Chapter Ten

June

We loaded back into the car, got off the ferry, and were on the road again, but I was too anxious to rest. The sun was finally up, and I had been munching on a box of Smarties, which were very much not what I thought I was getting when I bought them, so I was having chocolate for breakfast as we sped along the Trans-Canada Highway.

All anyone would tell me was that we had to go a few hours on the highway and after a while, we'd turn onto a dirt road. That was it. Then again, it was a village in the mountains that the humans didn't know about. Still, I didn't like it.

I tried to read but ended up reading the same pages over and over. Leaving the book aside, I watched out the out the window. In the end, I gave that up, handed Jack the rest of my box of Smarties, and glued my eyes ahead to watch the highway.

"This it?" Aaron asked out of the blue. He slowed the car down, pulling to the side of the road where a few scant tire tracks indicated anyone ever drove this way.

I sat up straight, paying close attention to Dom in the driver's seat.

"The big X tree is gone, but this must be it," Dom answered. He rolled down the passenger-side window and in some kind of silent agreement, Aaron stuck his head out and seemed to . . . smell around.

"That old geezer still comes through this way. This is it." Aaron pulled his head back inside.

"All right." Dom inched the car forward, bumping as each tire left the pavement and we got onto the dirt road, making progress once more.

The car climbed around the trees. Over hills, zigging and zagging to climb to a new height. In fact, as the trees thinned and thickened, I caught glimpses of the mountains around us; it felt like we were in one of the dips between peaks, but I couldn't quite tell.

Something inside me stirred. Exhilaration maybe? Not quite excitement, but it was a kind of enthusiasm to be here. It was subtle but it came on suddenly, like I had crossed a line into something.

"Ahh, feels good," Jack said.

"Patrols will be here any time now," Aaron warned. "Be on your best behavior, we're not pack anymore. Only visitors."

"For now," Dom said.

We left the trees again, and the grassy fields revealed a better glimpse of the distance. There were mountains and a blue ribbon that lay across the green below. A river, or a long lake. A puff of wind rolled over the scene ahead, and I watched as it rustled the plants in its wake.

"Here they come," Dom said.

I frowned. "Who—"

Howling.

My heart smacked inside my rib cage. A thundering of giant paws trampled the ground near the car as wolves, huge wolves, emerged from the trees behind us and caught up with the SUV.

"What's happening?" I asked, panic leaking into my voice as I clutched the backpack in my lap with a death grip.

"They're smelling us," Dom said, slowing the car down. "And if we don't stop and talk to them soon, they'll attack."

Dom and the others were calm enough, so I tried to let that fact reassure me. Oh god, I was about to meet wolves. Real wolves, from this village. The place we had been coming to with no stops for days. It was finally time.

The car came to a bumpy stop in the middle of the thin dirt path. Dom was the first one out of the car, barely waiting for the engine to shut off before his opening his door. The others weren't far behind, but since Amelia and Jerod were staying in the car, I did too. Just because I was inside the car didn't mean I wasn't pressed to the glass, straining to catch every detail as it happened.

Dom and the others stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the car as the big gray wolves circled us.

One of the wolves was very white in the face, probably older than the others. He walked calmly up to Dom, got his nose right in his face, and let out a huff of breath that rustled his shirt.

"We're here for a couple of reasons," Dom said, out of nowhere. "First, we want to visit family and friends, upon Alpha's approval. We'll stay on the grounds but not in the village."

The other wolves that had been circling came in and sat down in a semicircle, as though they were a bunch of kindergarteners sitting down to story time. One of them even lay down at Aaron's feet with a soft but excited yip.

The big wolf huffed, then changed as the rest watched. De-forming and re-forming under the skin. His body shifted and popped as he lost his fur and morphed into an old man. His naked skin was leathered, like when you spend all day in the sun for decades. His white hair was long enough that it brushed his shoulders, and he kept a scraggly beard. Despite the obvious years under his belt, he was as well muscled as an athlete.

"That's one reason." The old man spoke. "What else?"

"A personal problem to sort out between Amelia and a warlock we picked up," Dom answered.

The old man's eyes shifted to the car, and I gasped when I saw them shining yellow. Not a color I had ever seen on a person before.

"Why isn't her ass out here telling me all this?" he asked.

"Amelia is indisposed." Dom calmly crossed his hands in front of him as he spoke, standing casually. "You can address me as our party's temporary leadership."

"Is that it?" The old man looked through the car windows straight at me.

"No," Dom said. "Not quite."

Dom walked around the car and I leaned away from the window just in time as he opened my door.

"Come on out," Dom said quietly. "Chin up, shoulders back."

My sneakers hit the grass, and something in the fresh air here gave me the urge to run. Not run away, oddly; it was a different sensation. The desire to take off running for the joy of it.

"Come on," Dom said, and he walked back to the line of wolves. It snapped me out of my sudden odd desires, and I followed him.

The wolves seemed even bigger once I was outside the car. I felt so small, and every one of their yellow eyes was on me. Following every step I took, watching me curiously, sniffing the air. The sniffing was going to take some getting used to.

Dom stopped and gestured for me to stand next to him. Chin up, shoulders back. He reached over and pulled up my sleeve, revealing the bite mark on my arm. A few growls of disapproval rippled through the wolves. My heart was beating hard, and somehow, I felt like this was a test. It probably was.

"You really fucked up this time, didn't ye, boy?" the old man said, eyes burning into mine. The accent startled me, almost Irish in tone. Not that I was an expert in the Newfoundland dialect, but he sounded nothing like Dom and the others.

"Not even a how are ye gettin' on?" Dom asked, but the old man didn't look amused.

"Mind now. Answer the question," he said.

Dom sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Will the pack take her or not? Otherwise, she's stuck with a bunch of rogues."

The old man finally took his intense eyes off mine and spit on the grass at his feet. "You know we will."

"Thank you, Smokey," Dom said.

"Two of you, go back and send word," Smokey said to the wolves at Aaron's feet. "Tell Alpha we have visitors camping and a new bite to place."

Two wolves stood and took off, running down the dirt road in the direction we had been heading. Then Smokey turned back to me once more.

"What's your name, New Bite?" he asked.

"June," I said, keeping my voice even.

"Smokey. You want me to kick this one's ass for getting you into this situation?" he asked, while jabbing a thumb in Dom's direction.

"Not right now, thank you. Maybe later, I haven't decided yet."

At that, Smokey let out a wheezy laugh, patting me hard on the shoulder and almost knocking me down. "All right, June. You're clear to go on, and I guess these boys will have to take you there. Dom, we'll run with you to the pond. As long as Alpha says you can stay, you boys can use the old cabin out there."

"Thank you, Smokey," Dom said. "All right, let's go."

Dom patted the hood of the car as he rounded to the driver's door and got back inside. The rest of us scrambled after him, and by the time I clicked my seat belt, Smokey was a shaggy gray wolf again, ready to run alongside the car.

"It had to be Smokey," Amelia growled.

"Yup," Dom said, and with no further elaboration, we left.

Now that the intense moment was over, I felt more at ease, especially when Smokey had laughed. It was fun to watch the pack run with the car, weaving around the trees as we passed them and racing each other and nipping at heels when we were in open spaces.

It probably took us a good half hour to get to our destination, really showing how big this territory must be considering how far off the highway we had already come. After I took in the novelty of riding alongside a bunch of wolves, I looked around the car. Everyone else held some amount of excitement, save for the two in the back. They were all talking over one another, and I had to lean forward so Dom could hear me.

"Why don't you guys have that accent?" I asked. "If you're from here, I mean."

Dom shrugged. "Fell off while we were in the city, I guess. We've been gone a long time, and blending in did us better than standing out."

Makes sense .

"Who is Smokey, is he the beta?" I asked. Surely he was important, whoever he was.

"I doubt it, but I don't know who Evander has at his side now," Dom answered.

"Who was it when you left?" I asked.

The car fell silent.

Oh. Bad move .

"The old beta is dead," Dom said shortly. "The pond is up ahead. Pay attention to your surroundings so you can learn your way around."

The road curved as the car maneuvered around the trees. The wolves ran ahead, bounding for the pond that was coming into view. It was a beautiful, sunny spot once the trees opened up. A breeze teased little ripples across the water's surface and a wooden cabin sat a little way back from the water.

The wolves that had run ahead were walking around the pond or sitting in the shallows. Smokey was the only one I could identify, and he was standing near the cabin, waiting for us.

Dom parked, and we finally left the vehicle. My legs were like jelly, and I almost fell when I took my first step, all my muscles screaming at me.

"Jack, Carson, help the two in the back," Dom said. "We'll wait to unload when we've gotten permission from the alpha, but some fresh air might help them for now."

"Got it," Jack said.

"There's Hannah," Aaron said. One of the wolves that had run off at Smokey's command was now bounding toward us.

Smokey shifted, and so did Hannah. I looked away. I had seen a lot more nudity in the last hour than I had bargained for.

"Permission granted," Hannah said. "Alpha Evander will be by tonight to talk to you guys too."

"Thank you, Hannah. Go help your mom, I'm sure she's getting a room ready," Smokey said, then turned to me

"Come on, New Bite. I'll take you into the village, bring your bag." Smokey stared, watching me for a reaction, and so did the other wolves lounging around the pond.

I looked back at Dom. I hadn't thought I'd have to do this part alone, but here we were. Dom was no help either; he just tapped his chin, gesturing for me to lift my head.

"Lead on," I said, and turned back to Smokey.

And with that, I followed a naked old man and four wolves down the path. The village ahead and Dom and the others behind.