Chapter Eight

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of gunshots had her sitting straight up in bed.

“I’ll get it,” King murmured, pushing off the bed behind her.

Her heart was in her throat, and she had to remind herself to breathe as she realized it wasn’t gunfire, but someone banging on their hotel room door.

He murmured something low to someone, grabbed a paper bag from their hands, and then told them, “We’ll meet you there.”

The door clicked closed and King returned to the bed, locked his arms on either side of her, and kissed her lips, settling down the last of the fight or flight instincts inside of her. “Wreck’s calling a meeting.”

“Where?”

“Moody Lantern.”

“What’s in the bag?”

“Wreck said Timber got everyone an extra pair of clothes.”

“Yes,” Katrina said, pumping her fist.

She leaned up and kissed King, and he leaned into it for a few seconds before he pushed off the bed. He was still shirtless, and his pants hung low on his hips. Three of the candles had gone out, and as he turned on the lights, she blew out the others. That man was fine, and she really liked how comfortable he was with kissing her.

He looked around the room blearily. “I don’t even know what is happening to my body right now.”

“Headache?”

“No, that’s much better. I feel drunk right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed. Your massage was something else.”

“I have magic fingers,” she said, wiggling them in the air.

He gave a wicked chuckle. “Me too. You’ll find that out later.”

The smile fell from her face. Okay, this was the part she was supposed to dirty-talk back, but she was still a little insecure from her earlier attempt and fail. “I…like your wiener. It’s big.”

He laughed hard, and she felt silly.

“It’s like an elephant trunk.”

King laughed harder.

“Are you turned on yet? Do you find that sexy?” Katrina scrunched up her face. “I think I’m not very good at the dirty-talk.”

“Oh trust me, you’re doing just fine.” He pulled folded clothes with the tags still on them from the bag, still chuckling to himself, and she loved his laugh. It was deep, and easy, and genuine, and the sound filled her soul.

Another knock sounded at the door.

King was busy popping tags off of the new clothes, so Katrina offered, “I’ll get it!”

She pulled the door open to a familiar face. Timber, Wreck’s mate, was standing there clad in leggings and a big, fur-lined jacket, with a thick beanie on her head. She was shouldering a backpack and had a clipboard in her hand. “Good evening, campers!” she said in a chipper tone.

Katrina couldn’t help her smile. Sure, they’d been enemies at one time, but that was kind of funny.

“Did you get the extra clothes?” Timber asked.

“Yes, thank you so much for getting those. I can pay you back as soon as I get access to my bank accounts. If my assets aren’t frozen, I have savings.”

“Girl, don’t worry about it. Damon Daye insisted on bankrolling this adventure, and plus, I’m finding a lot of great sales. Hey, Owen brought the clothes to you, but forgot to tell everyone what to pack.”

“Pack for what?”

“A trip. That’s all I can say about it. You need to bring your bag of toiletries and all the clothes we’ve given you. If you want snacks, you need to rush to the store and grab them quick. We’re leaving in twenty. Meetup is at the Moody Lantern.”

“Okay. We’ll rush.”

Timber nodded and headed for the next door.

“Hey Timber?” she asked, sidling out of the doorway. “I haven’t really talked to you or officially met you. I mean, outside of the war. I only saw you there.” She cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Thank you for getting me out of Cold Foot.”

Timber’s smile had stiffened at the mention of the war, but she came back and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Officially. Pack fast.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she murmured as Timber bustled to the next room and knocked on the door.

King had apparently heard the conversation, because he was already putting their things in their toiletry bags in the bathroom, and had her warm layers laying out on the foot of the bed for her.

“Snacks?” she asked.

“We definitely need snacks,” he said, pulling his shirt on quick.

She laughed as they shrugged into their jackets and pulled their beanies on. She wore the new white thermal and beige fitted wool sweater. She pulled on her socks, shoved her feet into her snow boots, and followed King out of the room without even bothering to tie them. In one hand, he was carrying a bag of waters and the very little food they had left over, and in the other, their paper bag of clothes. He’d shoved the water tumbler she’d bought him in there too, after chugging it empty.

Others were filing out of their rooms, in a rush too. They met Raynah in the hall, and she waved. She was carrying her bag of belongings too, and had her beanie sticking out of her back jeans pocket. Katrina yanked it out and pulled it over Raynah’s head as they walked. Every one of the Cold Foot shifters veered right for the store across the icy street. Two of them introduced themselves to her and King. A few she recognized from the bar, but they hadn’t talked to her. They’d kind of stuck to their own little clique.

There was an air of excitement that was contagious.

“Holy shit, what are those?” one of them asked, pointing toward the Moody Lantern.

Two enormous machines with tank tracks as wheels were parked in front of the bar. One was yellow, and one was blue. They were two-piece, square-bodied machines that looked made to survive a snow-apocalypse. The front cab of each had a hitch, and was hauling the second cab. It was probably easier to move big machines in the snow that way.

She glanced up at King, and he was wearing a smile. “They’re taking us out into the woods.”

A wave of nervous anticipation washed up her spine. Okay, King would need more food than her, and she didn’t know how long they would be in the woods. Her lioness could hunt and keep her fed, but gorillas were more acclimated to warmer climates, and probably didn’t eat the same diet as her lioness. In the store, they pooled their money and filled the snack bag with protein-rich options, then bustled out to join the meeting that was happening right in front of one of the machines.

Wreck was leaned against one of them, and gestured to a couple of men off to the side. “These will be our guides. They’re human, so mind your manners. That will be a test. Now if you look around, you can see some of you are missing.”

Katrina looked around to find Timber and Raynah standing near her, but the males did look fewer in number. A quick headcount said they were missing four. The two guys from the gas station she’d popped off at yesterday were gone, and two more.

“We’re trimming the fat,” Wreck told them. “We will only be taking five back to Montana to join the Crew, and the rest of you will have to make your way into the world.”

One of the males raised his hand. She thought she remembered his name being Cash. “If we don’t make the cut, will you be taking us back to Cold Foot Prison?”

Wreck crossed his arms over his chest and tossed a glance at his mate, then back to Cash. “We took a vote. Damon voted as well. Those of you who were chosen, we believe are salvageable, and that your punishment was too harsh. You’ve paid your dues, you’ve done enough time. Damon will help you secure the necessary items to travel, and will get you where you need to be, and then you will figure your lives out from there. On your own.”

“Will the Fastlanders be going on this trip with us?” Katrina asked, looking around for Silver.

Wreck canted his head and told her, “The Fastlanders have gone as far as they can with this process. Their influence was appreciated, but from here on, the decisions for this Crew are up to myself, Timber, and Damon. Silver said to tell you goodbye. She knocked on your door to say it herself, but no one answered. Any more questions?”

“Where are we going?” Reed asked from the other side of King.

Wreck gave a slow smile. “The wilderness. We’ll see how you get along when the creature comforts are taken away. Quick announcement. One of you has earned a spot already. Katrina, welcome to the Crew.”

Her cheeks heated with pleasure as the others clapped for her, but beside her, King had gone still.

She swung her gaze up to him, but his expression was unreadable. “Why didn’t you tell me?” King asked.

“I…well it happened earlier before I Changed, and then Silver asked me not to talk about it—”

“Ladies,” Wreck called out, “you’re in the blue one,” he said, gesturing to the second vehicle. “The rest of you are with me in the yellow one. Load up!” He climbed up onto the tracks and into the side door of the square-bodied rig.

The others dispersed, but King looked troubled.

“Are you not happy for me?” she asked, confused.

“No, no. I’m really happy for you, it’s just…” He frowned. “I don’t know.”

“Look, I know it’s a big move, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I saw Damon’s Mountains come together for that war. The lions and the boars were all bullied and manipulated into attacking Damon’s Mountains, but I saw them, King. They were there just to protect the people they cared about. And I was thinking that’s maybe something I would like to try. Especially after talking to Silver. She’s happy. She feels safe and secure.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, hoping he would understand. “Happy sounds nice. We could be happy there. We could be a part of Damon’s Mountains and have the safety in numbers. It could be a type of family group for us, right?”

His face had softened as she’d talked. He parted his lips to respond, but Wreck barked out, “Now! We have somewhere to be, and a long way to get there.”

“Coming,” King murmured to the Alpha, and then gripped the back of her neck and pressed his lips to her forehead. When he eased back, he told her, “I’m happy for you, Kat.” Truth. There was truth in his tone, but as she watched him walk toward the yellow people-mover, confusion washed through her in shallow waves. His tone had held truth, but it had sounded a little sad.

Frowning to herself, she made her way to the blue one and climbed up on the tracks, then ducked under the low doorway of the car.

The human guides were driving the front sections of the vehicles, and the passengers sat in the square-bodied section that was dragged behind the first.

There were three rows to sit in, which meant each of them—herself, Raynah, and Timber—got their own seats to stretch out on.

“The boys are probably so pissed right now,” Raynah said, settling her belongings against the edge of the bench seat.

“That’s part of the test for them,” Timber explained. “We’ve seen no red flags from you two that you can’t control yourselves around other dominant shifters.”

Katrina raised her hand. “In the interest of honesty, I had an issue with two shifters in the gas station.”

“Yep, and King told Wreck about it, and we reviewed the camera footage of the scuffle. You have every right to put a motherfucker in their place if they talk to you like that, but you didn’t Change, or put the human cashier in there in a dangerous situation. You walked away.”

Huh. Okay then.

The engine had been rumbling, and now it roared as the guide hit the accelerator. She could feel the sheer power of this machine as the tracks began turning in the snow, dragging them to a forward momentum. The tiny town of Deadhorse disappeared behind them quickly, and Katrina was lulled into a sense of peace as they travelled through the snowy Alaskan wilderness. There was a camera positioned up front, and Katrina gestured to it. “When we get to Montana, are those everywhere around where we will live?”

“Hell no,” Timber muttered. “I hate them. We have to figure out the Crew fast though, so we can make travel arrangements before Damon is done pulling that prison apart. Wreck has a good sense for people, but you know that saying, ‘when the cat is away, the mice will play’? We need to see how everyone behaves when Wreck isn’t watching them like a hawk.”

Raynah shrugged. “It’s really not that different than what we’ve been dealing with. There’s cameras all over the prison too. No privacy. It’s probably why you don’t have any complaints about them now. It feels pretty normal.”

“That’s tough,” Timber said sympathetically.

“I won’t miss it. I hope Wreck picks me,” Raynah said, staring out the window. “Best thing I could do for this kid is put him in a Crew of Damon’s Mountains.”

“You said ‘him.’ Do you think it’s a boy?” Timber asked softly.

“All jackals are boys.”

“Maybe it will be a crocodile shifter.”

Raynah kept her gaze on the snowy woods outside as she shook her head. “I have a feeling. Momma’s intuition.”

Katrina had been afraid the father was the Jackal. Raynah had never wanted to talk about it, so Katrina had stopped asking. In a way, she’d been lucky to be assigned to King. Looking back through the haze of the medicines, he’d still tried to be kind, and had fought it for as long as he could. And right when they’d finished coupling, he’d told her how to escape Cold Foot.

Katrina shook her head hard to rattle that memory from her mind. She couldn’t fit the King she’d met in prison with the one she was getting to know now. It would make her defensive again. It was easier if she just pretended she and King were completely different people in that prison.

“Damon’s doing a good thing,” Katrina uttered. “I can’t believe I’m saying anything nice about the blue dragon. I was trained to dislike his Crews, but if he’s really in there exposing the secrets of Cold Foot, then good. He didn’t have to lift a finger to help, but he is. Not everyone would do that.”

“I agree,” Raynah murmured. “I know I wasn’t on the list of potential Crew, but if you guys wouldn’t have come busting in there to pick us up, my life would’ve ended up really different. I like that even if I don’t make the cut, Wreck is going to let me stay out of Cold Foot. I’m gonna get to raise my kid. I’m gonna get a chance to figure it out. You guys will never know how grateful I am. I don’t have the words, but if at the end of this, I go on my own way, if you ever need anything…” Raynah smiled. “Well, my crocodile is pretty gnarly. When I get her back, she’s yours as a favor.”

“I appreciate that,” Timber murmured. Her eyes were full of something deep, and as she pulled something out of her backpack, chills rippled up Katrina’s spine. She recognized that box. “Oh my gosh,” she murmured, her eyes burning as she sat up on her knees so she could see better.

“What’s this?” Raynah asked.

“This morning we got a call from Lucia Novak. Well, she’s Lucia Fuller now. She said she sees you.”

Raynah took the box gingerly in her grasp and shook her head. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”

“Lucia is one of the seers of Damon’s Mountains. She has her sight on the new Crew. Maybe you weren’t on the list of who we were supposed to take, but she sees you in Montana, with us.”

Raynah dropped her head, and Katrina could so clearly see a tear drop down onto her lap. She pressed the little box to her belly and let off a long, shuddering sigh. “It’s just been a long damn time since I got good news, you know?”

Katrina crawled over her seat just as Timber was crawling from the back one, and they sat on either side of Raynah and hugged her up tight.

“Even if Lucia didn’t see you, I would’ve fought to keep you,” Timber whispered. “I can only imagine what you and Katrina went through, and I can only imagine the fear of having that sweet baby taken from you. I’ve talked to Wreck about both of you. I want you with us. I know we don’t know each other well yet, but we will, and I’m going to do my best to make the transition into this Crew as smooth as I can. The boys are up to Wreck, but I had the final say on you two. Silver helped, but I wanted both of you. I saw that conversation between the two of you in that gas station. You were stating your differences in opinion without fighting, but you didn’t back down in the moment. And then I saw you both thinking about what the other said later, in moments you had with other people. I don’t want females in the Crew who just go with it. I want us to be able to call each other on our shit, because Lord knows no one is perfect. Growth is going to be so very important to the Crew as we build up. It’s going to be hard. And confusing, and frustrating, and the boys will piss us off sometimes, but I really think we can do this. I have been thinking all these weeks about the two of you. I just couldn’t imagine your faces. Katrina, I didn’t see you in the war. I don’t know you like that, and I’m not going to hold it against you. I’ve just been mentally preparing for a leadership role that I didn’t sign up for, you know? I was human not long ago.”

“What are you now?” Raynah asked softly.

Timber eased back from hugging her and gave her a lopsided smile. “My Maker is Riyah Daye, mate of Vyr Daye.”

“Holy shit,” Raynah said. She laughed and looked at Katrina, slack-jawed. Again she said, “Holy shit!” only louder this time. “You’re a freaking polar bear?”

Timber laughed thickly, hung her head, and nodded. “My life, like your lives, has not gone to plan. I think we can maybe understand each other better if we keep in mind that we’re all pretty new at this Crew stuff.”

And Katrina could see it—Timber was good. She was the mate of the Alpha. The wife of the phoenix. If this was a Pride, she would be Queen. And she was a good person. Deep down to her bones, she was good, and she cared. That’s where Katrina had gotten it all wrong. She’d wanted to be Queen for the power of it. Others couldn’t talk down to her anymore if she was at the top of the food chain. She’d forgotten the part where she was supposed to care, and be a leader, and to inspire. Prides didn’t work like that. Power was important, and that was all.

Raynah opened the lid of the small, rectangular box, and pulled out a matching pocketknife, made by the silver bear himself—Beaston. She opened the blade carefully and read the Wreck’s Mountains inscription, and then Katrina pulled her own knife from her pocket, and Timber did the same. They clinked the blades together and laughed as they folded them back safely into place. Girls liked things that matched.

“I brought something to celebrate,” Timber murmured excitedly. As she pulled her backpack out of the back seat, the tinking of bottles sounded.

“Ummmm, Alpha-Lady, I can’t drink,” Raynah reminded her, hand on the small swell of her belly.

“Duh. That’s why I got us sparkling grape juice. And I also got us cheese cubes, crackers, and grapes, like we’re fancy.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m starving,” Raynah huffed through a relieved laugh.

The sun sank fast, and as the shadows of night stretched across the cold Alaskan woods, the trip turned into something special. It became them talking easily about where they were from, what they had done for work, what their old lives had looked like, and their hopes for their new lives. Timber hadn’t seen the Crew territory in Montana yet, so they would all be seeing it for the first time together.

She wanted to ask Timber if the seer had seen King in her visions, but this was Raynah’s moment, and she had faith that he would be picked. He had to be. He was good, too.

So Katrina kept the question tucked deep in her chest and just settled into the comfortable ride, snacking and chatting with the women who were destined to become important to the trajectory of her life.

Now, she felt like she could care about what Timber was saying, and she dared to feel excitement over the coming of Raynah’s baby. She would be around for it.

For the rest of her life, she would never forget this trip into the wilderness, or the last couple of days with King in that little hotel room. She’d gone from hopeless, to limitless possibilities in the span of a couple days, and though the enormous changes left her feeling breathless at times, and a little scared, it was also very exciting.

She wished Rook could see her now, and realize he hadn’t broken her after all. God, if only he could see he’d failed. If only he could witness her smiling so easily, her grin stretching that damn scar he’d left on her face.

Rook hadn’t broken her at all. Not even close.

That thought touched her mind as they pulled to a stop in a clearing. It was full dark, and there were a million twinkling stars, but that’s not what Timber was pointing out as she pressed against the window.

It was the green lights in the sky.

“Is that the Aurora Borealis?” Katrina asked on a stunned breath. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“It sure is. This is why we brought all of you out here. Look.” Timber pointed to a trio of large tents in the clearing. They were white, the same color as the snow, and blended into the surroundings, but they had clear, dome-shaped tops. They were northern-lights viewing tents.

“We get to stay here?”

“We’re about to freeze our tits off,” Timber joked, “but yeah, we’re staying the night here.”

“Whaaat the heck is happening to my life right now?” Raynah whispered. She’d been holding the closed pocketknife clutched in her hand the entire trip, and her bright-green eyes were so wide as she stared at the layer of bright, beautiful green in the sky.

“This was on my bucket list,” Timber said softly. “Wreck said as a reward for me saying yes to building a Crew with him, he would make sure we saw the northern lights while we were here gathering all of you.”

Katrina saw movement from the yellow people-mover that had parked just slightly diagonal from them. It was Wreck. He was climbing out of his vehicle, eyes on theirs.

“Timber,” Katrina murmured. “Your mate.”

Timber cast her attention to the phoenix, and Katrina could see it so clearly—the love between them. It dumped warmth into her middle, and it wasn’t even her love story.

She had a moment of guilt as she thought of all the slander the Holland Pride had preached against them. Her Pride had stolen Timber. Stolen Riyah. Hurt them. And the phoenix had burned them to ashes. Rightly so. Katrina was getting a deep look into the other side, and whooo, she’d been wrong. They all had.

The next one to climb out of the yellow rig was King. He ducked under the door, and his eyes lit right on the blue rig. He was looking for Katrina—she knew it. She’d missed him too.

“Can we get out?” she asked.

“Yeah. Jackets though. It’s cold,” Timber said, and they fumbled to put on the warm gear they’d shed over the long trip.

She was still zipping up her thick winter jacket as they hopped off the snow tracks.

King was coming toward her, his strides long and powerful.

“Did you get my text?” he asked as he hugged her up.

“No, I haven’t even looked at the phone.”

“I’m so happy for you. I was shocked because you hadn’t told me, and it felt big, but I should’ve celebrated for you. Fuck yeah, Kat,” he said, pushing her back to arm’s length so he could look her in the eyes. He shook her gently and smiled. “You did it.”

She shrugged. “Silver and Timber did it. I’m just along for the ride.”

“It’s a helluva ride. You’re going to be under the protection of Wreck Itall. Who the hell can ever mess with you again?” he asked, turning her beside him and draping his arm over her shoulders. “Tomorrow is gonna hold what tomorrow holds, but tonight? Look at that show in the sky.”

The others were gathering close too, filing out of the yellow people-mover, and if there was any talking, it was hushed and quiet.

“I wish I had a camera,” she said low.

“The pictures wouldn’t do this justice.”

“Not for the sky. I would take a selfie of us with it behind us.”

“Here,” Timber said, lifting up her phone. “Go ten feet back. Keep going. Okay, stop.”

Katrina pulled her beanie lower, fluffed her hair in front of her shoulders, and rested her hand on King’s chest as he pulled her close. She grinned up at him, and then smiled at the camera when Timber counted to three.

“Perfect,” Timber said, looking at the picture.

“Want me to take one of you and Wreck?” Katrina asked, knowing he’d done this all for her.

“Yeah! Would you?”

“Absolutely.” Katrina left King’s side, but didn’t miss how he held her hand and put off letting her go. There was a hand squeeze before her fingers slipped out of his.

She’d never had butterflies before. She’d read all about them in books, but she’d never experienced them for herself. Now, she realized King had been giving her butterflies all along. That fluttering sensation in her chest was it. She was living a part of a story she’d always envied.

Timber and Wreck stood with their backs to the northern lights and posed, smiling.

“All riiiight,” Katrina drawled out. “Go on, kiss her.”

Wreck cast his mate a look and then scooped her up, held her under her ass as she bent one leg and rested her forearms on his shoulders. Timber leaned down and kissed him, and Katrina clicked away.

“Hold!” She advised them. The shutter speed was slowed because of the dim lighting, and if they froze, she could get a good shot of them.

She kept clicking as Wreck let his mate slide down his chest and settled her in the snow. His eyes were so soft on her, and gah, this was inspiring. The phoenix had fallen for a human mate, turned polar bear, and he was building a family around her. Katrina could see it so clearly.

This was the way love was supposed to be.

“Why are you touching your scar?” King asked low from beside her.

Katrina let her hand fall to her side. “I didn’t realize I was.”

His eyes were glowing gold, like his gorilla was riled up, but his gaze was soft on her.

“Everything is just different than I thought,” she admitted.

In front of them, Wreck pulled Timber tight against his side, and they watched the Northern Lights together. Katrina took another picture of them from the back. She hoped they liked the pictures when they reviewed them later.

“It was not like that for me,” Raynah said from beside Katrina.

She frowned over at her cellmate. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head, denying an answer.

Katrina stared at her as Raynah stared up at the green lights in the sky. “Your animal didn’t bond to the Jackal. Right?”

She didn’t answer. Didn’t move. Didn’t flinch.

Oh shit. Katrina draped her arm around Raynah’s shoulders and pulled her in close. “We’re all messed up, aren’t we?”

A full minute passed before Raynah spoke. “It happened to you, too.”

“Huh?” Katrina asked, unsure of exactly what she’d said under her breath.

Raynah twitched her chin toward King. “It happened to the two of you, too. It’s the medicine they gave us. It makes you bond.”

In horror, Katrina stared at her. No. No. That wasn’t right. She and King liked each other.

He had broken out of that prison to protect her. He was still here protecting her. Making sure she was good. Because they were a good match, not because the medicine had made their animals bond. They were in control of themselves now…right?

She looked up at King, but he was staring at Raynah with such a troubled look in his eyes.

Katrina slid her hand to the inside of his elbow. “Stop. We’re different.”

King’s chest rose and fell faster as he stared straight ahead, and then up at the northern lights. Katrina had never seen a more uncertain look in a man’s eyes. She didn’t like it. They were okay. They were out, and they were okay!

“Stop,” she whispered again, slipping her hand into his. “Please.”

He squeezed her hand once, but the uncertainty didn’t leave his eyes. He’d spoken to her of overthinking, and now she could so clearly see him doing that.

“That’s it,” she muttered, squatting down. She scooped a handful of snow and balled it up quick, then pelted it right at his face.

The look of uncertainty etched into his face turned to that of shock.

“Ooooh!” one of the other shifter crowed. He squatted down and started making a snowball.

“You’re in deep trouble,” King said.

Katrina stooped, scooped snow again, and then threw the loose powder at him as he closed the small distance between them. King picked her up and spun her around, and she caught a snowball against her back. Reed had thrown it.

“Did you just use me as a human shield?” she shrieked, laughing from her soul outward as she kicked her legs to escape from his grip.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, another snowball came sailing through the air, and she ducked it neatly. Another zinged across her cheek. Okay! It was on now!

She ran for the snow machines and hid around the corner to buy herself some time to make snowballs. In the clearing, all hell had broken loose in the best way. There was yelling and screaming and teasing and laughing. Lots of laughing. Even Wreck and Timber were playing, and she was pretty sure she saw the human guides across the clearing making snowballs too.

Raynah came bolting around the corner and hit her with a snowball.

“Damn girl, same team!” she said, pointing to her pile of snowballs.

“Oh yeah!” Raynah crowed as she slid to her knees and double-fisted snowballs.

They threw theirs out at anyone who was close, and then ran low into the clearing, where the battle was migrating toward the tents set up near the tree line. A snowball came whizzing through the air, and Katrina did an aerial to avoid it, landed it, and only slipped on the ice a little. These boots were good!

“Okay, that was hot,” one of the shifters called out, right before he was pelted in the face with a snowball.

She laughed. No time to explain she’d been in gymnastics when she was younger. That stretch and sailing through the air had felt so good!

She ran and tested her muscles, leapt into the air, and did a front flip to avoid another. Breathless with exuberance, she switched directions and bolted for King. She dipped and scooped snow as she went, but she knew how fast she was. The humans would only see her as a blur. King, however, was tracking her progress just fine. Time slowed as he pulled back an arm to pelt her with a snowball, but she pushed off her leg hard and went down to her knees, slid through the snow, and right through his legs. As he twisted around, she was doing the same, and released her snowball right against his back.

His booming laugh was everything. God, she loved that sound.

“You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve, don’t you, Kat?” he asked, packing his snowball. He ducked one that had been sailing at him from behind easily. His eyes were glowing bright, molten gold, and his smile was equal parts wicked and hot. Whoo, she really liked him.

Behind him, one of the shifters was sneaking up on him. He put his finger to his lips so she wouldn’t expose him.

Just that glance at him tipped King off though. He ducked low and launched himself backward, chucking his snowball, and it exploded against the other guy, who looked shocked as hell. She couldn’t stop laughing as she watched the guys after that.

Raynah came and plopped down beside her, cradling her belly protectively, a big grin on her face and her cheeks flushed with pleasure.

“I don’t even remember the last time I felt this…” Katrina couldn’t find the word.

“Free? Happy?” Raynah guessed.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” She pulled the pocketknife from her pocket and turned it over and over in her grasp.

A few of the boys had moved off into the trees and were using the forest as cover for their snowball battle, so they were safe over here. Timber meandered over to them. “Let’s go grab our bags, and I’ll show you where your tents are.”

“Hey dipshits,” Wreck called out. “Do any of you know how to cook?”

King had been standing at the tree line, watching the others, arms crossed, but angled his body toward Wreck and lifted his hand in a two fingered-wave. “I can.”

“Pick one more and come on.”

“Reed,” King called. “Can you cook?”

“I cook well enough,” the soft-spoken man said as he ambled out of the woods and toward where Wreck was making a fire.

“Cash! You and the others go haul the coolers and gear,” Wreck called out.

“Yep,” Cash answered, and the snowball throwing halted. The boys filtered out of the woods, smiles lingering on their lips as they talked quietly and headed for the snow machines.

The next hour was consumed with organizing camp. Katrina had so many awed moments as she would pause and see the others working under the northern lights. Was it the same for them? Were they taking stock of these moments? She hoped so. This was a once-in-a-lifetime night, and a far cry from the windowless cells of Cold Foot Prison.

She hadn’t been camping since she was a kid, but there was something special about the organized chaos of teamwork. King, Reed, and Wreck cooked a feast over the open fire. Dinner was steaks, baked potatoes covered in foil and buried in the coals along the edge of the fire, and cornbread baked in one of those cast-iron skillets over the fire. Dessert cooked while they were eating—peach cobbler made in the same cast-iron skillet the cornbread had been cooked in. It had been made with boxed cobbler mix and canned peaches in syrup, and it was possibly the best thing she’d ever put into her mouth.

“Here,” King murmured, handing over the second half of his peach cobbler. He was sitting in a camp chair next to her, and had been watching her eat like an absolute animal.

“This is the best meal I’ve ever had,” she said around a bite.

A few of the boys chuckled and agreed. Cash started telling a funny story about one of the food-service managers at the prison, and Katrina settled into her chair, took the plate from King, and ate a bite before she fed him a bigger one. She liked how comfortable he was with taking a bite off the same fork as her.

“I’ve got a couple announcements,” Wreck said as they all passed their empty dishes to Raynah, who was collecting them on the other side of the fire.

He wiped his hands on his pants, shoved them into his pockets, and stared at the fire between them. “I’m going to offer some of you spots in the Crew, and some I won’t. I can say I’m not the only one making these decisions.”

“The dragon has final say, huh?” Cash asked.

“He has a big say in it. So do some of the others from his mountains.”

“Like who?” one of the others asked.

“Lucia. Weston Novak. Beaston Novak. They have eyes on where we’re headed.”

Chills rippled up Katrina’s forearms.

“They don’t know us personally though,” a bright-eyed shifter named Kade said. “Why wouldn’t you be the one making the decisions? You’re the Alpha. It’s your Crew. Damon can’t run your Crew from Wyoming. Neither can the Novaks.”

Wreck canted his head and just stared at Kade, then leaned forward and pulled a pocketknife from his jacket pocket. “Kade, you have an invite if you want it.”

Kade went still, then arched his eyebrows high. “As I was saying, I think Damon and the Novaks are geniuses and should have all the say.”

The others chuckled, but Katrina couldn’t get past her nerves enough to laugh. He was giving places in his Crew. Right now. She glanced at King, but the giant beside her was just staring into the flames.

Kade got up, made his way around the fire, and took the knife Wreck offered him, then shook the Alpha’s hand, and then Timber’s.

“Reed,” Wreck said, reaching into his pocket again and pulling out another knife. “You have a spot in my Crew if you want it.”

Reed looked over at King first, but King was still staring at the flames. Reed stood and made his way over to Wreck as they all clapped. He shook his hand, and then Timber’s, took the knife, and made his way back to his seat on the other side of King. He glanced at King out of the corner of his eye, and then lowered his gaze to the ground. It should’ve been a happy moment, but Reed looked…confused.

“Raynah received her knife on the way here, and she will also be a part of this Crew. Katrina, as you all know, will be a part of it too. I have one more spot open. Depending on how tonight goes, I’ll be making that announcement tomorrow when we get back to Deadhorse, and begin preparing for travel to my territory in Montana.”

“Smart,” Cash muttered. “That way we all think we still have hope and don’t kill each other tonight.”

“No fighting,” Wreck advised them. “If you fight, it’ll make my decision real easy. I know what you all are capable of, I know what your animals are. You’re all good fighters. That won’t win you any bonus points. It’ll just piss me off.” He opened his hand, palm up, and a deep red flame appeared there, floating just an inch above his skin. Wreck arched his eyebrow and glared at them. “We’re not gutting each other here. Do you understand?”

“Fine,” Cash muttered, and the others agreed.

King was still dead silent beside her. Katrina slid her hand to his and squeezed. What if he didn’t get into the Crew? What then? What would they do?

“I understand some of you may need to Change tonight. The meds should be worked out of your systems. It may have been a long time since your animals have been able to have your bodies. If you are worried you won’t be in control, let me know, and I’ll keep an eye on things. I already assumed I would have to do that. Keep in mind that we have humans among us.” He twitched his chin toward the huge snow machines. “They’ll be sleeping in those tonight, and protected somewhat, but don’t give them a bad impression of shifters, yeah?”

The more she saw of Wreck’s leadership, the more she realized she and the entire Holland Pride had been so wrong about him. He was ten times the leader that Rook had been. He had taken one mate, and clearly loved her. That phoenix would burn the entire world for her, that much was clear from their bond. He seemed to deeply care about the Crew he was building, and every move he had made thus far had been completely understandable to Katrina.

He was trying, and there was enormous value in a trying man.

King helped clean up after dinner while a couple of the guys headed for the woods to Change, and the others made their way to their tents. It was close to four in the morning now, and the northern lights were faded almost completely out of the sky.

Katrina excused herself to the tent she would share with King, and set up their sleeping pallets so he wouldn’t have to do it when he came inside. Her mind was racing with what-ifs as she prepared their sleeping rolls beside each other. She brushed her teeth just outside the tent, and watched as King made his way toward her. He smiled, and she was relieved that he was still here, and still engaging with her.

“It’s going to be great either way,” she assured him.

“Hell yeah it will. We’re out of Cold Foot. No matter what, life has improved. No complaints.”

She held open the flap of the tent for him as he stomped snow off his boots.

“Wreck will pick you,” she said with confidence.

“We will see,” he murmured as he gathered his toothbrush and toothpaste from his bag of belongings.

He brushed his teeth just outside of the tent, came back in and sat on his pallet, knees bent, arms draped over them. He had this faraway look in his eyes that she hated. She wished he would spill every thought he was having right now, but he was going quiet on her instead.

Katrina watched him for a minute before she slid behind him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and rested her hands on his chest to feel the strong, steady drumming of his heart. She rested her cheek against the back of his neck. “If you aren’t picked, I will go with you.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I can say whatever I want,” she said. “Wreck will give us passage, and we will pick a place on the map and just go. We will start fresh. We can even build up a family group if you want, although if you bring in multiple mates, you should know I will stab them with my Silver Bear pocketknife that I am definitely still keeping because holy moly, it’s high quality.”

He chuckled. “You’ll kill any competition, got it. There wouldn’t be any competition though, silly girl.” He pulled her arm and dragged her gently around him to face him. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. We don’t know what will happen. It may be worry for nothing.”

“It’s good to be prepared with a plan B,” she pointed out.

“You aren’t leaving the Crew,” he said sternly, his eyes soft on her.

“Mmm,” she said as she slid her arms over his shoulders. “This conversation is boring. I will do whatever I want.”

“Yeah, and if the meds are the reason for the bond?” he asked. “You’ll leave your Crew for a fake bond.”

Katrina shoved him away as anger flared through her. “It’s not fake.” She stood in a rush and looked down at him. “I know what I feel.”

“You have been out of Cold Foot and away from those meds for two days. You don’t know how you feel yet.”

She didn’t know why, but her eyes burned. “He’s going to pick you. He likes you. I can tell. We will have this talk about how I really feel when we get to Montana and you realize how stupid it is that you just said that to me.”

“I’m not stupid—”

“I didn’t call you stupid! I said what you are saying is stupid. I’m not a name-caller in a fight.”

“Are we fighting?” he asked low.

She crossed her arms over her chest and thought about it. “I don’t think so. I think…I think I’m just protective of our bond, and you are insulting it. You are making me question myself.”

“Sometimes that’s a good thing.”

“Stop being so mature. It’s annoying,” she mumbled, flipping open the flap of her sleeping bag so she could cuddle in, zip herself into it, face the wall, and fume about ridiculous boys.

“Come here,” he rumbled.

Now, if it was Rook demanding anything from her, she would’ve bristled up like an enraged badger. It was King though, and his eyes were still soft. Plus he was holding open the flap of his sleeping bag.

She crossed her arms over her chest again.

“Don’t be stubborn. The best part about a fight is the makeup.”

Well, admittedly, that intrigued her. A little. “What kind of makeup?” she asked innocently.

“Bring your sleeping bag over here and find out.” Oh, he was daring her? Clever man. She liked dares.

Chin high in the air, she dragged her sleeping bag to him, and right beside him, she set up the sleeping mat that would protect her from the cold ground under the tent.

His chuckle was deep as she shrugged out of her jacket, snuggled under his sleeping bag, and positioned her sleeping bag over them as an extra layer of insulation against the frigid night air.

He inhaled deep and dragged her tight against his chest. In a whisper, he assured her, “Whatever happens tomorrow, we’re going to be just fine.” And there was truth to his voice, so she had no choice but to believe him.

“What…” she cleared her throat and said, “Never mind.”

“No, what were you going to ask?”

Katrina hesitated, then looked up at him. “What did you like? You know, when you were with me before?”

“Mmmm,” he rumbled. “We’re going to open that wound tonight, huh?”

“Want me to go first?”

“Sure.”

“I liked how you tried to resist me.”

“That’s not what I expected you to say.”

“Well, I’m not done. I liked that part, and I liked how you kept inching closer and closer—”

“Well, you took your clothes off and got on your hands and knees with your ass pointed toward me, and you were begging.”

“That was the drugs. I also liked how you made sure I came.”

“It was the least I could do,” he gritted out. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“I think it’s healthy to talk about something traumatizing, so we can both cope and heal and move forward.”

“I see they were playing the therapy shows up on your floor as well.”

“Every day. I learned so much!”

His deep chuckle vibrated right through her, and she relaxed even more against him.

There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke again. “I liked the noises you made. The needy ones. Like you needed my dick, or you would die.”

She traced the hollow of his throat with her fingertip while she thought about that. “I felt like I would. I liked how when they sprayed that gas in the room, you tried to help me cover my face. You didn’t even know my name, but you didn’t want whatever was happening, and you were trying to protect me. I thought about that part a lot after they took me back up to my cell to detox.”

“Was it bad?”

“Horrible. I felt like I was clawing out of my own skin, and my animal was writhing inside of me in fury.”

“Same.”

“I had Raynah there, who understood, and she talked me through it.”

“I had a guard telling me he was lining up my next breed, and that I should just get used to it. Said if I would stop fighting it, they wouldn’t have to drug me. I wanted to kill them.”

“Geez,” she whispered, horrified. It must’ve been awful for him. She couldn’t even imagine coming down off that experience alone, or while she was that confused.

What if she had met him a year from now? Would he be crazy, like the Jackal? Would he be oversexed and overstimulated, and would he have lost himself completely? Would he be a shell of himself? Unrecognizable?

She suddenly felt grateful for the timing of everything. They’d both gotten out of there after one pairing, and though she’d hated it because it hadn’t been something they chose for themselves, she also was thankful it had been the one time, and just them. And she was thankful for this moment, when they could talk about it and deal with what happened, and it didn’t just sit inside of them like some infection they couldn’t reach or heal.

“I forgive you, if you forgive me,” she said softly.

“No need. I never blamed you. If it had taken, I would’ve figured out a way to get you and the baby out of there.”

Those words settled something in her heart. King was good. He was a good man, truly.

She leaned up and kissed him, and his lips went all soft against hers. She loved the taste of him, and reveled in the feeling of his strong body against hers.

His fingertips brushed her skin right at her hip, under the hem of her shirt, and a chill rippled through her. He smiled against her lips and eased back. “I felt that.”

“Do it again,” she whispered.

Slowly, he lifted the hem of her shirt higher and dragged his fingertips down her rib cage, eliciting another tremble of anticipation from her.

His smile was downright wicked now, in the dim light of the tent. He made it a game, dragging his touch up and down her side, her stomach, her back, drawing gooseflesh from her skin as she relaxed under his attention. It felt so good to be touched like this.

King tugged at her shirt, and she eased up to give him room to peel it over her head. Her sports bra was next. As the chilly night air touched her bare skin, she shivered for a different reason now.

“Come here,” he murmured, pulling her back down into the warmth.

“You too,” she whispered, pushing the material of his sweater upward. He sat up and pulled his shirt off smoothly, and then covered her with his warm body. This man was a furnace, she came to realize as she wrapped her arms around him and settled against the warmth of his chest. She explored every scar on his back, and he would lean down and kiss her every minute or so as he explored her body with his hands. The pressure of his touch on her breasts had her eyes rolling closed, and her breath escaping in a huff. How could a man make her feel this deeply? This good? This excited? This seen?

King eased back by inches and slid his hand under the waist of her leggings, and she gasped as he touched her between her thighs.

“Mmm,” he rumbled his satisfaction as he rubbed his fingers over her slick entrance. “I don’t remember some parts,” he murmured, “but I do remember what it felt like to slide into you after fighting it so hard.”

A whimper of pleading escaped her throat, and he pushed his finger into her deep.

“I love that you’re noisy, Kat. I like that you can tell me what you want. What feels good.”

“That feels good,” she said mindlessly as he pushed into her again.

She felt drunk with his touch.

King slid two fingers in and went deep, hit her just right. She spread her legs wider and rested her hand on top of his, guiding his pace. Against her hip, he rocked forward, and she could feel how hard he was. Oh, he was ready, and it was such a turn-on that she could do that for him.

“You gonna come for me like this?” he murmured against her ear, then bit her lobe gently as she arched her back against the sleeping bag.

“I would rather have more,” she admitted breathlessly.

King pulled his fingers from her and brushed his touch between her legs gently, like he was thinking it over. “You’re wanting to erase the other memory?”

“Not erase,” she uttered low. “Replace. I want to feel you inside me, my choice this time.”

He waited a few breaths, and then leaned over and drew her nipple into his mouth, lapped at it until she let off a moan of pleasure, and then laid back. “Take what you want then.”

If she hadn’t already been so turned on, she might have hesitated and asked what he meant. Now? She knew. He was letting her have control.

She shimmied out of her leggings, and then unfastened his pants and pushed them down his hips under the cover of the sleeping bag, she straddled him, and pressed her wet sex against his swollen, rock-hard cock. The moan he let off as she rocked her hips, teasing, was the sexiest noise she’d ever heard.

Reaching between her legs, she gripped him hard, and he rolled his hips on instinct. “Fuck,” he whispered as he gripped her hips and pulled her upward to position her right over the head of his cock.

“You’re torturing me, woman.”

She allowed a private smile in the dark, and then took him. He slid deep, deep into her, slowly. He was huge, but she was ready for him. She rocked shallowly as he stayed deep, and she basked in the feel of his fingers digging into her hips, and the grunt of pleasure that escaped him. She loved this view of him. Though it was dark, she had always been able to see with very little light, and his strong torso was flexed as his hands stayed tight on her waist, moving her up and down his shaft. His head was thrown back, his Adam’s apple visible, and when he lowered his chin to look at her, his eyes were glowing molten gold. God, he was something to look at.

Katrina sat up straighter, leaned back and locked her arms on his powerful thighs behind her, popped her chest out, and rested her head back. She closed her eyes to the world and just felt him, and gah, there was nothing better.

One of his hands went to her breast, and she gripped him there, holding it in place as he bucked harder into her. “King?” she whispered helplessly.

“I’m with you,” he gritted out.

“King?” she said louder, her body heating to an inferno.

“Fuck,” he uttered, gripping her hips again with both hands and yanking her against him, over and over, harder and harder. The pace became frantic, and her release came strong and fast. She huffed out his name again as her body pulsed with the first of her orgasm.

Inside of her, King was thrusting, hitting her just right, so hard, so deep. He slowed and arched against the ground as his cock pulsed jets of warmth into her.

She gasped as ecstasy consumed her body, and fell forward against his chest as he slowed his pace and dragged out every pulse of pleasure from her body.

Breath ragged, she pushed up, locked her arms against his chest, and sagged there, eyes locked on his.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded and let off a soft, exhausted laugh. “All better.”

King dragged her down beside him and tucked the covers tightly around her, banishing the chill that had taken her skin when the sleeping bag had slipped off.

His care at making sure she was warm touched her heart. Sated, she smiled against his chest. “That’s how it should’ve been for us the first time.”

She felt his lips press to the top of her head, and he hugged her closer. She could feel the steady drum of his heartbeat against her forehead, and all safe, and warm, and his, Katrina drifted off into the easiest sleep she’d had in years.