Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Cedara

Ieye the large settlement warily as we crest the hill. It's an imposing sight – the towering boundary wall surrounding what looks like an old industrial complex, with the hulking steel mill at its center. The structure is immense, all sharp angles and rust-stained metal.

"That's Steel Lakes," Barrett says from beside me. "It used to be a steel town before the recession hit. The mill closed down, and the humans left. That's when our pack moved in and took it over."

My brow furrows as I take in the harsh, unwelcoming facade. "They live in that?"

Barrett nods. "The mill houses our security forces – it's been converted into barracks and offices. The town itself is where the families live. Don't worry; it's a lot more welcoming than this, I promise." He smiles.

I can't quite picture this bleak, industrial landscape as anyone's home, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers when you're a pack of wolves. Now, I'm struck by how different it is from our home at Wildview, which was a quiet haven that embraced nature.

I push the memory away, not liking how it makes me feel.

That life is gone now.

As we approach the looming front gate, a young man leans over one of the parapets overhead to greet us. He's broad-shouldered with a mop of unruly brown curls, looking barely out of his teens. His eyes narrow as he takes us in.

"State your business," he calls out.

Barrett shakes his head. "Get your head outta your ass, Cody. It's me – Barrett Chord. I'm back from my scouting mission."

The young man – Cody – relaxes slightly, but his gaze darts to me with open suspicion. "Who's the girl?"

"This is Cedara," Barrett says simply. "She'll be staying with us for a while."

Cody eyes me up and down, an unimpressed look on his face. "You know the rules about outsiders, Barrett. I'm gonna need the Alpha's approval before I can let some rando in."

His tone is almost petulant, like a child throwing a tantrum. I bristle at his condescending attitude, but Barrett just shakes his head with a resigned sigh.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, kid. He knows I'm coming in with her. Just radio in and let him know I'm here."

There's a pause during which I can hear a voice on the other side. The kid must be doing as Barrett said. A moment later, metal clanks and chain rattles. The huge gate begins to roll up. I hesitate before taking a step forward, but Barrett has my hand again, striding ahead, completely at ease. This is his world, after all. But I take comfort from the warmth of his hand. It's so odd that this small gesture feels so natural to me. I was never very demonstrative in my…old life. Now, I find that I like it when he touches me.

I follow Barrett through the huge gates of Steel Lakes, my senses assaulted by the harsh industrial landscape surrounding us. The scent of grease and metal hangs thick in the air, mingling with the musk of a lot more wolves than I've ever encountered in one place. It's a far cry from the crisp forest smells I'm used to.

As we make our way deeper into the compound, I can't help but gawk at our surroundings. What had once been a sprawling steel mill has been converted into a makeshift encampment. Rusted walkways now form narrow streets between blocky buildings clad in weathered sheet metal. Pipes and chains dangle overhead like vines in some bizarre, urban jungle.

Despite the industrial trappings, there's a sense of orderliness to it all – everything kept neat and tidy in that distinctly military way. Groups of burly men in tactical gear patrol the alleys, their eyes scanning us as we pass. I can't help shrinking a little closer to Barrett.

"Relax," he murmurs under his breath. "You're safe here."

Yeah, right.

I'm not so sure about that, but I nod anyway, forcing myself to keep my chin up. We haven't gone far when a woman with fiery hair pulled back in a ponytail stalks up, her expression one of tightly leashed irritation. A tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man follows close behind, his face an inscrutable mask.

"Barrett Chord!" the woman snaps. "Where the hell have you been? We've been trying to reach you for days!"

"I'm sorry." Barrett looks uncomfortable. "There's a lot to talk about. I shouldn't have done what I did."

"You don't say," the woman scoffs. Her gaze cuts to me, eyes narrowing to slits. "And who's this?"

"Casey, Edirn," Barrett says by way of greeting, seemingly unruffled by her hostility. "This is Cedara. She'll be staying with us for a while."

The man – Edirn – arches one dark brow but says nothing. Casey, on the other hand, lets out a derisive snort.

"Oh, I'm sure Jagger will love that," she retorts. "You know how he feels about outsiders."

A lead weight settles in my gut at her words. Will I be turned away? The thought of being left alone again makes me want to be sick. My fingers tighten almost convulsively on Barrett's arm, seeking reassurance.

He doesn't pull away. If anything, he moves closer, his solid presence anchoring me.

"Actually, you're the one with the problem with outsiders, Stone; did you forget?" he says evenly, his eyes shifting to Edirn behind her – I pick up on something unspoken, and my curiosity is piqued, but not enough to find my voice to ask why. The woman looks sheepish for a moment before her face hardens again. I get the impression that's her norm…like resting bitch-face or something. Barrett goes on, "Jagger asked me to bring her back."

"Yeah, well, don't expect a warm reception. He's pissed, Chord. He'll want a full report on what went down at the sanctuary. We all do."

"And I plan to give it to him." For the first time, Barrett doesn't sound quite so confident.

"Where the hell did you go, Barrett?" the man, Edirn, speaks up.

"Something came up." He looks distinctly awkward. I notice him tugging at the collar of his shirt. I happen to know that there's an unhealed bite beneath the fabric.

Shit.

Was that why he didn't go back to them? Was it when I'd attacked him?

I feel myself tense as I wait for him to tell them. He doesn't.

"Something more important than the rest of us, Chord?" Casey presses.

"Look, something came up, okay?" Barrett repeats, running a hand behind his neck, not looking at me. "It was important."

Casey's expression sours further, if possible. "You're telling me you took off to go play lone wolf while we were getting our asses kicked trying to shut that place down?"

My eyes flick uncertainly to Edirn, then back to her, and finally to Barrett. He goes from being mildly shame-faced to something more determined. "Like I said, it was important. Anyhow, you got out fine from the looks of it. What happened out there?"

Casey glances at Edirn, who remains as silent as before. "Well, for a start, my mate got locked up in that hellhole – thanks to you!"

"It had nothing to do with him, Case." Edirn sets a hand on her arm, then looks at Barrett. "I went in looking for her. I caught Casey's scent and thought that they had her. Turns out it was a trap." His lips twist wryly. "I walked right into it."

"But you wouldn't have if—" Casey blurts, but Edirn stops her.

"I would have gone in no matter what Barrett had said, my love." His fingers tighten on her arm. "Nothing would have stopped me. Just as nothing could have stopped you from coming in after me."

She huffs out a breath but appears to give up the fight. "You're right." She shrugs at Barrett. "I guess it all went down so fast that you wouldn't have made it in anyhow."

"What exactly happened?" Barrett frowns. We've started walking again, making our way through a maze of alleys that I'm certain I'll never remember.

"After they snared me, they jacked me full of some sort of drug that trapped me in my wolf form," Edirn explains, snagging my attention. "I couldn't turn back. And by the time Casey got there, I didn't recognize her. I'd turned feral. The same thing had happened to the rest of the wolves they were holding there."

"But it worked out in our favor, I guess," Casey acknowledges. "When those fuckers came in after us, they got what they had coming." She gives a smile that's more than a little scary. "They were no match for a pack of shifters."

"You're saying that they were stuck in their wolf form?" Barrett asks. We turn a corner, passing what looks like a large courtyard.

"Yep. Had no control over it," Edirn confirms.

Barrett and I exchange glances. "That's interesting," he says. "How did you change back?"

"I couldn't. Not until the doc gave me some sort of antidote." Edirn looks at Casey and winks. "Someone had the presence of mind to grab a case full of meds from the lab they had us in. Turned out the antidote we needed was in there."

"And what about the others?" I join in – I can't help myself. "Did they change back, too? Is everyone alright?"

"Right as rain," Casey says; she doesn't look quite as unfriendly anymore. "Doc gave everyone a shot, and they were back to normal within hours. No more incidents."

"Where are they now?" I look around as if, at any moment, my family might pop out of the shadows.

Casey looks at me. "They're bunking at Sierra and Savannah's places while—"

"Sierra and Savannah are here?" I blurt. I'm barely aware of the buildings we're passing through now; my attention is fixed on the woman.

"Yes." She nods at me. "Sierra has mated with our Alpha, and they're expecting pups soon. Savannah's mate is Gage. You'll meet him soon enough."

"Pups? Mated?" My mouth is hanging open. How could so much have happened in such a short space of time? Then again, I have little concept of how much time has passed. It's all such a blur. "How long have they been here?"

"Hmm…" Casey's brow furrows slightly. "I've lost track. Months, I suppose. Long enough for Savannah's pups to arrive."

"Savannah has pups!?" My voice is strident. I'm having a really hard time taking this in. "Oh, God. Months…" Tears spring to my eyes, and I blink them back.

Months have passed.

I've lost so much time.

And I didn't even realize it. Sure, the first days and even weeks had been clear in my mind. But after that…

I became an animal. Just snatches of awareness in the brief moments when my human side had surfaced.

"It's okay," Barrett murmurs beside me. "It's all over now."

I manage a nod as I press against him, willing this nightmare to be over.

"We're here." He's speaking again, and I realize we've reached a doorway into a small, compact building. Casey knocks once, then pushes it open without formality. Edirn waits outside as the rest of us file in.

"They're here," she announces. Across the room, behind a wide desk, a man rises from his seat. I try not to shrink back as he moves toward us. His alpha presence is unmistakable. To be honest, I've gotten similar vibes from many of them, which is odd to me. Back home, we only had one Alpha. Plus, our males were gentler. These people are all hard edges and tough features. Battle-hardened, I'm guessing. But this looming man is a little more terrifying than all of them. Broad and tall, his eyes seem to glow somehow.

"Thank you, Casey. You can wait outside," he tells her. "I'll call you when I need you."

"You're kidding, right?" The female sticks her jaw out. "You can't just—"

"Out!" he snaps, and she backs away, muttering under her breath. She must have some sort of position of power to be able to speak to her Alpha that way.

He turns to me. "I am Jagger Law, Alpha of Steel Lakes. You must be Cedara."

"Yes." I gulp.

"Good." He looks satisfied. "We've been waiting for you."