Mal steps forward once more, her features wide with desperation. “Whatever crimes this boy has committed in the past, he is here under our protection. You cannot take him from here. You cannot—”
“The packs do not recognize the authority of rogues,” Salazar says matter-of-factly.
Mal’s chin is quivering, and I’ve never seen her look so small, so defeated. Buck moves forward, snarling. But one raised eyebrow from Salazar and Mal knows to tell him to withdraw, a simple hand gesture that has Buck whimpering and scratching the earth, but staying back nonetheless.
“You are a sad excuse for a wolf,” Mal says, tears falling down her weathered cheeks.
“I am simply following orders,” Salazar replies, unbothered. “However, now that we have what we came for I see no reason to continue on here. We will leave your people to their business.”
Mal’s mind must be whirring, trying to think of a way to save Omar, but coming up short. She knows there’s a trade-off being made—Omar for the rest of the Sanc—and Mal isn’t willing to risk the safety of her entire encampment.
“Do something,” I whisper to Jasper, but he remains stoic. “Jasper?”
“He was there, Max. He should return with us to face the consequences of his actions.”
He turns and kneels in front of Janie, who has kept quiet this whole time. “You’re okay,” he says. “No one will hurt you. Go with the others.”
He pats her arm and turns her in the direction of Mal and the council. A gentle push and Janie runs to them, Akari and Tomas kneeling to meet her and ushering her away from the drama.
“We will take our leave,” Salazar says. “Mind your wolves allow us safe passage back across the desert or we will return with greater numbers and raze this camp to the ground.”
Mal presses her lips together until they’re purple, but nods to accept Salazar’s conditions. The beta turns to his wolves.
“Take him and the alpha’s wayward son,” he says, gesturing to Omar and Jasper. “We wouldn’t want him running off again, would we.”
Two of Salazar’s gamma wolves approach and flank Jasper, and without argument, he lets them lead him from the camp.
As the rest of the Elite soldiers turn and stalk off between tents I turn to look back once more.
The Sanc is no longer in chaos. The screams have stopped, so have most of the fires. Smoke hangs over the quiet settlement still, a brutal reminder that nowhere is safe, that the destructive might of the packs is ever present. I know these people are resilient. They’ve been through so much already. They will shake this off too. They will rebuild, recover, and continue to live in peace as long as the packs let them.
But what I’m leaving behind right now is a row of disappointed and angry faces.
Mal looks shaken. Kairos is rubbing at her leg with his muzzle. She returns my gaze and her last words flicker in my mind.The blood wolf has always been a friend to the rogues.I grit my teeth and bow my head, hoping she knows that that’s exactly what I plan to be from now on: a friend to rogues and to any wolf who doesn’t fit in, who deserves more than what they’ve ended up with, who is looked down upon by those with more.
“Max?” Jasper says, having stopped to look back. His wolf escorts won’t let him linger for long.
“Coming,” I say, and with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I turn away from Mal, the council, and the Sanc, promising I will do everything in my power to make this right.
THE PRODIGAL WOLVES
“Do you think he did it?” Katie asks from her lawn chair.
We’re sitting on the patio out the back of my house, a couple of ice teas on the wooden slats next to our chairs, the sun high and hot over the forest.
“I…” I start but falter.
I’ve been home for two days. After we were escorted from the Sanc, the Elite gamma wolves marched us back across the desert to Jasper’s mom’s cottage. We weren’t even allowed to grab our stuff before we left, which means my sketchbook and clothes are still at the Sanc. We were shoved into cars and driven straight to a private airfield where we were flown home on one of Jericho’s private jets.
After a long and quiet flight, Jasper dropped me off at home, and while I basically begged for him to make sure Omar was taken care of, to do everything he could to ensure Omar was released, Jasper remained quiet. Though it pains me, I understand. If Omar really was one of the rogues who invaded Jericho’s house in the Hamptons, then maybe he should be held accountable for his crimes—or at least, I can see why Jasper might think that. His dad nearly died that night, and because of that intrusion the pack’s security has been under scrutiny. That one attack has opened us up to all manner of other attempts on our territory.
But after spending so much time with Omar, getting to know him, learning how much he’s gotten into the spiritual side of being a wolf and what he’s been through, I can’t help but think he doesn’t deserve to be locked up. He should be out in the desert still, learning from Yoki and continuing to figure out how to be the best wolf he can be. The things he’ll be able to accomplish, the good he could do for wolfkind, have to outweigh his crimes. Right?!
“I don’t know,” I say finally. “But I don’t know if it matters. I just wish—I wish I knew why he might have done it. Because I’m sure there’s a reason.”
“What does Jasper have to say about it all?” she asks, sipping from her metal straw.
“He hasn’t said much. Not in a we’re-not-speaking sort of way, just in a whenever-I-bring-it-up-he-changes-the-subject kind of way. I’ve only managed to speak to him properly once since we got back. He’s been a little busy.”
