Chapter Seventeen
Jay’s paws slipped on the wet rock as he tried to pull himself out of the river, the cold water battering his body as the loud and angry sounds came from overhead. The forks of light snaked across the sky, spurring him on, and with one last effort he clambered up onto the bank and kept running, following the river bank. The river narrowed as he ran, ignoring the barks of Byron and Odin behind him. He had to get somewhere safe and there was only one place of safety here.
When he got closer, he could just about hear it. Underneath the howling wind and echoing thunder came the sound of water crashing against the rocks. He stayed close to the bank of the river until he could see the waterfall ahead of him as the river twisted right. He followed it around, braving the slippery rocks that led him right to where the water fell like a curtain from the cliff above. There was a jump but only a small one. One he’d made a thousand times from when he was just a little wolf with small legs.
Now, he made the jump with ease, barely noticing the sheet of water that hit him as he jumped through and slipped into the cave beyond. It was dark at first but as he made his way further back, dull light filtered through from the holes in the rock above them.
He knew this place. He’d be safe here, from the storm, from those that chased him. A whine behind him startled him. No. They couldn’t have followed him. Not the men with their nets…
It was Byron. Byron and Odin. The two wolves closed in and Jay crouched, stepping slowly backward. Another roll of thunder drew a whine from him and the other wolves stopped. As he watched them, ears listening for danger, Byron shifted, his fur giving way to skin, until his Alpha was crouched a few feet from him, dark eyes never leaving his.
“Jay. It’s okay. You’re safe. We need to talk. Can you change for me?”
Whining, he crawled closer to the wall, shutting his eyes as another bright flash lit the room.
“Hey.” Byron’s voice again, closer. “Shh, it’s all going to be okay. It’s just a storm, Jay. And I’m right here.”
Jay peeked his eyes open to see Byron kneeling next to him. He slowly stretched out a hand, pausing when Jay growled a warning. “It’s just me, Jay. You know I won’t hurt you, not ever.”
Byron had never hurt him. He’d taken care of him, given him a home, made sure he was never alone unless he wanted to be. And right then, he didn’t want to be alone.
His growl morphed into a low whine as he rested his head on wet paws. Byron’s hand reached out again, resting on his fur just behind his ears. His hand was warm against Jay’s wet, chilled fur and as Byron trailed it back and forth across his fur, Jay pushed closer.
“That’s it. It’s just me and you’re safe with me.”
Byron moved closer still, buffering Jay as another round of thunder and lightning hit. Jay closed his eyes, trying to block out the sights and sounds. He focused instead on Byron’s hands on him, on the steady beat of the Alpha’s heart. Its rhythmic sound was close and loud but a world away from the thunder that scared him. His energy flagged, drained by fear and his frantic dash through the forest to his safe place. He drifted to sleep with Byron’s hands stroking along his flank and back even as the storm raged on outside.
He woke curled on his side, Byron’s arms wrapped across his chest and stomach. Human again. He must have shifted during his sleep. The crackle of a fire surprised him and he turned in Byron’s arms to peer over the Alpha’s body. Odin sat by a small fire, warming his hands against the flame.
“Hey.”
Byron’s voice broke the stillness and his arms tightened, rolling Jay over him and towards the warmth of the fire.
“We need to warm you up.”
Byron sat up, keeping Jay close, Jay’s back against Byron’s chest.
“What happened?”
His memories were hazy, tainted by fear and panic.
“There was a thunderstorm,” Byron’s warm voice said in his ear. “I think you got scared, maybe remembered the other times there had been storms like that, and you ran. We followed you here.”
Jay nodded slowly. “I used to come here when there were hunters or other wolves. Or storms. I’d hide until it was safe.”
“Smart thinking,” Odin said. “You wouldn’t know this place was here until you were right on top of it. The water hides your scent trail, masks the noise. As hiding places go, it’s a good one.”
Praise from Odin meant a lot to him but all he could manage was a weak smile.
“There’s some stuff here you might want to take a look at,” Odin added. “I had time to look around after I got the fire going.”
Jay tried to get up but Byron stopped him.
“Wait another few minutes. You’re still cold.”
“Jay, do you remember when you came here first? How you found this place?”
Jay lay back, letting his head rest against Byron’s shoulder as he considered Odin’s question. His gaze caught on the beam of light coming from the ceiling and it came back to him.
“I fell.”
He met Odin’s curious eyes.
“I fell down from above.” He lifted his hand, his arm feeling heavy as he pointed to the ceiling. “I… I was a boy then, not a wolf. It hurt and everything went dark and when I woke I was in here. It was warm and safe.”
He was warm and safe now, in his Alpha’s arms.
A few minutes later, Byron helped him up, and they explored the cave. Odin pointed them towards a corner and Jay stepped closer, Byron on his heels. He crouched, reaching out a hand to pull something from under a shelf of rock. It was a bag, a child’s bag, covered in dirt and dust. Pulling it free, he held it out for Byron to see.
The Alpha nodded encouragingly. “See what’s inside.”
“Probably bugs,” Jay muttered, but he tipped it upside down, surprised when a few items slid to the floor. Two pencils worn right down, a soft book, and another with a hard plastic cover. The items were oddly familiar, and he reached for the pencils first, feeling how easily they seemed to fit between his fingers. He let them fall and reached for the soft book, flicking open the pages. A coloring book. A memory returned, of sitting under the beam of light that came from the ceiling and scribbling back and forth with the pencil. His books. His colors. He reached for the second book last but set it down almost as quickly. It was just a book, words, and pictures.
“May I?” Byron asked. Jay nodded, watching as the Alpha took the second book into his hands, examining it briefly.
“Odin?” the Alpha called, then handed the book back over his shoulder to the other Alpha. Byron reached for the coloring book next, leafing carefully through the pages. As he did, Jay wormed his way out of the corner and began to explore the rest of the cave. Here and there were things he’d recognized. There were marks he’d made himself, using the sharp edges of rocks. What had he been doing? Counting the days or just trying to put a piece of himself on the wall. In one corner was a small collection of different colored stones. It took less time to remember those, the memories coming faster now. He’d collected them from the river, washing them clean in the cool water and slipping them into his pocket, one by one. At some point, he’d lost interest. Not just in the rocks, but in all of this. The pencils, the books. In being a boy. In having a family.
Byron made a strange, choked off sound and Jay made his way over, looking around for any sign of danger to his Alpha.
When he knelt next to him, Byron turned.
“Do you remember drawing this?”
He held out the coloring book, opened to the center pages. On this occasion, Jay had ignored the pre-drawn picture of trees and drawn something else. A little row of people with words scrawled above their heads. He looked to Byron for guidance, alarmed to see his Alpha’s hand shake as his finger pointed to each figure and named them.
“Jenny. Mom. Dad. Kyle.” He paused for a moment before pointing to the last figure, the only word the Omega recognized. Jay spoke before Byron could. “Jay.”
“This is your family,” Byron said, tracing his finger along the page beneath the row of strangers. Jay didn’t remember drawing this. He didn’t know who they were.
“You’re my family. You and Odin.”
“That’s right, we are. But, long ago, before the forest, you had another family. And these are them.”
This, Jay realized, was what they were looking for. A clue. Something to lead them back to where Jay came from.
“But how will we find them?” he asked. A childish drawing wasn’t much to go on.
“I think this might be of help,” Odin said, holding up the second book.
“How’s that?” Byron asked. “It’s just a kid’s book.”
“It is. But it’s also a library book.”
He held the book open to the first page, where another piece of paper had been taped inside, a stamp decorating it.
“Downton Library, Mongrave. Doesn’t given an exact address but it can’t be that hard to find. Mongrave isn’t that far from here. Half a day’s drive, maybe? And on the outskirts of a Pack.”
Byron turned back to him, his face a mix of emotions.
“We could go there. But only if you think you can keep going. This is… this is a lot for you.”
“Will it help find Noah?” That was why they were there. So another little boy didn’t lose his family, like Jay had.
The men exchanged a glance. “It might,” Byron answered. “We’re certainly a lot closer to learning more about where you came from than we were this morning.”
Jay glanced down at the book, still held open in Byron’s hands, and the strange picture.
“I want to keep going.”