Carefully going up the two steps, I flinched as the rough wood touched my tender feet. They needed a good soak and a few hours to heal.
My wolf friend was right beside me as I pushed open the door to reveal a simple one-room cabin with a small kitchenette in one corner, a wood-burning stove, and four bunk beds. The smell of mildew was ripe in the air, and I scrunched my nose.
"I won't be sleeping on one of those things." Moving into the room, I looked around as the wolf went to one of the beds and jumped onto it, curling into a ball. "Maybe you should shift so we can have a conversation and come up with a plan. It would be nice to know your name too."
Her eyes were already shut, and I rolled my eyes.I couldn't just show up somewhere naked with a wolf.
Going to a floor-to-ceiling metal cabinet, I opened it, the hinges making an awful noise that made me cringe. Inside there were canned goods, blankets, and clothes.
I squatted down and pulled out a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Taking them to the small table in the corner, I looked in the drawers for something to cut them with.
Finding a pair of rusty scissors, I sat down on the dusty chair and began hacking away at the pants and then at the shirt. I wasn't trying to set a fashion statement, but already I was impressed with how they looked.
I went back to the cabinet and rummaged around, finding a spool of fishing twine. I cut two small holes in the back waistband of the pants so I could make the waist smaller.
They fit perfectly and I wondered if, when all was said and done, fashion design might be my calling. Snorting, I put the supplies back and looked over at the girl, who was now lying on her side, her feet moving like she was running in her dream.
If she didn't shift, the wolves had a missing wolf database that would hopefully be of use when wefound our way back from the middle of nowhere. I at least hoped if she knew about others, she would tell us so we could get them out too.
The thought of other wolves being held captive by Marcos or anyone else made my stomach roll with nausea. It was exactly why the coalition existed. We weren't pets or sources of entertainment for humans. All it took was one human knowing to put us all at risk.
Kingston's sister had put everyone at risk by revealing herself to Marcos. He may have shown her attention in the beginning to lead her to believe he was a decent guy, but when it came down to it, he was rotten to his core.
I headed outside and stepped off the small porch. I'd clean my feet, find some food, and then rest a little while before we continued our journey.
The question was, would Marcos's men still be out looking for us? If they were, they were far away with how much ground I was able to cover. We were in the middle of nowhere, and even if they did follow us, we could outrun them again.
My feet burned as I tramped across the clearing toward the sound of water. There had been boots back in the cabin, but they were far too big for my feet.
About a quarter-mile away from the cabin and through a patch of trees, I came across a stream that looked to be almost dried up from whatever snow had been still melting in the mountains. There was enough water to cover my feet as I stepped in, the cool water washing away the pain.
Why was everything such a mess? What should have been a simple job had turned into something that was quickly spiraling out of control. It wasn't even the threat of exposure that was making me ache deep in my chest.
I never intended to develop feelings for Kingston and Zayn, but I had. Their anger toward me hurt more than I ever imagined. They were never going to trust me after I'd deceived them.
Stepping out of the stream, I sat down under the shade of a tree not far away. I had to figure out a way to make things right with them. Even if they didn't want me to stick around once Marcos was dealt with, I needed to at least try.
I leaned back against the tree trunk and shut my eyes. It was too bad the water hadn't washed away the pain in my heart.
CHAPTER THREE
Zayn
Six Hours Earlier…
We had to find her.
There was no other option, and I was ready to kill whoever I needed to in order to make it happen. Knowing Marcos's men had her made me want to burn down the world.
After Kingston had snapped out of his brain fog, he'd calmed me down and made me tell him everything about what had happened back at the fightlocation. While he hadn't been happy I'd nearly ripped Marcos's arm and head off, he'd growled the entire time during my recount of the events.
My hands gripped the steering wheel of the SUV as I steered us toward Marcos's estate. Kingston and Sullivan were still recovering from their injuries, so I'd manned the driver's seat despite Kingston's protests.
When Sullivan had woken up and shifted back, he'd rubbed at his neck, questions in his eyes. I'd had a lot of questions myself, like how the hell had he healed so fast, but Kingston had shrugged and said the injuries weren't as bad as they had appeared.
The blood all over the backseat said otherwise, but there'd be time later to get the full story.
"He told his guys to take her to the den. Do you think that's in his basement? Do people even have basements in California?" I was trying not to speed too much, but the clock was ticking and the longer they had Wren, the less likely we'd find her alive. At least, that's what all the movies and television shows said. "We need to check his businesses too."
