"Nothing," he reported. "No sign of Broken Ridge pack within two valleys. If they're following, they're being cautious about it."
Some of the tension in my shoulders eased. "Good. We'll keep watch tonight anyway. They were aggressive enough to attack unprovoked and they definitely didn’t like us interfering. I won't assume they've given up."
Fen nodded and glanced toward where the strangers sat by their fire. "Those humans are strange, Rivik. Have you noticed their clothes?"
"I've noticed." I'd been trying not to notice, actually, because noticing meant looking at her. But he was right, their garments were bizarre. Colours too bright and even, like flower petals or river stones, and they were too smooth, too thin, with a texture unlike any hide I'd ever worked. "I think they might be from the far south. I've heard of clans down there who use beaten plant fibers to make clothing."
"Maybe." Fen didn't sound convinced. "But their language is wrong too. I know some words in six different tongues from the gatherings, and I've never heard anything like what they speak."
“Two of them are definitely wolf shifters,” said Jarak. “I saw them shift when we showed up, but their wolf spirits are strangely small.”
“Are the other two human then? In a wolf pack?” Torin frowned. “I know we’ve got Daska, but at least he’s a shifter. Having even one human in a pack is just wrong…”I shot Torin a look that carried more warning than I intended. "Careful."
He had the grace to look uncomfortable. "I didn't mean... Daska's different, he's earned his place ten times over. But these people..."
"These people were being attacked by Broken Ridge when we found them," I said, keeping my voice level. "One male was already dead, I saw the body. Karik's wolves were trying totake their females by force. Whatever else they are, they didn't deserve that."
Silence fell around the fire. Broken Ridge pack was infamous across the territories for their treatment of females; forcing matings, ignoring the sacred right of choice the Great Mother had granted all female wolves. It was an abomination. Our pack, like most others, honoured the old ways. Females chose their mates freely, and no male had the right to force a bond.
The idea ofherin their hands, subject to their brutality...
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.
"We'd never have left them," Jarak said quietly. "No one's saying that."
"Good." I turned the spit again, watching fat sizzle and pop. "Because we didn't, and now we need to figure out what to do with them."
"The alpha makes me nervous," Miska said, settling cross-legged near the fire and warming his hands. "He's jumpy. Keeps watching us like he expects us to turn on them at any moment. And he holds that branch like he's going to beat someone to death with it."
"Can you blame him?" I turned the meat again, checking the colour. "His pack lost their camp, they've had no sleep, they lost one of their own and now they're injured and surrounded by strangers who speak a different language. He's doing what any good alpha should do. Protecting his people."
"That's fair. The other female is very quiet. I'm not certain what to make of her yet. But the injured male seems amenable enough. And the injured female..." He paused, a small smile crossing his face. "She's strong. Jarak was watching her during the march. Said she never complained once, even though her leg was clearly paining her. And she kept checking on the others, making sure they were managing."
Something warm settled in my chest at that.Of course she did. She cares for her pack.
I let my gaze drift back to the smaller fire. Daska had finished tending her wound. She was wrapped in his furs now, her lower half hidden beneath the thick pelts, and something hot and irrational surged through me at the sight. His furs. His scent on her skin. The rational part of my mind knew it was practical. Her strange clothing had been soaked through with blood and river water, and Daska would have needed access to the wound. But my wolf spirit didn't care about logic. It scented another male's scent on my mate, another male's furs against her skin, and it wanted to tear those furs away and replace them with my own, wanted my scent on her instead, wanted…
My wolf spirit snarled, low and possessive, and I had to physically clench my jaw to keep the sound from escaping my throat. I closed my eyes and breathed through it. It faded slightly, into something that wasn’t quite anger, but something quieter and more painful. A sharp ache in my chest that came from watching my oldest friend care for my mate while I stood by the fire and pretended not to feel anything at all.
He's helping her. He's doing exactly what you asked him to do.
That didn't make it hurt less.
I cut several thick slices from the haunch and laid them on a flat stone, letting the juices pool and steam. I'd bring food to the strangers, all of them, not just her. That was the duty of a host, nothing more. An alpha providing for those under his temporary protection.
I picked up the stone and walked toward the smaller fire, keeping my stride even, my expression neutral. Just an alpha checking on his charges.
Daska looked up as I approached, and something shifted in his posture. A low growl met me before I'd closed half the distance.I stopped, stunned. Daska was looking up at me from his crouch beside her, and there was something in his eyes I'd never seen directed at me before. Warning. His bear spirit flickered behind his gaze, close to the surface, protective in a way that went beyond healer's instinct.
Irritation flared hot beneath my ribs. He'd noticed my interest. Of course he had. Daska missed nothing.
The female looked up too, and her eyes met mine. I nearly stumbled. She was beautiful. I'd known that in an abstract way, but seeing her in the firelight, she was mesmerising. Her dark hair caught the flames' glow, and her dark eyes held a depth of exhaustion and pain and stubborn strength that made something in my chest ache. She'd been through so much, was still going through it, and she hadn't broken.
Probably wouldn't break, ever.
The furs had slipped slightly, revealing the curve of her thigh. I imagined running my hand along that skin, feeling her warmth, pulling her close...
Stop. Don't think about that.
