“Oi! It’s my turn,” Nate mutters, climbing in beside me pushing Cam out of the way to cuddle against my back. Jason’s snuggled on my other side, gripping onto my hand as he sleeps.

I was able to eat and a few of the other wolves came over to say hello before leaving. Eli also stopped by, staring at how comfortable I was between all of my mates and seemed to come to some kind of conclusion because all he said was ‘it’s nice to meet you,’ before walking away again.

I didn’t see Vivienne again and the guys were smart enough not to ask me what happened with her, though James kept looking over with a questioning look on his face. I mouthed ‘later’ and that’s all he needed to leave it be.

After we cleaned out the restaurant of all their food, we came back to the hotel collapsing in a heap. None of us even got changed. I snuck out of bed in the middle of the night to fill James in on what happened with Vivienne and when I asked for an explanation, he told me ‘soon.’ I climbed back into bed, too exhausted to care.

Now it’s time to get up and start the rest of the drive but I just don’t want to move. I’d rather stay here and sleep.

“Guys, we gotta go,” James says, irritated. He’s been trying to get us up for the past hour. Though, none of us want to move. This bed is the comfiest one I’ve ever lay on. Well technically, it’s four beds. We had to push them all together to make one massive bed. Still, it feels like it’s made of clouds.

A door slams and I hear water running. “Rise and shine!” Jake shouts before we’re all drenched in ice cold water.

We all jump off the bed, away from the now saturated beds and sheets. “What the hell was that for?!” Pete asks indignantly, pushing his wet hair out of his face.

Jake shrugs, not a care in the world. “Well you wouldn’t get out of bed, so I had no choice. Now that you’re all up though, time to get dressed and get on the road.” He picks up the bucket he must have filled with ice cold water and places it back in the bathroom.

I sigh, going to one of the bags and pull out some clothes. I get dressed in the bathroom as quickly as I can, so the others can too. Not that I need to worry because they’ve all gotten dressed before I even finish.

When I come out, the smell of food has my stomach growling. Pete laughs when he hears it. “Come here Firecracker, I saved you a plate.” He holds out his hand for me to sit in his lap since there are no more chairs. I gratefully dig into a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and sausages, amazed how much I can still eat after last night.

As soon as I shovel the last bite into my mouth, James is up by the door grabbing our bags and leaving the room. Jake and Rick both follow him, grabbing the last of the bags as they go.

“Ugh, why do we have to leave so early? Why can’t we stay here another night?” I ask, pouting and leaning back in Pete’s arms.

Jonnie smirks, moving his chair out and pulling me from Pete’s lap to his swiftly. “Because James and Cam both want the trials done with as soon as possible. We should have stayed with our pack longer but Cam thought getting this over and done with is better for you,” he explains, pulling me against his chest, hands resting across my stomach.

I look over at Cam to see him looking at Jonnie’s hands on me. Part of me feels guilty but my wolf is happy. I’m not doing anything so I don’t see why it bothers him?

My wolf pushes forward. Jonnie stiffens under me and the others all turn to stare at me, their eyes flashing amber. Jason jumps from his chair, pulling me to my feet. Jonnie’s hands tighten before letting me go and Jason hauls me quickly to the door, ripping it open and pushing me out.

“Hey, what the hell?!” I ask, stunned at his reaction. He keeps hold on my arm, dragging me towards the car. “You’re heat cycle is triggering again. We can all smell it and it’s killing us. The others aren’t strong enough to handle it. I know you don’t want us yet so you need to stay in the car with Rick and Jake until we get to my pack,” he growls, his wolf prominent. He opens the car door, pushing me in. My wolf surges forward, making me tremble with need. I almost pull him in after me but he’s gone before I can, the door slamming shut forcefully. I see him running back to the room as Jake and Rick climb in the car.

Jake turns back, a massive grin on his face. “So, you got a little turned on, did ya?”

“Ugh, shut up! It’s not funny! I can’t help when the heat is triggered,” I sulk, throwing myself back into the seat. Jake stares for a moment before he and Rick both burst out laughing.

“Hey! Stop laughing you asses! You’re supposed to be on my side!”

Jake gets control of his laughter to answer me, “Sorry Dani, it’s just you looked like a petulant little child who couldn’t get what she wanted. It’s absolutely hilarious,” he smirks as Rick starts the car. I watch as my mates all climb into the car in front of us, each of them glancing back at me. Jason’s eyes are still amber and I watch as he fights the instinct to run back to me and pull me from the car. My wolf keens, wanting to run after him. I’m at the side door when Jake and Rick both dive over the seats pinning me.

“No! Let me go! I need to go to him!” I scream, trying to get away. The car door opens and for a moment I think it’s Jason only to see James climb in and wrestle me under control.

Rick turns back and starts the car just as Jason starts running for us. “Dani, stop! For god sake Rick, hurry the fuck up before Jason rips us to shreds!” Jake shouts, trying to hold me down.

The car speeds out of the parking lot as I struggle, trying to get free. Jake tries to grab hold of my feet but I kick out, hitting him in the face. My wolf and I are almost free. She pushes an extra burst of energy and I’m able to push James off me. Yes! I fling open the door not caring that the car is moving, ready to jump into his arms when a hand wraps around my ankle yanking me back.

“For god’s sake Rick! Drive fucking faster!” James yells, grappling to keep me in. Jake leans over the seat again, blood running down his face where my boot collided with his nose.

I growl kicking out at James and Jake as they restrain me, “Just let me go!” I scream, my wolf howling in agony.

“Dani! If you don’ stop I’ll have to knock you out. If Jason shifts in the middle of the street, we’ll be exposed to every human in this town!”

What James is saying is making sense but all rational thought has left me. Instinct is urging me out of the car to go to Jason. My body is hot with need.

“Sorry Dani,” Jake murmurs as a cloth is placed over my mouth. I struggle as a bitter smell invades my nostrils. My eyes start to close involuntarily and I fight with the last of my strength to get free. The last sound to echo through my mind is the mournful howl of my wolf.

 

***

 

Voices are arguing and I hear the tell-tale sound of fighting. I sit up, looking around for someone when I see Jake and Jason throwing punches. The others are all around them, just watching. No one is doing anything. I get up still slightly dizzy and stumble towards them. “Oi! What the fuck’s going on and who the fuck drugged me?!” I slur as I stumble forward, tripping on the ground and dropping to my knees.

Cam immediately steps away from them to help me up. “Hey, take it easy. You’ll be groggy for hours,” he murmurs, lifting me into his arms and cradling me gently. He carries me over to the others as they watch on while Jake and Jason beat the living crap out of each other.

Jason kicks out, sending Jake flying through the air. I watch as he lands in a heap unmoving. “Enough!” I demand, climbing from Cams arms, and rush to stop Jason from advancing. I shove his chest, pushing him back a step. He looks down at me, the amber of his eyes showing how frustrated he is. “What the hell is wrong with you Jason?! You attack Jake for no god damn reason and still keep going for more?!” I keep shoving him back, enraged that he would be so stupid!

He grabs my hands as I go to shove him again for good measure pulling me in and kissing me passionately, our tongues collide in a flurry of emotion. He pulls back, leaving me breathless to stare down at me. “I was well within my right to kill him. He drugged you Dani. He knocked you out for days!”

Wait, what? “Days?” I ask watching as Rick, James and Pete help Jake to his feet. “Why was I out for days?”

“Because the idiot saturated a cloth with a mix of chloroform and an experimental anaesthetic the packs have been playing with. It had a less than reasonable reaction. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t wake you. I finally lost it,” he shrugs sheepishly.

How the hell could I have been out for days? And if they had something that powerful, how come I wasn’t aware of it before? There is so much about pack life that I still need to learn and it feels so overwhelming some days. I should be aware of these kind of things, not hidden in the dark so they can protect me. I understand their need to keep their mate safe, but I need to know as much as I can if I’m to succeed these trials.

“OK, let’s set aside the fact that I was out for days and talk about why the hell you were fighting? If I’ve been out for days then where is your pack? Why are we in the middle of nowhere and why the hell is it so goddamn cold?!” I ask question after question, wanting some kind of answer.

All of them just stare at me, shocked at my outburst. It’s not my fault I have no clue what the fuck is going on.

Jason strides to my side, pulling me in for a hug. “We’re in Alaska,” he says, muffled against my hair.

“Alaska?! What?! I thought your pack was in Washington Park?” I ask, pulling away from the comfort of his arms. We shouldn’t be in Alaska yet. We should be at Jason’s pack, going through the next section of trials, not here. If I remember right, Cam’s pack is near here. “Guys? Can someone please explain what we’re doing closer to the Bairn pack then the Parks pack? I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Jake makes his way to me, stopping when Jason starts to growl. “We’re here because the Parks pack was gone. I mean completely wiped out. We have no idea what happened to them. We rocked up and the whole pack had disappeared. No bodies. No signs of fighting. All food and clothes were left behind. It’s as if they just vanished from existence.”

Oh. That is strange. “So wait, no one was there? What did the Elders say? Were we allowed to move on? How did we move on if I’ve been unconscious? I thought we were supposed to be flying from Washington to Alaska? How’d we fly?”

So much has happened and it’s left me with a billion questions. Like where are the Elders? Where’s James? Why are we here? Shouldn’t Cam’s pack have picked us up from the airport if we flew? Why are we in the middle of the woods? There’s a cabin off to the side, snow covering the tops of trees as the first snowfall starts.

“Sorry Precious, we did come by plane but we used one of the packs private jets. The Elders came with us. They tried to help us wake you but you were out cold. I’m guessing you needed the extra time to recover. Either that or the shit Jake got hold of was much more potent than we realized. Right now, we’re on the outskirts of the pack lands, waiting for the Elders to let us know it’s ok to arrive unexpected. My pack has never stuck to the traditional use of phones so we had to send one of us ahead. The Elders volunteered,” Cam says with a shrug.

Well I knew his pack wasn’t exactly technology friendly so I guess that makes sense. Whilst what he said explains a lot, he still left out what he thinks happened to the Parks pack. Seriously, a whole pack of over 200 wolves just up and disappears? Why are none of them more worried about it? They should have stayed behind, and searched every last surrounding town to find them, not just took off with me unconscious.

I understand their need to keep me safe, they always do, but me over a whole pack? It would have been worth it to stay behind and find them. Or at least find someone who could tell them what happened. It’s what I would have done.

“Did you find any clue of what could have happened to your pack?” I ask Jason, feeling for him. He told me his father had passed away and it was only his mom who was alive although, she was very similar to Rosie and I now take that to mean she is cuckoo.

When he told me about her, I imagined a soft, loving brunette version of Jason but now I don’t know if I’ll ever meet her. I imagine Jason would be feeling confused about it all too. The need to protect my mates is as strong as it has ever been.

Jason squeezes me closer, “No, we found nothing. There were no scent trails to give us anywhere to go. I know you’re worried about me, but don’t be. We’ll find them. It’s best to continue with the trials. This is the last pack and then the Elders can tell the packs you are suitable to be Alpha Queen. Then we’ll all go look for my pack together,” he says determinedly.

I nod, resting my head against his chest, enjoying the steady beat of his heart. “Ok, if that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. I just want to be sure. If it were my dad who had gone missing, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get him back.”

“And we will get my mother back. I know that. You wouldn’t have it any other way. I just know that these trials come first. My mother can take care of herself. We need to take care of the good of the packs.”

Damn him for being so sweet. I wish there was something we could do right now and whilst I know there’s nothing I can do, it doesn’t stop me feeling helpless.

The sound of rustling leaves, announces a wolf just as it vaults over a bush into the clearing with us. It’s not attacking but it doesn’t look like a soft teddy bear either.

Its beige fur is ruffled from its run and it stands roughly the same height as my wolf. It’s so strange. My wolf should be agitated by the new arrival but she’s surprisingly calm. I watch on in awe as the wolf shifts back to human. When I see Erick, I’m more surprised than I’ve ever been. I never would have imagined a wolf so pretty could be someone so terrifying.

“The others sent me. We’re ready for you. Cam, you should know though. Someone has taken over the pack since your father was dethroned. It’s Adam.”

“Wait, who’s Adam?” I ask, the ominous expressions on everyone’s faces making me queasy. Something tells me this isn’t going to be good news.

Cam faces me, a grimace on his face, “Adam was one of the ones who helped Dad punish me. And, he’s my brother.”