Chapter 2
Brighton
Brighton looked at the storm clouds coming with disdain. While heavy rain wasn't that uncommon for this time of year, he wished it could have waited until they at least made it to Foxhold. He didn't appreciate the thought of having to take shelter in some cave like a wild wolf.
Ahead of him, Aidan and Gavi bickered. It was playful, but Brighton could detect the anxiousness in his friends. This was new for all of them and it was terrifying. He knew that they called themselves a pack now, but a pack of four was so tiny and felt so fragile to him. Already, he found himself missing home.
Not that he wanted to turn around that badly. For one, they'd never make it back before the rain hit. Secondly, while they had their family back there waiting for them, that was all. No mates. No children. And no hope of either unless four more omegas wandered in from out of nowhere. And the chances of that happening were pretty much non-existent.
He wondered how Hugo was doing and if Cory had made his move yet. Those two had been getting pretty close last time he saw them. And he saw the way Cory kept glancing at the icy little omega. Brighton would put half of what he owned (which admittedly wasn't much. Wolves had little use for material possessions) on that the two would be mated within the month.
The thought almost made him chuckle. They had all tried their hand at Hugo more than once and the omega hadn't budged an inch. Then this alpha wanders in from the cold and suddenly Hugo does a one-eighty. Brighton knew that Ivan and Gavi were just slightly bitter about it, not that they'd ever say anything. Brighton knew that they were all happy for their friend. He personally couldn't really care. If Cory could handle Hugo's...personality, then good on him.
"Hey! Brighton, come check this out!" Ivan called.
Pulled out of his thoughts, Brighton looked around. The forest was unfamiliar now, and the small trail they'd been following for the last hour still hadn't led to the main road. The sound of a river was getting louder and he wondered why he didn't notice it earlier. He rubbed his eyes. If Aidan's "shortcut" didn't get them back on track soon, he was going to kill him. "What's up?"
"I ran ahead a bit and I found something. Take a look."
Brighton picked up his pace, hurrying alongside Gavi and Aidan. The river was close now. Ahead of them, the trail curved around a small hill. The river must have been on the other side. They rounded the bend and Ivan came into view.
He stood in front of a rather rickety looking old bridge. Behind him wasn't just a large river with a strong-looking current. It was also nestled in a small valley below them. Brighton followed the water and saw a large waterfall ahead.
Well, at least Brighton had some idea of where they were now. If they followed the river downstream, at some point they'd find the old but stable stone bridge. After that, Foxhold was only another hour away.
"Think we can get across this thing?" Gavi asked.
Brighton shook his head. "I don't think the stone bridge is far away. This thing doesn't look like it would support a rabbit."
Aidan looked the bridge over and Brighton had to suppress a groan. "I think it'll be fine. If we shift first, we should be able to make it across one by one."
Shaking his head, Brighton looked sternly at his friend. "Absolutely not. We know there's another bridge. One that won't drown us."
But he knew that look in his friend's eyes. Aidan had already decided that they could make it across and he wouldn't walk away without testing that theory. "Aidan..." he warned.
"I'll turn back if it gets risky," Aidan said. His backpack was already on the ground and he was pulling his clothes off. "Toss my bag to me when I reach the other side, alright?"
Gavi nodded, as if Aidan wasn't being a complete idiot. Ivan just watched with an amused look. Brighton groaned. "You guys can't be serious?"
"What's the harm in trying?" Gavi shrugged.
"He could drown, for starters," Brighton snapped. "You know he's not a good swimmer."
Aidan wasn't. Honestly if they really wanted to test the bridge, it should have been Brighton or Gavi. Ivan wasn't bad but he hated water. They were the only two out of all of them that could actually be called good swimmers.
Aidan barked happily, shaking his dark fur. It was kind of funny. His fur was shaggier than the others and it made him look almost chubby, even though he was the lightest out of all of them. Maybe he could pull this off.
"Be careful," Brighton said.
The wolf nodded. He pressed one paw onto the first creaky looking board before carefully stepping onto the bridge. So far so good. He stepped further away from safety. The bridge creaked slightly but held firm. Encouraged, he began to trek across. The bridge actually didn't look too bad. He might actually-
Brighton's eyes widened. At the far end of the bridge, barely noticeable, was small tear in the rope. But now that Brighton was focused on it, he could see the tear growing. "Aidan!" he shouted. "Get back here right now!"
Now that was a monumental mistake. Aidan was already halfway across. If he had kept going, he might have made it. But instead, he turned to look at Brighton in confusion, and that was all it took. It was like Brighton was watching it in slow motion. There was a tiny but audible snapping sound, then they all watched in horror as the bridge fell apart. There was a moment of panic in Aidan's eyes before the wolf disappeared.
Brighton didn't even think. His pack fell to the ground. There was the sound of tearing as he shifted and his clothes were reduced to rags. He barely heard Ivan calling for him to wait through the thundering in his ears. He lunged forward and leapt over the edge.
The water was cold. Colder than he thought it would be. For a moment, he couldn't even tell which way was up. He clawed and writhed until he somehow managed to break the surface. Taking a deep breath, he scanned the surface for any signs of Aidan. He caught a glimpse of dark fur before his friend was pulled under again.
Diving down, Brighton forced his eyes open through the frigid turmoil. He finally managed to spot Aidan just ahead. And even further ahead, but rapidly approaching, was the waterfall. He pushed against a rock, swimming with all his might until he reached the younger wolf. As soon as Aidan was within his reach, he pushed forward and managed to catch the scruff of Aidan's neck between his teeth.
The fall was almost there and Brighton knew they were going over. There was no way he'd be able to pull them both to shore in time. He closed his eyes, held on tight, and braced himself.
There was the feeling of his stomach lurching and the sickening sensation of all the blood rushing to his head. He twisted around so that Aidan was above him.
He pushed toward the surface as hard as he could. Large rocks lined the bottom and every time he was thrown into one he lost a little more air. A burst of pain suddenly shot up his left leg.
Aidan was above the water now at least. Somewhere through the water and blood pounding in his ears, he could just make out the other wolf's gasping. All he could do was hold on as hard as he could, even as black spots started to grow and his lungs ached and ached...
"He's breathing! Guys, he's breathing!"
"Thank god."
"Brighton! Can you hear me?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."
His eyelids felt heavy and his head was full of cotton. He was exhausted and wanted to surrender to the darkness, but his brothers' voices called for him, and what kind of person would he be if he didn't answer? He could make out Aidan's voice out of all of them, subdued and laced with guilt.
He finally managed to break the surface, flinching back at the harsh light. A hand cupped over his eyes and he was finally able to see them all, hovering over him with looks of stress and worry. The cotton feeling was receding, only to be replaced with a growing pain behind his eye. His whole body felt achy and his foot was killing him.
"'M here," he murmured. His throat felt swollen and his lungs hurt in a way he hadn't felt since he was ten and had come down with bronchitis.
Ivan's face broke out into a grin. Gavi just looked tired but relieved. Aidan, however, couldn't quite meet his eyes and his smile just made him look like he was in pain.
"Aidan, you alright?" he rasped.
The alpha let out a hollow laugh. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me right now."
"We need to find shelter," Ivan said. "Look at his ankle."
"What's wrong with my ankle?"
"It's just a sprain," Gavi said reassuringly. "Guys, I'm going to go take a look around."
Sounded good. Brighton's eyes slid closed. He'd just relax for a little bit and they could tell him when they found something. He would just take a quick nap. Just for a few minutes...
His stomach revolted dangerously. For a minute, he wondered why he wasn't in his bed. Why did his body ache so badly? Was the pack okay? Did the village get attacked?
He was staring at the ground. Grass and dirt and moss and rocks. And it wouldn't hold still. His stomach rolled back and forth and his body hurt. Everything hurt. Something warm was pressed up against him. There was a familiar scent filling him. Brother, friend, pack mate.
Finally, after blinking and fading in and out so quickly that it left him disoriented, he managed to figure out where he was. He was draped over Aidan's back. They were still lost in the forest.
"We're almost there," Gavi said. "Aidan, you still got him?"
"I'm fine," Aidan replied.
"Just around this hill here. I almost couldn't believe it."
Curious, Brighton attempted to lift his head. Pain bloomed and he let it drop again with a soft growl. Aidan swallowed. "Guys, we really need to get him horizontal, like right now."
"Here," Gavi said. "Take a look."
"Well shit. That's convenient," Ivan remarked. "What did the owner say?"
"I didn't actually ask," Gavi admitted. "I just saw it and came running back. Look, though. Whoever lives here has a barn. Maybe he'll let us sleep there."
"Seriously?" Aidan growled. "You couldn't have asked before we walked all the way here?"
Gavi just growled. Even in Brighton's dazed state, he could picture the large shifter's grumpy expression. His arms were probably folded tightly across his chest. Gavi wasn't exactly good with dealing with new people. And he was even worse when it came to asking for help.
Ivan sighed. "Well, worth a shot I guess. If he says no, though, I'm kicking your ass."
Brighton huffed and, bracing himself for the pain, managed to lift his head up and force his eyes open. He gritted his teeth through the feeling of a nail going through his skull. His vision whited out for a second, but finally cleared long enough to see what they were talking about.
They were standing in front of a small stone cottage. Smoke rose from a chimney and, out of the corner of his eye, Brighton could see a decent sized garden. Brighton could just make out a small face peeking out from one of the windows. He dropped his head again, fighting through the pain.
When Gavi knocked on the door, he flinched at the noise. He decided this was worse than the bronchitis. At least when he was coughing so hard he could bruise a rib, he didn't have what felt like the worst hangover in history to go along with it.
The door opened with a creak, and Brighton managed to catch a glimpse of reddish brown hair, a smooth, sun kissed face, and bright eyes the color of milk chocolate. The unmistakable look of an omega.
Their eyes met for a second and Brighton managed a weak smile before everything turned upside down and darkness pulled him under.