chapter twenty-one
Sasha couldn’t get the crude stench of vulhena out of her lungs or nostrils. The acrid smell of burning bodies spread through the forest all the way to the glade where den mates had gathered to find out what had happened. A mix of males and females paced the glade—all naked and ready to shift at a moment’s notice.
Sasha jerked her head from side to side, but she didn’t see Tabor. He hadn’t been at the bluff when she went back, but Emerson told her she’d sent him away. On the way back, Sasha checked her cave thinking he would be waiting for her there, but there’d been no sign he’d passed through. Between Garrick’s outburst and Wolfrik’s challenge, he’d probably gone to his cabin to cool off. Charred vulhena wasn’t doing anything to help Sasha sniff him out, and before she had a chance to pass through the glade, Peter, Flynn, and Devan rushed over.
“What happened?” Devan demanded.
The talking around them stopped as nearby shifters craned their head to listen in.
Sasha stared into his eyes unblinking. “A group of vulhena attempted to attack the hollow. Tabor stopped them. He saved us all.”
Devan sucked in a breath. “How many were there?”
“Around sixty.”
Devan’s eyes rounded. “Sixty! How could Tabor possibly stop that many?”
Back straightening, Peter jutted his chin high in the air. “I don’t care how Tabor did it. He protected the hollow. He kept our families safe. Where is he, anyway? I want to thank him.” Peter looked at Devan, eyes narrowing. “We all do.”
“I’m just on my way to find him,” Sasha said, buoyed by Peter’s support. Tabor needed to come out of his cabin and be recognized for the bravery he’d shown.
Flynn cleared his throat. “Did anyone die?”
“Only the vulhena,” Sasha answered. “The bodies are burning as we speak.”
“Anything we can do to help?” Flynn asked.
Sasha threw her shoulders back. “Yeah, stand by Tabor’s side when Garrick attempts to vilify him for using his powers to protect the pack.”
Jager cleared his throat. “Sasha, a word, please.”
She hadn’t seen him hobble beside her.
Jager inclined his head toward the copse beyond the glade. She nodded and went from following to leading him down one of the paths. The din from the glade soon faded behind the dense forest. Sasha kept a steady stride, aware of Jager casting sidelong looks her way. “Am I walking too fast?” she asked.
Rather than answer her question he said, “Garrick came by my hut not long ago and told me what happened at the bluff.”
Sasha gave a snarl. “He wasn’t there when the attack happened or even right afterwards. Ask Raider, Aden, Emerson, Jordan, or Hudson if you don’t believe me.”
Jager’s head lowered. “Of course I believe you, Sasha. You’re the most honest shifter in all of Wolf Hollow.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly, but she kept her chin lifted, leery of what Jager might say next. He kept silent for several heartbeats before speaking in a curious voice. “You really love him, don’t you? The half-breed, I mean.”
Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “You mean Tabor?”
Jager’s shoulders dropped. “Did he really put down sixty vulhena with the use of a spell?”
Sasha slowed her pace enough to face Jager, fire in her eyes. “I wouldn’t be standing here if he hadn’t.”
Jager nodded and they continued, ducking by branches that reached into the narrow trail. “I should have encouraged him in his practice when he was a boy, observed what he could do.” Jager stopped and sucked in a shuddering breath. Sasha was alarmed to see tears glisten in his murky eyes. “We might have prevented the first vulhena attack that claimed so many lives.”
The old man’s emotion tugged at Sasha’s heart. Standing in the fading light, among the silent trees, she faced Jager and took hold of his hands, grasping them in hers. As he sucked in a breath, she wondered how long it had been since anyone had touched him.
“You mustn’t think that way,” she said kindly. “Leave the past behind where it belongs. Isn’t that what you always told me?” She remembered Jager speaking the words soothingly to her on two occasions—after her parents were killed and when Wolfrik took off. “They are not of this life any longer,” she continued, thinking of her parents. “It does more harm than good to disturb their memory with our longing.”
Jager squeezed her hands and lowered his head solemnly. “Yes, of course. Forgive an old man’s nostalgia.” As he let go, he looked skyward to the stars beginning to brighten overhead, whispering reverently, “May they run forever free.”
“May they run forever free,” Sasha repeated. She pulled her hands gently out of the elder’s leathery grasp. “I’ll get Tabor and see you back at the glade. I expect your support if Garrick brings up banishing him for using sorcery to defend the hollow.”
Jager chest lifted and fell. “You have a respite for now. Garrick informed me that he and Zackery were following the vulhena’s trail while it was still fresh to see if it led them back to a den and any young they might have left waiting behind.”
“Not a bad idea,” Sasha admitted reluctantly, “but they could have also left behind females to guard their young. Are two shifters enough to go after them?”
“If there are too many, Garrick has instructions to return to the hollow for reinforcements.”
Sasha nodded. She doubted he would. Garrick probably felt left out of the killing and was after his own piece of the action. He and Zackery wanted to prove they were still tough fighters.
“Hopefully that’s the last we’ll see of the vulhena for a while,” Sasha said.
Jager nodded, turning back the way they’d come. Sasha continued the remainder of her walk in somber reflection. Silence greeted her when she reached Tabor’s cabin. Pushing past the wave of unease, she nudged the door open and stepped inside the small, square space. There was a sleeping pallet and blanket folded neatly against one wall, a wood table, two cupboards, and a bookshelf, but no Tabor. A pit formed in her stomach, widening with each passing second they were apart. Something wasn’t right.
She tried to chase her growing panic away by coming up with alternatives. He probably went to the den to tell the others that everything was okay. He’d want Heidi to know she and her kids were safe.
Sasha frowned.
But the den mates hadn’t mentioned seeing Tabor—they’d asked where he was.
Chewing on her lip, she looked around the cabin. She’d never been inside until now and it pierced at her like dozens of sharp thorns tangled around her heart to be able to smell Tabor but not see him. She circled slowly around the table. The surface was empty except for a single piece of parchment with writing and a rock on top to weigh it down.
Sasha took one last look around before stepping toward the door, intending to check the den. Perhaps Tabor’s wolf took a direct approach through the woods, missing the shifters from the den as they ran down the main trail. She was about to leave when a nagging sense of doubt brought her to a dead stop. Slowly, she turned, walked back to the table, and lifted the rock, squeezing it in her hand before setting it aside and snatching up the piece of paper. She stared down at the lines written across and down the paper, her forehead creasing.
Everyone knew Sasha couldn’t read, and shifters didn’t write notes to each other. Still, she folded it in half and carried it with her just in case.
As with the glade, shifters crowded around Sasha the moment she stepped foot in the den. Tiny faces appeared in the openings of huts and from treehouses above. Heidi stepped out of her hut and hurried over.
“What happened? Is anyone hurt?”
Sasha assured the den mothers that the danger had passed and it was okay for the children to come out, keeping a brave face as her heart sank seeing that Tabor wasn’t in the den.
All around them female shifters and their children emerged from their dwellings to join the crowd in the clearing. The families who lived in treehouses took longer to climb down rope ladders. Impatient to join the fray, some of the children leaped down once they were five feet from the ground and rolled to a stand before running to join the gathering.
Even Kallie limped out of a small hut. Melissa rushed over and slid under Kallie’s arm to help her hop over to join everyone. It was good to see Kallie on her feet for the first time since the injury.
The faces that surrounded them reflected a mixture of relief and curiosity. The only animosity to be seen appeared in the eyes of Francine, who stormed over, newborn swaddled in a sling that hung around her neck. At least she held her tongue long enough for Sasha to tell den members what had happened up to the point of the vulhena being burned on pyres in the valley.
Kallie ground her teeth. “May their black ashes blow far from Wolf Hollow.”
Melissa rubbed Kallie’s upper arm in a soothing gesture.
Some of the male den mates who had run to the glade re-emerged and joined their mates’ sides as though standing guard against invisible threats.
“Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it.” Sasha sighed, feeling exhausted. She made eye contact with as many den members as she could. “Once Garrick returns he wants to call a council meeting to decide Tabor’s fate for stopping the vulhena by using his natural-born powers. I say we open the meeting to everyone. It’s time the entire pack had a say.”
Kallie nodded vigorously.
Garrick’s temporary absence gave Sasha a head start speaking to pack members. Despite her fatigue, it was an opportunity she wasn’t going to let slip away.
Heidi planted her hands on her hips. “What does it matter how he stopped them? It would have been far worse if he had a way to save us but didn’t.”
All the female shifters, save for Francine, nodded their agreement.
“Our children are safe. That’s all that matters,” Dana said.
The men stirred in place, staying remarkably mute on the matter. Sasha supposed they didn’t want to oppose the elders, but they certainly didn’t wish to oppose their mates.
The screams of Francine’s baby pierced the air. Sasha winced and her eardrums rang.
Somehow Francine managed to screech louder than her infant. “This is mutiny,” she hollered, eyes blazing with rage. “How dare you go behind the council’s back?”
Flynn’s mate, Chloe, snorted. “That’s rich coming from you when your mate went sneaking around behind your back.”
“That matter already got discussed and approved by the council,” Francine snapped. “I stand by my mate and what he did for the good of the hollow.”
“And I stand by mine,” Sasha said, voice rising above Francine’s.
“He’s not your mate!” Francine yelled. “You were promised to Wolfrik and now that he’s back you have a duty to him and the pack.”
Every muscle in Sasha’s body ached. Every nerve pulsed with anger. Her temples throbbed.
Silence settled over the den. Even Francine’s babe had stopped crying, as though her mother had done enough hollering for the two of them combined.
Sasha’s fingers curled, one set of fingers crinkling the forgotten parchment in her hand, the other biting into her palms, straining to turn into claws.
Before she could lash out, Heidi broke the silence. “How dare you say such a thing? Tabor and Sasha agreed to claim each other. That’s their decision, not yours or anyone else’s. And need I remind you that the den is a democracy? With the exception of Trish, you’re our newest member, Francine. One might even say our lowest-ranking den member.”
Francine’s face screwed up into a nasty scowl, but before she could retort, Heidi thrust a hand out to silence her. “Sasha’s right. It’s time we had a say in pack matters. At the very least, we should nominate members of the den to represent the interests of our families.”
“I second that,” Melissa said, nodding along with the rest of the den mates.
Francine alone turned a blistering shade of red.
“Palmer cares about the den,” she said incredulously.
“Palmer cares more about his own interests,” Chloe said.
Although Chloe spoke the words, Francine glowered at Sasha. “Is this what you want?” she demanded. “To turn the pack against our three remaining elders?”
Sasha’s back straightened. “What I want is tolerance.”
“What would your parents think if they could see you now? Mating with a half-breed and turning on your elders and fellow council members. I’m sure they’d be real proud,” Francine said, nostrils flaring.
Before Sasha could snap back, Francine turned on her heel stating, “Trish needs me. She’s been unwell, and the earlier scare certainly didn’t help.”
As Sasha gnashed her teeth in frustration, Heidi placed delicate fingers on her shoulder, softly saying, “Peter and I stand by you.” And though Heidi’s mate had yet to return from the glade, Sasha believed her.
Sasha took in a breath and released it. “Thank you.”
“As do Flynn and I,” Chloe chimed in.
“And me,” Kallie spoke up, her voice pushing through the crowd when her body could not.
“Me, as well,” Melissa said.
One by one, the pack members of the den voiced their support.
Heidi placed her hand on Sasha’s shoulder and steered her toward her hut. “Why don’t you sit down a moment and have some tea?”
Sasha was grateful to get away from the crowd. The elders were good at making speeches, never her, but just now she felt like she’d done her best convincing fellow pack mates to extend their interests outside the den to the hollow as a whole.
“What a load of dog shit,” Heidi grumbled once they were out of earshot of the others. “Garrick’s not right in the head. He would have never made council if the other elders were still around. I sure hope Raider doesn’t turn out like him.”
“I’m not worried about Raider,” Sasha said, ducking down to enter Heidi’s hut behind her.
The quiet and coolness of the space was a welcome respite until little Amy launched herself at Heidi, who caught and steadied her as she fired off questions.
Heidi patted her head and answered her questions patiently.
“Where’s Tabor?” Amy demanded, staring outside.
Heidi glanced at Sasha and the weight of the paper felt like a boulder crushing her fingers. There must have been a pained expression on Sasha’s face because Heidi’s lips parted in silent dismay. She gave a stern look that was enough to shush Amy on the spot.
“Go pick some fresh chamomile by the garden,” Heidi said gently.
“Come on, Eric,” Amy said as she walked to the door.
Sasha hadn’t noticed him crouched against the far wall of the hut. He got to his feet gingerly, trailing after his big sister, but not before pausing in the open doorway.
“It’s okay, sweetie, it’s safe,” Heidi said.
“Take my hand,” Amy said, already grasping her brother’s fingers.
Tears prickled behind Sasha’s eyes as a sense of foreboding came over her.
“What is it?” Heidi asked.
“Can you read?” Sasha asked.
Heidi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes.”
“I found this in Tabor’s cabin.” Her grip tightened on the paper, not sure if she was ready to know what it said.
Heidi glanced down, waiting patiently for Sasha to hand it over.
Forehead creased, Heidi unfolded the paper and stared down, strands of raven hair falling over her cheeks.
Sasha held her breath.
Heidi shook her head. “This can’t be right.”
“What does it say?” Sasha’s words were barely audible. She’d had difficulty getting them out with her throat tightening.
Heidi kept staring at the paper then began reading aloud in slow disbelief. “Sasha, as much as I care for you, I don’t fit in here. I never have and never will. I have gone in search of my father. Do not try to find me. It will only make things harder on both of us. The pack needs you, as does Wolfrik. And I need to be with my own kind, wizards who will understand my powers better than anyone in Wolf Hollow ever will. Goodbye. Tabor.”
Sasha’s hand flew to her chest as her heart fractured into millions of pieces, splintering and shredding everything inside her into tiny fragments. It was Wolfrik all over again, but infinitely worse. This time her heart would not recover. She’d never love again.
If Heidi hadn’t been standing in front of her, Sasha might have crumpled to the ground and broken into sobs, but she wasn’t about to break apart in front of another shifter. She switched focus to the raging fire burning up the pit of her stomach.
How dare Tabor leave her in such a cowardly fashion—with a note she couldn’t even read? Was it not enough to abandon her after the pain she’d experienced with Wolfrik? He had to take it one step further and humiliate her with a letter she was forced to have someone else read.
With a snarl, Sasha tore the note from Heidi’s fingers and ripped it to flecks that fell to the ground like pieces of broken, brittle leaves.
Heidi’s eyes expanded and her mouth fell open. “He wouldn’t leave you,” she said in disbelief.
But he already had.
Choking on a sob, Sasha rushed for the door.
“He should have let the vulhena kill me.”