Compulsion was a myth, right? But in that moment I was reminded of the piece of paper Sawyer tore out of that book that explained split shifters. Didn’t it say they could do compulsion?
Star leaned forward, eyes wide. “You can compulse?”
I squirmed in my seat. “I mean, I did once to a bear, maybe twice, but…”
Everyone was staring at me like I was an alien.
Eugene looked intrigued. “It wouldn’t work on the queen or those high up in her coven, but a lower-level vampire for sure.”
That was good to know.
“So we’re doing this?” I asked. “One night? Get everyone out and then I’ll meet you back at Paladin Village when I know it’s safe?”
Everyone regarded each other, eyes darting around the room to find someone to disagree with.
“We can’t stay down here much longer … and getting out into the open air, building a community together, it would be good for morale,” Eugene said.
“Then it’s settled!” I smacked my open palm on the table.
“Hold up.” Rab put his fingers out in a gesture of calm. “And what’s the plan if we get caught and war breaks out again?”
He was right. We needed a fallback plan for that. “Eugene, do we still have a good weapons cache?”
He nodded. “The base level is full of them.”
“Any grenades?” I raised one eyebrow, and he nodded with a smile.
“Okay, if we get caught, you run east toward the Witch Lands and we funnel them into the Wild Lands at the border. There we will set off the grenades as a distraction, before doubling back and going back into hiding,” I told them.
“Genius.” Rab sat up. “I can set the traps tonight with Arrow. When are we doing this?”
I wanted to get to Sawyer as soon as possible. “Tomorrow night. Start preparing everyone now. One bag each person, only what they can carry, and they will line up in alphabetical order of family last name. Do a trial run in the morning of the lineup.”
“I’ll sneak out with Rab and Arrow later tonight with one of my witches and get the spell supplies needed,” Star added.
We had a plan. My first real day as alpha and I didn’t completely screw it up.
I looked at Rab. “Where is medical? I need to check on Astra.”
I needed to make sure my number one fan was okay.
* * *
Astra was lyingin the fetal position on a cot in the medical ward, fast asleep. I’d spoken to the doctor who treated her, a nice submissive wolf in his late fifties. He said he’d given her IV fluids and a feeding tube for the time being, but he was confident he could take it out by morning. He just wanted to load her up with nutrients, and she was too weak to chew and swallow right now. My heart twisted in agony as I saw bones protruding from her back in her thin hospital gown. This young girl had been through hell for me, and it was important to me to take care of her from now on.
“Alpha,” she croaked, and I scrambled to the other side of her bed where I could face her. She looked up at me with heavy eyes. The doctor said he’d given her some pain medication to ease the discomfort of the feeding tube while her shifter healing kicked in.
“Astra.” I fell to my knees before her and took her small hands in mine. “I just wanted to check on you. I’m getting us out of here, back to Paladin Village, and everything is going to be okay.”
“I heard you in your despair,” she said softly, eyes closing in exhaustion. I frowned, confused.
“What?”
She blinked a few times as if her eyelids were too heavy to hold up. “In the Dark Woods, when you were at your lowest point and you cried out to God. I heard it.”
Chills raced up my spine. I didn’t know if she was being serious or just high as a kite. But there was one night, on my third day there, before I found the cabin, that I was starving, thirsty, and helpless, and I’d screamed at the sky, aiming my desperation at the man upstairs.
“I knew you would come back. I knew you would make it. And now everything is going to be fine.” She smiled, her eyes rolling closed as she fell asleep, the steady rise and fall of her chest making me sleepy as well.
