I clench my jaw, irritated at being put on hold when my team is at risk, though logically I know he’s helping us.
My teammates are all here now, so I update them on the situation while we wait.
“But the Hollvinrs, are they okay? And Fenrir?” Hestia asks, worried for them rather than herself.
“They’re just fine. Dispatch said Fenrir returned, and they got down the mountain before the storm,” I tell her gently.
She nods, relieved, and I smile even though she can’t see it behind my mask.
“Radar still shows a mild storm bringing ten inches of snow at most,” Charm says.
Henri shows me his tablet, and I check it even though I believe them. I should have realized the projection wasn’t right with the snow this heavy.
“Montanus, are you there,” the operator says.
“We’re here,” I say, suppressing the urge to snap at him.
He’s not the one I’m actually angry with for putting my team in danger.
He rattles off the coordinates, and I pull up the location on the GPS, sharing it with my teammates.
It would normally be a forty-minute walk for that distance with this terrain. In our current situation, working against the elements, it will take at least twice as long.
Our vehicles are in the opposite direction, and based on what the operator said, there’s no time to go back for them. I doubt the roads are even passable at this point.
“Is there anything else we need to know?” I say.
He reads off the updated storm predictions. I listenwhile preparing for the trek and mentally calculating our supplies.
Magnus is already pulling out ropes to connect to each other. The line will ensure we don’t lose anyone in the storm.
I let him get the others attached while I deal with dispatch.
He puts Hestia in the middle as she should be, with Cato just behind her. Magnus is at the back behind Henri, and Charm is in the front, holding the loose end of the rope.
“We’re heading out, I’ll check in once we get there,” I tell the operator.
“Check in every thirty minutes!”
“The storm is already too strong to be stopping that often. If you don’t hear from me in two hours, then you can call us,” I yell back.
We have to get moving and stay moving.
He argues, but I hang up and tuck the giant phone back in my bag.
I shake myself out of the snowdrift that built up around me and attach myself to the front of the line. After making sure my teammates are ready, I set off.
We find our rhythm and keep pace at a steady clip. I hope to get to the cabin in under two hours, but if not, I’ll use a precious few minutes to notify dispatch and make sure my teammates are holding up okay. We’re conditioned to hike or climb for hours, but struggling through the snow and wind is draining, every step a fight.
I’m never more thankful for our bonds than in situations like this, even as it makes that empty spot chafe all the more.
At least I can see her through Cato’s eyes. He has hishand on her shoulder in case she falls, though she’s keeping up just fine.
That’s not enough. I want to feel her breath as if it were my own, feel her heart beating strong and steady next to mine.
Someday I’ll have that, if she lets us. I know we can make her happy.
For now, I watch our omega through my packmate’s eyes as I lead them through the storm.
