Destiny of the Wolf

Chapter One-3

IT WAS STILL DARK OUTSIDE when my alarm started blaring, far louder than I expected it to be.

With a groan, I gave it a couple of smacks to turn it off. I rolled over, every muscle in my body tensed, and listened with bated breath for the sound of a baby crying. Had my alarm woken Mae?

There was nothing but silence from the rest of the house. I let out a long sigh of relief and allowed myself to relax into my pillows.

Tammy would never forgive me if I woke Mae up with my stupid alarm.

On the chair beneath the window, the bag I’d packed yesterday lay in wait. I glowered at it, but it didn’t burst into flames. It remained exactly where it was, mocking me. Ready to leave.

With a heavy sigh, I knew I couldn’t delay any longer. I clambered out of bed and threw on my clothes. I was meeting Reid outside in half an hour. I had just enough time to eat some toast and brush my teeth before he’d be here.

There was no point waking Jason and Tammy. I’d said my goodbyes to them yesterday, and with Mae well and truly making her beautiful presence felt, like all babies do, the sleep-deprived parents needed as much rest as they could get.

Tammy had hugged me tearfully and asked when we were coming back. She didn’t need a shifter’s advanced senses to pick up on the tense atmosphere. Jason had not said anything, but his body language when he moved in for a hug and the way he’d squeezed me so hard my feet lifted off the floor, told me how worried he was about me going on this mission for Allara. Jason was more than a big brother to me. Since Mom and Dad had died, we were all the family we had left.

Once I had my bag on my shoulder, I glanced out the window and into the dark street. I could see Reid heading toward our house in the dim light cast by the street lamps. Tension was written across the broad line of his shoulders.

I didn’t blame him. My own shoulders were tight with apprehension. I knew this mission wasn’t his first choice, either. He’d much rather be with Allara and his unborn child right now. Like any expectant dad, he wanted to be around just in case Allara went in labor earlier than expected.

Sometimes pack duty has to come first.

I tip-toed down the stairs and shut the front door behind me as quietly as I could. Reid nodded as I came down the front steps of the house and gestured for me to follow him.

“Morning Kara. C’mon.” He hitched up his own bag on his shoulder as I fell into step beside him. “Truck’s all packed and ready to go.”

I stowed my bag in the bed of his truck and climbed into the passenger seat, trying not to feel awkward. It wasn’t often that Reid and I were in each other’s presence without Allara. I was hoping we’d find things to talk about along the way, and not spend the whole trip in quiet discomfort.

If he sensed any of my awkward feelings, he didn’t show it. He looked a million miles away as he turned the key in the ignition and we headed down the road that led out of the village. There were dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in a month.

He glanced at me properly once we were on the main road. “All good?”

I nodded. “Sure.” I must have sounded unconvincing, because he grinned briefly.

“We’ll be back before you know it, Kara. All will be well.”

Judging from his expression, I could tell he wanted to believe that just as much as I did. This trip was the last thing either of us wanted to be doing right now. But orders were orders, whether you were the Alpha’s friend, or their mate.

The trees rushed past as we drove. The sun began to rise, and golden light dappled the hood of the car. I tilted my head up, looking through the sunroof at the crows circling high overhead.

“What are they like?” I eventually asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Who? The crows?” He followed my gaze upward, then concentrated back on the road again.

I rolled my eyes and looked directly at him. “No. The Thornwood Clan, of course.”

Reid drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “Oh, ya know.”

“No, I don’t.” I frowned out at the road ahead. “It’s a genuine question, Reid. I’ve never even been to the other side of the creek.”

Reid’s brows shot up. “I didn’t realize.”

I could see he was turning my question over in his mind, trying to find the right words. “They’re... secretive,” he said eventually. “They keep to themselves, you know? The same as any shifter pack.”

Huh. That wasn’t much to go on.

We fell into silence for a few more miles until eventually, Reid spoke up again.

“You know Naomi, right? She’s one of the Thornwood Clan. Or she used to be, anyway.” He shrugged. “Who knows where she’s at, these days.”

I wrinkled my nose. Of course, I knew Naomi, and I have to admit, I really did not like her. My brother’s on-again, off-again ex. In the old days, she’d stick around just long enough to mark her territory and get Jason hooked on her before prancing off again. She reminded me of a poisonous flower: lovely to look at, but you didn’t want to get too close.

When Tammy had entered the picture, I wasn’t the only one in our clan to breathe a sigh of relief. Naomi had scampered away once she realized Jason wasn’t coming back to her. I didn’t know where she was, now, and frankly, I didn’t care, as long as she stayed away from my little family.

Reid caught my scowl and broke into laughter. “Aw, c’mon! You can’t judge a whole clan by one wolf, Kara.”

I made a noncommittal noise and crossed my arms. “Fine. What about the others? The old Alpha had a son, right? A son who has mysteriously run off somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah.” Reid shifted in his seat. “He had two of ’em, actually. I’ve only met the younger one, though. Kit Thornwood.”

“What’s he like?” I pressed.

“He’s cool.”

Ugh. I would get so much more out of Allara.

The clan was secretive, and the younger son of the old Alpha was cool. I couldn’t tell if Reid was holding back on me for some reason, or if he genuinely didn’t have any other information to share.

I might not have traveled far in my life, but I was still a shifter, and my shifter senses were on high alert. The farther we drove from the village, the edgier I became. The wolf in me was wary as all hell. Every bump in the road made me flinch in my seat.

If I’m heading into an unknown, I’d rather go in with my eyes open.

But I didn’t bother trying to pry any further. For whatever reason, Reid clearly had no more information to provide. I would just have to wait and find out for myself when I arrived.