Chapter 17

Scout

It's another twenty-hour hours before they let dad out of hospital. They diagnosed botulism and malnutrition. He's going to be fine, as long as he keeps taking the bunch of antibiotics they've given him.

He seems different. Quieter. I hope that spending some time out in the normal world has done him good. He thanks Orion and me, shuffling his feet and unable to look us in the eye.

On our secondmorning in the forest, Orion raises himself up from our bed of bracken and sits, head cocked, frowning.

"What is it?"

"A truck approaching."

"Can't hear anything."

"Just wait…" He listens for a moment. "It's pulled up a couple of hundred yards away. Two guys have gotten out. They're shushing each other. One is saying, "we've gotta look more tired, man."

I burst out laughing. "I'll bet a million dollars that's my two brothers. Come on, let's go meet them."

By the time Vinny and Owen emerge from the forest, Orion and I are waiting by the entrance to the compound. When they catch sight of me, they do an identical double take.

"No way?" Owen mutters.

Their gaze drifts to Orion, and their shoulders stiffen at the sight of the much bigger guy.

"Got back days ago," I say cheerfully. "What kept you?"

"We came across a lost hiker. We had to help him get back home," Vinny says.

"Threw us right off course, so we've been walking for days," Owen chips in.

I fold my arms. "That's funny, 'cause we just heard you both getting out of a truck."

Owen gasps in that dramatic, offended way of his. He's been doing it since we were kids. It might've worked on my parents, but it's never worked on me.

"Don't even." Orion steps forward.

My heart gives a little jump. I love how he's just there for me. He gives me the space I need to fight my own battles, but I know he's always ready to step in and protect me.

Owen recoils. Then he turns on me, lip curled. "It was real hard. How did you get back so quick?"

I shrug. "Guess I'm a pretty good survivalist after all."

* * *

The third day comes,and I wake up, full of nerves.

"You're gonna be great, baby," Orion murmurs in my ear.

"How did you know I was stressed?"

"Because you're my mate, and I can feel what you feel." He nuzzles my neck.

I close my eyes for a beat, taking strength from him. "Just hope everyone turns up."

"They will. I know your mom's been hard at work."

At eleven-thirty a.m., the first vehicles start to roll in.

There are a lot of people. I stay out of sight, but from a distance, I identify all the main prepper families, gathering outside the bunker, gossiping curiously.

"Okay, twelve o'clock, you're ready to roll," Orion says.

I puff out a big breath.

He takes me in his arms and holds me tight. The moment our bodies press together, the slow beat of his big beary heart suffuses me with calm.

"I'll be right here any time you need me, baby," he says. "You're not alone anymore."

"Thank you." I look deep into his eyes, feeling the love flow from him to me and back again. Then I step out from the trees and stride toward the gathering of people, head held high, shoulders back.

"Thank you all for coming," I begin, scanning the familiar and unfamiliar faces. "I called you here to commemorate me winning my father's Alpha challenge."

Everyone looks a little confused.

"A couple of weeks ago, my father dumped us kids in the wilderness, tasking us to make our way back home. I don't think anyone expected me to make it at all—never mind first—but whaddya know? Here I am." I throw my arms wide, and there are a few laughs.

"While I was out in the wilderness, I met my mate—" I indicate Orion. "And I learned a lot from him."

I cast Orion a look. I want him here with me.

He steps up behind me and lays his hands on my shoulders. "Scout accepted the challenge that you presented to her, and she won. Because she's smarter and tougher than the rest of you put together."

From my dad's helpless expression, I can tell that Orion's eyes are boring into him.

"Which makes her your new leader."

My dad's mouth opens, like he's about to say something. Then he drops his head with a conciliatory nod.

"Or, as we say in our world, the Alpha." Orion steps away from me. "Please give a big hand to the new Alpha of the Patterson preppers."

Everyone starts clapping. I can't believe it.

"Scout, is there anything you want to say to mark your first day in new role?"

"Yes." I clasp my hands and step forward, more confident now. "As Alpha of this family, I decree that no one is going to be forced to live the prepper lifestyle anymore." I focus in on my dad. "Dad, you've chosen to spend your life obsessing over something that's probably never going to happen. Can't you see how miserable that's made you? All of you? Instead of enjoying the days you've been given to the full, you're all looking forward to some shittier days. I mean, seriously, if the apocalypse comes, who cares if you're the only survivors. It's gonna be damn lonely.

"And I get that for some people it's a fun hobby and all, filling up your basements with all that nice stuff, but come on, people, live a little!"

I stop talking and a long silence rings out.

Then a small voice from the crowd goes, "yeah!"

Then someone claps.

And someone else.

Suddenly, around half the congregation is clapping and cheering.

Not dad, of course. That would be a giant leap.

But all these people. Who actually hate living this darn wretched lifestyle.

My mom slinks up to me with tears in her eyes. "Well done, honey," she murmurs and throws her arms around me.

Then Owen and Vinny come up, too. "Great work, little sis," Vinny says. "You've got the balls to say what no one else dared to."

"The ovaries, thank you," I say primly, but inside I'm glowing.

I close my eyes for a beat. They haven't been the kind of big brothers a girl could wish for, but they didn't exactly have a good role model to set them on the right track in life.

"C'mere." I beckon to them. "Let's be friends instead of adversaries, huh?" I say, and I pull them all into a group hug.

Owen draws back. "How about I go get some beers?"

"Coming with you," Vinny replies, and the two of them hare off.

They're back soon, and the party kicks off. Alcohol and music have been banned since we came to live in the forest—and by the looks of it, in most prepper households, because everyone is partying like its 2099.

Everyone except for that loser who rejected me. He's standing behind a tree, but I feel his eyes burning into me. I can do that now I've connected with my bear mate. I'm much more aware of my surroundings than I used to be.

"What the fuck?" Orion growls, evidently noticing him at the same moment.

I go to catch his arm, then I stop myself. Remembering the curl of that prick's lip when he rejected me.

A moment later, Orion's got him in a chokehold, and he's beckoning me over.

"This is Derek," he tells me. "He thinks he has some claim on you. Or he did."

I glance at Derek, whose face has turned purple. I frown. "Until you tried to choke the life out of him?"

"Yup," Orion says cheerfully, and I notice that his canines are longer than usual. His bear is having a good time.

"No, he never had a claim on me," I say, smiling pleasantly. "But he did reject my father's offer to sell him my purity."

"He what!?" Orion roars.

"I-I was freaked out, that's all," Derek chokes out. "He fucking surprised me, turning up on the doorstep like that. I didn't know what to say."

"Not exactly how I remember it," I say, curling my lip right back at him.

"You looked real different then, Scout."

"You rejected my girl?" Orion snarls.

"I-I didn't reject her. I mean, look at her, she's fucking hot?—"

A bellow of rage pours from Orion's throat.

I shake my head sadly. "Wrong answer, doofus."

Then I turn on my heel and leave them to it.

I'm chattingto one of the prepper teens when Orion saunters back a few minutes later, hands in his pockets.

"Everything okay?" I say.

"Yup." He shrugs.

"You didn't do anything…?"

"Just sent him home with a piece of my mind." He cracks open a beer and hands it to me.

I slide him a sideways glance. I could interrogate him some more. But the truth is, I don't need to hear anything else. Orion protected me, and that's all I need to know.

I tip the beer back and take my first ever sip.

Urggh.I shudder at the bitter taste.

He laughs. "Might take some getting used to."

"Think I'll stick with soda," I say. Then I think of all those cans of soda he stocked in his fridge, just for me. "Gosh, I miss our place," I blurt out.

Tenderness glows in his eyes, and he strokes my cheek. "I was just thinking the same thing. You about ready to leave?"

I look around. Dad is drinking beer, and busting moves from some best-forgotten era. A bunch of other strait-laced parents look like they're already as drunk as skunks.

"Sure am."

Orion takes a cell phone out of his pocket and starts typing. "Hang tight for fifteen minutes."

I don't ask why. These days I'm starting to love surprises—ever since he taught me that a surprise doesn't mean a giant asteroid plummeting toward the earth. It can be something good, too.

We watchthe party for a little while longer, then Orion grabs my hand. "Okay, let's go."

I look for my mom, tell her we're leaving, and we sneak out, laughing joyously.

In the clearing is a shiny red truck, and standing in front of it is a tall, broad-shouldered woman.

She has the same big dark eyes and thick wavy hair as Orion.

His mom.

My gut tightens. I've been nervous to meet her, worried she'll be disappointed.

But she rushes toward me and grasps my hands in hers. "My dear, you're The One."

"Are you sure?" I blurt out.

She laughs. "I've never been surer of anything. And I've been waiting so long to meet you."

She introduces herself as Nora, but says to feel free to call her mom, or whatever I feel most comfortable with, and insists that I sit beside her in the front passenger seat.

"Mom's just gonna drop us off today," Orion says pointedly. "She's got somewhere she needs to be later."

"That's right, honeybun, but we'll have plenty of time to chat during the journey, don't you worry." She gives Orion a big, cartoonish wink.

She's as good as her word. It takes a couple of hours to get back to Orion's house, and by the time we arrive, I swear Nora knows every last thing about me. Apparently, I'm exactly like the image she got from The Fates. I tell her how much I love the house and all the little touches she thought of, and she exclaims in delight. She's adorable. I see how much she loves Orion, and how happy she is that he's found his mate at last.

She takes a narrow turn off the main road and we pass through a confusing network of dirt tracks, but when we're a few hundred feet from the house, I know. I don't know how; I just sense it in my bones. It's a feeling of yearning, of finding my place in the world.

We take one final turn and the house swings into view. I gasp. It's even more breathtaking than I remember. All flashing glass panels, clean lines, and that welcoming blue-green glow.

Orion jumps out and hugs Nora. "Thanks so much, mom," he says. "Can we invite you for dinner tomorrow?"

"Oh, you'd better!" she pinches his cheek. Then she turns and pulls me into another long hug. "Such a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow."

"Me too!" I say. "I might even manage to cook something nice in that amazing kitchen."

"Your mom is so great," I tell Orion as she drives off.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool," he says, grinning. "Sorry for the third degree though. She was just real excited to meet you."

"Oh, same here. I can't believe how much she knows about me already."

"She's spooky like that. You better get used to it." He puts his arm around my shoulder. "Now, let's go home, my beautiful mate."

It feels different now. Last time I was here, I had this nagging sense of unfinished business. But now, all that's behind us, and I know nothing is going to come between us again.

I stop walking as something occurs to me. "You know something?" I say. "The first time I came here I was unconscious?"

He crooks one of his thick eyebrows. "Sure do. I had to carry you in my arms." He lunges for me, and the next thing I know, he's tossing me over one of his broad shoulders.

"Oh, my god, you carried me like this?" I squeak, from my upside-down position.

"Nope. You weren't my mate then. And, I was kinda worried about you."

"Is this how a bear carries his mate?"

"Oh, yeah," he growls and swats my ass.

Heat surges through my core. Is it wrong that I like being carried around caveman style?

Whatever, I don't care. All I want to do is get indoors, get out of our clothes, and have my big grizzly mate claim me, all night long.