody smells and river water. If he stood up, whoever was watching would see how limited he was, but if he didn’t stand up, he wouldn’t be able to mount even the most basic defense.
He grasped the stick Leon had found for him, stuck it in the mud, and used its support to rise to his feet as smoothly and easily as he could.
He saw a movement from the corner of his eye and turned to meet the threat. It was nothing like he expected—a young woman in jeans and a sweater was walking toward him from out of the trees. She didn’t register as dangerous, but she wore sneakers instead of hiking boots and had no jacket or kit with her. Something here was wrong.
Her eyes were glued to the squirming bundle in his arm. “Charlie,” she breathed, her voice breaking on the name. “Oh my God, you found my husky puppy. I’ve been looking for himeverywhere.”
As a story for non-shifters, it wasn’t a bad attempt. At the sound of her voice, a succession of short, desperate howls broke from the pup. Realizing the only place he’d run was to his mom—or pack member, Karl was trying not to make too many assumptions—he bent painfully to put him down.
The pup bolted toward the young woman. She dropped to her knees, tears streaking her face as he leapt into her arms and promptly shifted, so that she was holding a very grubby toddler. Relief hit Karl hard and deep—thankGodhe hadn’t done that all the time they’d had him.
The change in the kid’s form instantly blew the woman’s cover story. It took her a little longer to realize, but then shelooked up, fear on her face. As their eyes met and held, hers widened. “You’re a shifter.”
He expected that would reassure her. Instead, she looked terrified as she clutched the kid to her. Something here was very wrong, and he could still feel eyes on him from elsewhere. He needed to get out of here before whatever was brewing spilled over. He had to trust Leon would do the same.
“Glad he found you,” he said. “I’ll get going.”
He turned back the way he and Leon had come, but as he did so, two shifters in human form broke cover from the trees behind the young woman. Karl could usually take two and scarcely notice, but right now, he wasn’t strong enough to beat an egg if it resisted.
He ignored them and continued on his way, attempting to use the stick as a hiker might, rather than betray he was relying on it to keep his leg from buckling.
More shifters appeared, blocking his path. Threatening, but also nervous. And that made them more dangerous.
He relaxed his posture deliberately, not wanting to escalate this when he couldn’t fight. He needed to keep this brief, cordial, and extract himself quickly and quietly.
“I found your pup,” he said, “brought him back to where he recognized, and now I’m going.”
The biggest one stayed where he was, planted in Karl’s way, his arms folded across his chest. “Our alpha will want to thank you properly.”
“No need,” Karl said evenly. “I’ll be on my way.”
He was trying to keep it calm and polite, but the force in his voice came through, together with the air of command he had to fight so hard not to display around insecure alphas. The shifter’s eyes narrowed as he took in the threat Karl posed.
Two others stepped up close behind the big shifter, shoring him up in his belief that, between them, they outweighed one solitary shifter. “It wasn’t a question. You’re coming with us.”
Karl cocked his head, allowing disbelief to show at their audacity. “Not willingly.”
“That’s okay.”
Karl stood there a moment longer, weighing them. If they jumped him, his ribs wouldn’t take it—he was certain some were cracked, maybe worse, and the prospect of a punctured lung made him hold very still, not wanting to provoke them.
He forced himself to ease his posture, not because he was giving in, but because staying on his feet meant he might still get out of this on his terms.
The big one jerked his chin toward the trees. With two shifters in front of him and the rest closing in, Karl moved where they wanted. On his feet, and still breathing. At least, for now.
Chapter Eighteen
LEON
Leon slunk through the undergrowth, paws silent on the mossy earth as he headed back to Karl. He’d found no trace of any wolves’ scent. Either the pup was simply restive, having been held still for so long, or whoever they were looking for was too well hidden to be found on such a time-limited search.
He lifted his nose to the breeze again, but it remained clean. Maybe they’d already passed whatever pack the pup came from. Maybe they were on the other side of the river. Actually, that was sounding increasingly likely, and there was no way they could cross it with the way it was running. Even if Karl hadn’t been hurt, Leon wouldn’t have wanted to try it with a pup to wrangle.
It was time to get back, not only because they’d found no lead, but because Karl had looked worse the farther they went. He was covering it, of course, like the stubborn wolf he was. But Leon had seen the minute shifts, the way he gritted his teeth when he thought Leon wasn’t looking, how his color was rising with theeffort of walking, how he’d finally snapped at the pup when it wouldn’t lie still.
