“Hey!”

Sound stabbed through the darkness. Pain and light came with it. A hard grip on my shoulder shook me awake.

Rowan’s eyes glinted as she stared into my face. Her brow was furrowed again. Two thick, dark lines with barely an arch. Her skin was smooth and white, flawless. She held her downturned mouth, lips parted, murmuring something I couldn’t make out.

“Jagger Wilkes!” she shouted. I became fully awake.

“Huh? What?”

Her face softened with relief as she sat back on her heels. She didn’t say any more. Instead, she became methodical, dipping a fresh cloth into a pail of water, she cleaned my chest wound and slathered on a thick poultice made out of what looked like dirt and leaves.

“The bleeding’s mostly stopped,” she said, almost to herself. “It’ll scar, but by the looks of you, that’s nothing new. Tangling with Pack members, is that kind of a hobby of yours or something?”

Finally, her eyes flicked to mine. Hers held the hint of a smile. Or, maybe it was relief. I flat out couldn’t read this woman, but she seemed relieved I wasn’t dead.

“More of a pastime,” I said, leaning back against the wall. Rowan picked up another basket. It was covered with a checkered cloth. When she peeled that back the aroma of fresh-baked bread hit my nose and nearly pulled the wolf straight out of me. I was starving.

She pushed the basket toward me. I pulled out a huge, fluffy biscuit and tore into it. At the bottom of the basket, she brought a few thick strips of jerky. I scarfed those down while Rowan dusted off her hands and found a rock to sit on across from me.

“Where are you from, Jagger Wilkes? And how are you not part of the Pack?”

She rested her chin in her palm. Rowan’s eyes twinkled with curiosity. I had the keen sense she’d never met any shifter who wasn’t Pack before. And yet, she knew enough to understand how dangerous they were.

“Are we sharing stories now?” I asked. “Because I’d really like to hear some of yours too.”

She sucked in a breath of air, but her posture didn’t alter. “You first. Then...we’ll see.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“You shouldn’t. But, if I wanted to turn you over to the Pack, I would have done it by now. I still could.”

I pushed off the wall and leaned toward her, letting my wolf eyes flash. “You think you could move fast enough?”

I expected her to flinch. She didn’t. Instead, Rowan rose in a fluid, steady movement. She stood over me, her own eyes flashing.

“I think I can handle a shifter or two just fine.”

I got up. I wasn’t at full strength yet, but that didn’t matter. A fundamental truth about Rowan slammed into my brain. She knew plenty about Pack shifters. But, she’d never been around a true Alpha before. She might not even know there was a difference.

Color came into Rowan’s cheeks as she felt the power emanating from me. She wasn’t a wolf. Still, there was something about her nature that understood mine. She took an involuntary step back.

“And I’m thinking,” I said, taking a step toward her. “You’ve never met a shifter like me before.”

Her breath hitched, but she stood her ground. She slowly raised her hand, palm out. Her fingers trembled as they hovered over the marking on my chest. Her scent filled me again. Not fear. Wonder. Maybe an undercurrent of excitement.

As she lifted her hand higher, I saw the deep scratches on the heel. The bleeding had stopped, but the wounds were ugly and jagged. If Molly were here, she would have made her sit for stitches.

Without thinking, I grabbed Rowan’s wrist again. “You’re hurt.”

Gasping, she tried to pull her hand away. I wouldn’t let her. Instead, I led her back to the rock and made her sit. I took the cloth and dipped it into her pail. Rowan hissed with pain, but she stayed still while I cleaned her wound and wrapped it with the fresh cloth.

“They could have done much worse,” I said. “You should be more careful. Those wolves...that Pack...they aren’t...good.”

“I know what they are,” she whispered. “I’ve known it all my life. Probably a hell of lot better than you do.”

“You’ve never left Kentucky, have you?” I asked. Slowly, Rowan pulled her hand out of mine. She tucked it against her body.

I sighed. “You’ve never left Heartland, have you?”

The stillness in her face gave me my answer. My God. What was she to Able Valent? And how in the hell had she controlled those betas?

I took a seat beside her on the rock, pressing my back against the wall. Our shoulders were no more than an inch from each other.

“How old are you, Rowan?”

She didn’t turn to face me when she answered. She just stared straight ahead. “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t the answer I expected. Then again, nothing about her had been what I expected. She had a sadness to her that tore at me.

“How old do I look?” She finally looked at me. From anyone else, that question would have seemed like a self-effacing joke. But Rowan was earnestly asking.

“I wasn’t sure, at first,” I said. “Now, I’d guess maybe twenty?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Twenty. I could be. It’s a good a guess as any.”

“Don’t you have people? A family? Someone who knows these things?”

“I have my aunt,” she said.

“The old lady and the addled kid,” I said, repeating what I’d heard the shifters say. “Except, there’s nothing addled about you, is there? That’s just what you let them think.”

Rowan’s eyes held the truth. Another of her secrets peeled away. “That’s a lot of questions, Jagger Wilkes. Now how about a few for you? How did you manage to get free of the Pack? Are there others like you?”

“That’s a long story,” I said. “And parts of it I’m not willing to share. But yes, there are others like me. And they are the reason I’m not willing to share. Not everyone believes Able Valent is a good guy.”

“Does anyone believe he’s a good guy? I mean...anyone who isn’t forced to do what he says?”

“For someone who’s never left Heartland, you’ve picked up a few things,” I joked.

“Not bad for an addled kid,” she said, her tone thick with irony.

“How did you do that?” I asked. “What you did to those shifters. You do it a lot, don’t you? What’s your power over them?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, and again I knew she was telling the truth. “I just do it.”

“But not to me,” I said, squaring my shoulders and turning to face her full on.

Color drained from her face and her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Now, I did sense a flash of fear from her.

I lifted my hand and rubbed my knuckles along her jaw. I don’t know why I did that. But, the instant I touched her, her fear seemed to dissipate.

“Not to you,” she answered. “You’re different.”

“I’m an Alpha,” I said.

“I didn’t...I thought Valent was the only one.”

I barked out a bitter laugh. “That’s what he wants them all to think. It’s a lie. There are others. Many, many others. In other states and around the world, shifters don’t live like he does. Alphas of other packs aren’t tyrants like he is. They don’t control when their members shift, what they do, who they mate with.”

I watched Rowan change. Her eyes darted over the cavern, glistening with the hint of tears. I couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad at what I said. For a moment, her shoulders hitched as if she were having difficulty drawing in air. Finally, she rose and backed away from me. Still, it wasn’t fear I sensed coming off of her anymore. Shock, maybe.

“Rowan?” I stood. When I moved toward her she put a hand up to ward me off.

“I have to go,” she said, breathlessly. “I can’t miss another dose.”

“A dose of what?” She jerked her head toward me and I realized maybe she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Rowan, wait.” I had so many other questions for her.

“You’ll be safe here,” she said. “For a little while at least. I’ll come back. I can show you…”

She put a hand on her forehead, looking unsure of what to say next.

“Rowan!”

But, before I could reach her, Rowan turned and ran to the cave entrance, fast as lightning. She left a whoosh of air in her wake brimming with raw power.