Neve wandered aimlessly through the pack lands, her eyes darting between the trees as she searched for the woman who had ruined her life. Every step was a reminder of what she had lost. To Neve, her own skin felt like a tight, suffocating cage. Walking on two legs was a clumsy chore; her movements felt sluggish and her legs utterly useless without the power of the wolf behind them.
Worst of all was the biting chill. Without her fur, the air felt like needles against her skin. She hugged her arms to her chest, mourning her old life, until the sharp sound of bickering voices cut through the woods. She froze, her ears straining toward the noise.
"But I can't feel you! Why didn't you tell me?" a woman's voice cried out, the words fraying with desperation.
Trinity whipped around, her eyes flashing with a cold, predatory light. "I'm not your daughter, after all, right? Why would you feel anything?"
"Hey!" Neve screamed. She broke into a frantic run toward the group. At the sound of her voice, the circle went still, every head turning in her direction.
Trinity narrowed her eyes, studying Neve's face as she approached. A flicker of recognition crossed her features—the girl looked familiar—but she couldn't quite place her.
Skip didn't give Neve the chance to utter another word. With lethal finality, he stepped forward and swung. His fist connected with the side of Neve's head with a sickening thud. The blow was instantaneous; Neve's small form crumpled to the ground, unconscious before she hit the ground.
"Bit forceful," Kale remarked, though his voice lacked any real bite. They were all on edge, the air thick with unspoken threats.
Skip didn't offer an apology. He reached down, hoisting Neve's limp body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "We need to go," he stated plainly.
Beside them, Alana's expression suddenly went vacant, her eyes glazing over as Boris's voice thundered through her mind Come home.
"My mate wants me home. I have to go," Alana said, ready to leave them all behind.
Where are you? The question floated through Trinity's mind as she heard Boris's voice through their mental connection.
On my way to you, she responded. "We need to regroup. Boris will know what to do," Trinity told them.
She began to move with purpose, her pace quickening into a run as she tracked Alana's scent. The rest of the group fell in line behind her, their footsteps a rhythmic thrum against the forest floor as they transitioned from the clearing back into the deep shadows of the pack territory.
Boris felt the shift the moment he crossed the threshold. He took a deep, steadying breath, the familiar scent of the pack lands finally hitting his lungs. He had reached the border.
The moment they entered the territory, Missy didn't stick around. She broke off from the group as her sister, Elizabeth, yelled her name from behind, calling after her incessantly. But Missy didn't stop. She just kept running, shifting into her wolf form as she went. She needed to get away—to be away from everything and everyone—to finally be alone and let her agony and pain dwell in it all.
"Missy!" Elizabeth screamed after her.
Boris grabbed Elizabeth's shoulder, holding her back with firm authority. "Give her space."
Boris could guess what had happened. He could smell it. It wasn't hard to put two and two together; the scent of her skin had been combined with another's. She'd been unstable in a pack that was known for rejecting their destined mates. He didn't know how it felt to have the bond shattered that way, but he felt she was lucky. It was a mercy that she hadn't gotten to know him, that it wasn't a slow burn. Her mate had never marked her and had instantly rejected her—a benefit to any wolf as young as her, though in this moment, it wouldn't feel that way. It would just be devastating and all-consuming, like she couldn't breathe no matter how hard she gasped for breath.
"She's home now. Leave her be," he said, turning his gaze toward the woods where she had vanished. "I'll bring you home," he added, his voice a promise to his kin as he prepared to guide them toward the Alpha house.
Raven trailed behind him silently. He looked over his shoulder to make sure she was still with him. She was like a ghost, navigating this new, strange territory for the first time.
As they made their way through the forest, Boris saw groups of Sentinels and Warriors diligently surveying the forest. There were constant patrols, checking border security and pack readiness in a way that felt militant and unsettling.
The Warriors and trainees all bowed their heads to him respectfully. Their eyes shifted to Raven's form; clad in soiled clothing with mud covering her face and body, she looked like a wreck. Weapons were still strapped to her back and thighs—blades made entirely of silver.
One of the Warriors blocked their path, his large form a coil of readiness. "Beta," he said respectfully, before his eyes landed on Raven. "Why are you with a rogue wolf?"
Dawn hadn't been made aware of any rogues entering the pack. There had been too much instability and chaos lately, and they didn't need another variable. He respected the Beta, but the pack came first.
Boris was shocked that a warrior would question him. He was second to the Alpha; his power was irrefutable. Boris's hard eyes landed on Dawn as he spoke into the wolf's mind, his hostility sharp and precise: You do not question me!
Dawn winced as he gripped his head, his knees buckling with the force of the Beta's pressure bearing down on his mind.
A low growl rumbled in Boris's chest as he walked around the fallen wolf, continuing toward the Alpha's house. The pack felt different. He had heard of everything happening, but it just didn't feel the same. It wasn't as if there were large signs erected stating this was a war zone or that they hated defectives, but there was just something in the air.
A constant perfume of blood clung to the air, refusing to release its hold. The smell of panic, fear, and suspicion clawed at the senses. Suspicion—something he had never known so openly in his pack—was present on every face they passed. And dread. Every time they passed a defective, the emotion was written all over their face. That lingering sense of dread clung to their skin and clawed at their throats. It was a poison running through his pack.
Author's note:
Quick reminder to anyone who forgot. When Trinity forced Timothy's shift during August 8th, chaos. Neve was also changed back into her human form. Enjoy more coming.