13. Into the Grasslands

Chapter 13

Into the Grasslands

THORIN

My eyes would not stay open. The other women on the bus had long since given in to sleep. Thorin must have noticed my struggle. He leaned in and placed his hand over mine in my lap. "I promise you are safe. No harm will come to you or the women of your pack, Nika. Please, get some rest."

I stared at him and wondered if it would be okay to take a break and close my eyes. It felt like I had done little of that over the past few months that I'd been left on the island. Unfortunately, my time there had left a mark on my soul and my faith was not easily placed in others any longer.

"I vow to the Goddess Selene that you and your people are safe with us. No harm will come to you. It hurts my heart to know that you don't trust my words on their own, but know that my vow is real. Should any harm come to you, may Selene and the other gods strike me down and deliver you to a more deserving mate."

It was the last bit that made me nod in agreement. Despite Aiden being daft enough to give me up, I didn't think Thorin fell in the same category as my former potential mate. Besides, pure exhaustion would take me at any moment. At least this way, I had a promise backed by a vow to the Goddess herself.

"Can you make sure I am awake at least an hour before we get to your pack's land?"

"I will see to it that you are." He glanced toward the back of the bus. "If you would be more comfortable, you could lay across the seats in the back and stretch out."

"I'm fine right here," I explained before I moved around to get comfortable.

"It's like you have an internal radar. I was just about to wake you." I tilted my head back to see that Thorin stood in the aisle beside me.

"Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "Just went to have a talk with the driver to make sure we were on schedule. There's a little over an hour left of the drive." He chuckled and ducked his head almost shyly, which didn't feel real when combined with Thorin's mountain man vibe.

"Thanks for keeping your word." I glanced over at Janella and did a quick headcount of the other women as well. Everything seemed fine until Thorin laughed again. "What?"

"You didn't give me a chance to keep my word to wake you. That's why I laughed a minute ago. You woke up on your own before I could even attempt to rouse you."

"Oh," my face flamed red for some reason. It might have been because Thorin's voice made my body hum with anticipation. It could have been because he was so damn sexy. But then again, it might have just been because he had a decent sense of humor, despite the fact his moon-blessed mate didn't trust him at all. I forgot in my quest to make sure that the women and I were okay, that Thorin was a person with feelings too. I couldn't imagine finding my mate and realizing I had an uphill battle to climb with them because of the damage another person had done.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Why?"

"This probably isn't the way you thought it would go when you found your moon-blessed mate."

"I honestly had no expectations, Nika. I am probably about ten years older than you. Truthfully, there was a time when I searched for my mate, but never found one. The only place I hadn't looked was on that damn island, and you wouldn't have been there back when I looked high and low anyway."

"You thought you didn't have a moon-blessed mate?" I questioned.

He nodded his answer and then sat in the seat beside me again. "I've often wondered if my mate had been killed or I don't know… Typically we find our mates within a couple years of our final transitions. When that didn't happen for me, I gave up on the idea of ever finding her - you."

I glanced out the window again and smiled. "There's snow on the ground," I announced, as if he hadn't just told me that he had given up on finding his mate. I understood. It was rare that there was a large age gap between fated mates. It made me wonder if he was a second-choice mate because his original fated had died, as he feared. Maybe, Selene knew he needed a mate, and that Aiden would prove to be a shitty choice for me.

"This is all so confusing," I admitted as I stared at the snow. Part of me needed the distraction because thinking about the possibilities that existed for me and both of my potential mates was daunting. "Did you know that it doesn't snow on Mirage Island? The temperature stays unusually mild, there are rarely storms that breach its shores, though we did get plenty of rain to keep the freshwater reservoir filled."

"Are you saying that the island really is held together by a strange magic?" He asked.

"I think so. How else would you explain the way women are held prisoner there unless a man comes to collect them?"

"What do you mean? Have women come to the island to try?"

"There were stories passed around the island amongst the women, that someone's mother and sister once came to rescue them. The women drowned in the attempt. That was just one story. Women cannot traverse Mirage Lake without a man to escort them." I gave a stilted, humorless laugh before I amended my statement. "Well, they can come to the island, but they can't leave again without a mishap that takes their lives, or a man there to pluck them from the prison."

"That is good information to know, so we can have the council look into it. If they find that magic was used, there's a chance the island will be abolished." Thorin appeared thoughtful on the matter before he turned back to me. "There may still be snow on the ground when we get to the Grasslands Pack. We had a late dusting, but it should be the last for the year as it is late in the season. If any of your people need coats we can provide them before you disembark. I would prefer that no one shift into their wolf for heat until we have been able to do a proper pack introduction."

"That is understandable. Thank you."

I watched the scenery out the window, and Thorin was correct, the snow grew patchier in spots the closer we got to his pack, as if the sun that started to rise from the east had already worked to warm the earth and melt it away. The tension on the bus ratcheted up, which led the other women who had been freed from the island to wake up and take notice too.

"We'll be crossing into the Grasslands Pack territory very soon." Thorin projected his voice so that it carried to all the occupants of the bus as if he had a microphone attached to him. "For those of you who are not officially members of the pack, you may feel a slight bit of discomfort when we cross the border." He glanced down at my seat mate then. "I'm not sure if you remember anything like that from before, but there will be a zinging, electrical feel to your skin and it might raise the hair on your bodies as well. I wanted you to be aware, in case you had never experienced the sensation."

"Thank you," I whispered to him. "I completely forgot about it. Rather, I forgot that some might not have experienced it before. I should have prepared them for that."

Janella grabbed my hand and squeezed. "You can't possibly warn me of everything I might experience that will be different from the island. There will be too much." She glanced up at Thorin then. "Please, have patience with me as I work my way through trying to be civilized for the first time."

"You have nothing to worry about, Janella. You will be welcomed into my pack as if you are family returning to the fold. We are blessed to have a doctor that deals with wolves who have suffered great traumas. If ever you feel the need to confide in someone, or to try to work through what happened, or even attempt memory regression, I can get you set up with him."

Janella shook her head. "I don't want that but thank you for the offer."

"It's just something to think about in case you change your mind."

"Her wolf is healthy and whole," I explained because I didn't want the Alpha of the pack to think less of my friend. She had been instrumental in keeping me alive on that island so that he could find us. For that, we both owed Janella a debt of gratitude - possibly even a life debt considering how she attacked that rogue in my defense.