18. Rhyson

18

Rhyson

Desperately, I looked at Tessa. She and I were the only wolves still standing. If I went after Maya, I'd be leaving her, along with three wounded wolves. I couldn't do that.

But I also couldn't let that creature take Maya.

"I'll get them conscious. Go. We'll follow your tracks," Tessa ordered. I was still torn. "Damn it, Rhyson, go. If he wanted her dead, he would have killed her immediately. He wants something else. You know that. Don't let it happen. Bring her back. I can protect them here."

Letting my wolf take over, I turned and raced after Maya. The monster was fucking bigger than it should have been, but it left a trail that was beyond easy to follow.

How had this creature managed to sneak up on us anyway?

We'd been tracking a wild boar when Juniper was plucked up and tossed into me like she was a bowling ball and I was the pin. Nash got in a few good licks, and then it started running straight to our camp. Dante managed to get ahead of it, for all the good it did.

Seeing Maya, in human form, taunt that monster may have shaved decades off my life. She'd stood there with a flaming log and a smart mouth, and he could have killed her with one swoop of his claws.

He nearly had. I could still smell her blood.

Carrying her to the river, he dropped her on the bank and waded into the river. Pausing, I stayed in the shadows and tried to assess the situation. Maya wasn't stirring. In the water, the monster clumsily started trying to wash himself. Blood ran off him, and he grunted.

When his back was turned, I crept forward to check on Maya. Relief swept over me when I saw her flanks moving up and down.

Her shift was too slow to risk right now. I nudged her head with mine, but she didn't stir. Without any other choice, I shifted and picked her up. Draping her over my shoulders, I straightened just as the monster turned. Gritting my teeth, I unleashed my power and reached for his wolf. "She's mine," I called out. "And I won't let her go while I'm still alive."

He rumbled from the river and started to emerge.

I pushed more power, and that's when I found it. There was a wolf beneath that monster, but it was crazed. I tried to take control, and for a moment, I had it. "Shift," I commanded it. "Show me who you are."

With a grunt, he fell to his knees, and for a moment, I thought I had it, and then the wolf's panic hit me like a freight train. My command had unknowingly tipped him over the edge. He wanted to shift.

He couldn't.

"Easy." I struggled to keep my own wolf calm as his wail rattled my head. He charged from the river, and I braced myself.

Then, six wolves leaped from the shadows and threw themselves at the creature. They brought it down, and I crouched over Maya.

Finally, a wolf turned and shifted. An older man emerged slowly and walked over to me. "Easy, pup," he said quietly. "We're not here for you. We've been hunting Trevor for days. I'm sorry we got here too late. Your girl okay?"

"She'll be okay," I said tensely.

"I left a few wolves with your other woman, to protect them," the man said with his hands up in submission. "We have a camp not far from here. We can help you treat your wounded. It's the least we can do. Trevor was our fault."

"What do you mean?"

"My name is Gideon. Trevor is one of my wolves. I lost him days ago. I take that personally."

Trevor was one of his wolves? Hierarchy among the rogues?

I calculated my odds. Gideon sounded like he was willing to let me pick Maya up and carry her away, but if he wasn't, then I'd have my hands full with Maya and unable to defend myself or her. And Tessa was all alone with strange wolves.

That wasn't a risk I was about to take.

Slowly, I picked Maya back up again. "I appreciate your help."

About two miles up the mountain, we entered Gideon's settlement. Once again, I was shocked by the construction and feel of the area. We'd always assumed that the rogues here were spending more time as wolves, but these wood cabins were even more impressive than the human settlement. It wasn't as well-protected, but given the werewolves I saw roaming the perimeter, they had their own protection.

A guard. My wolf growled at the thought. Were they armed? Did Gideon have his own militia? Was I carrying an unconscious Maya into an even more dangerous area?

The radio on his belt crackled, and Gideon picked it up. It was just like the fucking radios on the wolves who'd attacked us when we first arrived. My mind was uneasy with the connection, but I reminded myself that we were at least a week's travel from that area. It made sense that if one group had radios, even more would have them.

"Your people are only a few minutes behind us. One is unconscious, but the others seem fine," Gideon said kindly as he slowed down. "We have a few empty cabins that you can use to rest for now, but we should take her straight to a healer."

"Where do you get the electricity to charge the radios?" I asked without thinking.

"Solar panels and generators. Same as everyone else," he said easily and took a sharp left. Both wolves and humans stopped when they saw Gideon and bowed their heads. He almost always bowed back as he passed.

"You're an alpha."

Gideon gave me a strange side look, and I realized that by voicing my questions, I was talking like an outsider. "Of course not. We're not big enough to be a pack, and I wouldn't want to be a part of one, let alone lead one. We're a community. We take care of each other. Here we go."

Walking up to one of the buildings, he opened the door and walked in. I followed him, watching Maya's chest rise and fall with each breath. She was still bleeding a little too much, but her breath was steadier. "Shit. Darla, where is Mason?" Gideon barked.

A young teenager, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, sauntered out of the room until she saw Maya in my arms, and she immediately stiffened. "Dad got called away about an hour ago. Paisley returned."

Gideon swore under his breath, but I cleared my throat. "One of my own is a healer. If she's just a few minutes away, I just need a room for her. Preferably a private one."

"You can put her in the infirmary."

I shook my head. "No offense, and I am grateful to you, but I'm not leaving her here in your infirmary. You said you had some cabins we can use?"

"Can't fault you for that," he grunted. "Yeah. Come with me. Darla, get some of your dad's supplies and follow us."

His radio crackled again, and his guards confirmed that my wolves had entered the camp. "Good timing. Come with me."

It was another ten-minute walk to the empty cabins. Gideon opened the door, and I set Maya down on the bed and checked her pulse. It was steady. A few minutes later, the door opened again, and I turned, but it was just the teenager. She dropped a few things down on the desk and turned to stare at us. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to my neck. With everything that had happened, I'd forgotten the damn amulet. At least it had stayed around my neck.

"Darla, mind your own business," Gideon growled. Rolling her eyes, the teenager stomped away. "Sorry about that. There's a handful of teenagers in our camp, and they're all so damn surly and moody. They're driving us all insane."

"It's all right." I tucked the amulet into my shirt. "It's good of them to be observant and curious."

The door crashed open, and Duke raced in, a growl in his throat. He stopped immediately when he saw me and relaxed, but I could see the tension in his eyes. He'd made the same decision I had: to go with the strangers and hope to be reunited. "She dead?" he asked shortly.

"She better not be," Tessa growled behind him. "They're putting Dante in the cabin next door. You can go check on him, but there's nothing else I can do for him until he shifts again. He's healing well. Did you see what he did to her?"

"No. I lost sight of them until I saw her by the river. She was already unconscious," I said tightly.

"All right, give me some space to do an exam. What are the chances you guys have an X-ray machine here?"

"We did, but one of our wolves went ballistic and broke it about six months ago. Haven't been able to get a new one yet." Gideon sighed. "We miss it."

"All right, everyone out."

I was not about to leave Tessa and Maya alone again. Not after what had just happened. Juniper stepped into the corner and nodded to me. She'd stay.

I walked out, and Gideon surprised me by giving me a quick smile. "I'll let you guys regroup. I need to see about this Paisley situation and see where the hell my healer is. Here, take this. You can use it to get whatever your healer needs. I'll check back in less than an hour."

True to his word, Dante was next door. Nash was guarding his bed, a fierce look on his face when Duke and I walked in. "What the fuck was that?" Nash demanded. "What the fuck is this?"

"This is a settlement. I have no idea what that was, but I have a feeling that Gideon does, and I intend to ask once I get my bearings." I stared down at Dante. The wolf's chest was moving up and down. Placing my hand on his chest, I reached my power out to connect with them. Immediately, his wolf warmed under me, and I nodded to Nash, giving him some peace of mind. "He's good. He's almost mended and will shift back to human."

"What the hell is this mountain hiding? What if we can't take it?" Nash sighed as he slumped by his friend.

It was not the first time I'd thought that. "We were caught by surprise. That won't happen again."

Guilt rose up in me. My attention was divided. I'd been concerned about leaving Maya behind. I should have detected that thing long before it reached us. I needed to get my head in the game. All of my wolves were willing to sacrifice themselves for my revenge, but I'd never intended to let them do it.

They would all walk out of here, even if I had to die to make sure that happened.

A loud crashing noise had us all jumping to our feet. "Nash, stay here," I ordered as I flew to the door just as Tessa crashed it open. There was a frantic look on her face.

"It's Maya," she gasped. "She shifted while unconscious. I think she's gone feral. You have to hurry. She's going to kill Juniper!"