Chapter 3 - Astrid

I staggered into town, clothes torn and covered in dirt. My eye throbbed, and my shoulder screamed. I looked emaciated, as though I had subsisted on very little over the past few days. Which was true. My stomach growled in hunger, and my body ached. As I walked past a shop window, I caught a glimpse of my reflection and confirmed what I already knew: I looked like hell. Which was the point.

I had considered using makeup or faking the injuries in some other way, but I figured a group of ex-special ops would recognize fake injuries in seconds. I'd had to sell the lie that I was really in trouble. So Ansel and a couple of his goons had beaten me up, and I'd walked here on my own for nearly a day.

Several passersby did double takes as I moved deeper into town, heading toward the town square. None of them approached me. I had no idea how to get to Jameson, the alpha and head of the former spec-ops team. I knew he actually lived on one of the mountains nearby, and that was where he conducted his business as alpha. But I couldn't just waltz up there. I needed someone to take me. I just needed to figure out the best option for the job.

As I reached the cobblestone courtyard that made up the town square, my problem was solved for me as my eyes swept across the space and landed on a lean but still toned man with brown hair. His own gaze turned in my direction. He froze when he saw me, eyes widening for a second before hurrying over.

"Are you all right?" His eyes darted over me, assessing each injury, his shoulders back straight with the type of posture you only got from the military. I knew who he was from the files Ansel had given me. Tannen.

"I'm in trouble," I said. My voice cracked, and I winced at my split lip. "I need to see the alpha."

He didn't hesitate. "He works outside town. I'll take you there. I'm Tannen, by the way."

"Astrid."

For a moment, he blinked, as if the name meant something to him or had stirred some memory. He studied me, eyes squinting as if trying to place me. My heart thudded. Was the game already up? Did he somehow know I worked for Ansel?

Except, a second later, the stare stopped. He just nodded. "Come on. Let's get moving. We can have our healer look at you up there, too."

"Thanks," I muttered, not needing to hide the genuine relief I felt at the thought of getting a medic to look at me.

He didn't ask any questions as he took me through town to his car and drove me to the largest mansion I had ever seen. No wonder the alpha liked to work from home instead of going down to the village every day, if this was the type of place he lived in.

Tannen opened the car door for me, holding out his hand to help me out before leading me to the front door. He didn't bother knocking, just turned the handle and it swung open.

"Wait out here," he told me before dipping inside.

A moment later, a large, dark-haired shifter arrived at the door with Tannen. Again, another face I recognized from the descriptions Ansel had given me. He looked me up and down, face going grim as he took in the battered appearance before twisting into sympathy and concern.

"Hey," he said, his tone gentle. "I'm Jameson, the alpha. Tannen said you wanted to talk to me."

I nodded. "Some people are after me. I just stumbled into town. I don't really know where I am, so I was hoping you'd be able to help."

Tannen and Jameson exchanged glances of worry before turning back.

"You're in Brixton, home of the Obsidian Pack," Jameson said. "You're safe here. Come on inside. We'll get one of our guys to take a look at you. Klyte's the best healer for miles, so you'll be in good hands. Once things have settled down, you can tell us what's going on."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"There are some guys over," he explained. "I'll take you to a private room, okay?"

I nodded. As I stepped into the hallway, my heart thundered. Was he here? I couldn't pick out his scent, but there were at least a half dozen shifters in the house, making it hard to figure out. I wasn't sure if him being here would be better or worse. I knew I would have to face him eventually. That was the whole reason I was here. But having a day to get settled and figure out a plan wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either.

So why the hell was my heart pounding like a schoolgirl's? It was embarrassing. At one point, I thought I caught a whiff of his scent: the rich scent of maple wood. My stomach lurched at the memory, my pulse racing excitedly as my wolf stirred with interest. I was certain I would turn around to find him right behind me.

But the smell was gone a moment later, and there was no one behind me.

As we moved through the halls, I could hear laughter emanating from one of the rooms. Again, my heart began working overtime, and I was positive I would see him any second now. We passed a doorway, and I got a peek into a massive living room where several shifters were sitting. Scanning the group, I didn't see him.

The relief that washed over me mixed with surprising disappointment. It wasn't until that moment that I realized that, much to my surprise and my annoyance, I'd been looking forward to seeing Rand.

I shoved the thought away. I was here for one reason and one reason only. I wasn't going to get sidetracked. And if this was how I was going to react at the mere thought of seeing him, then it was probably a good thing he wasn't here right now. I needed to focus. I couldn't let him get the better of me. Not again.

I turned to follow Jameson, and then—

"Astrid?"

My head shot up. Rand stood in the hall, beer grasped in his hand and his mouth open as he looked me up and down. My heart thundered, and my breath caught in my throat. Fuck. He was still hot. He still towered over everyone else, making them look small by comparison. Still muscular in a way that complimented his frame. He'd cut his sandy brown hair short, and a five o'clock shadow covered a strong jaw and chin. Tattoos that I remembered tracing with my fingers ran up and down his arms.

My mouth went dry, and my stomach lurched. For a brief moment, all I could think about was how his hands on me used to feel, the way they would run up and down my body, caressing me.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Idiot. I hated him. I was here for revenge, not to ogle at him. I had hoped that seeing him would only make me angrier, reminding me of all the reasons I was justified in wanting revenge.

Instead, seeing him brought back other memories. His scent filled my nose. My wolf stirred with interest, remembering the scent of the wolf she'd once thought was her mate. But instead of being angry or hurt by betrayal, she was happy. She'd missed Rand and was pushing at me, urging me to get closer.

I stared in stupefied silence for a long moment while Tannen and Jameson looked on in confusion.

"Rand?" I sputtered. "What are you doing here?"

He seemed to take in my entire appearance, the bruises and split lip. He bristled and let out a low growl. "I could ask you the same question," he fired back. He turned to Jameson and Tannen. "What's going on? Who the hell did that to her? Someone in town?"

Jameson didn't answer, just looked between us. "You know each other?" he asked.

Rand jerked his head at me. "We used to date," he explained.

I let out a genuine snort of annoyance. Glad to know that's what our relationship boiled down to in his memory.

He met my gaze and raised his eyebrow. "Well, we did," he pointed out.

"Sure," I said. "Though you forgot the part where you dumped me by—"

"Let's hold off on hashing out the thorny issues," Jameson interjected.

"Wait, that Astrid?" Tannen's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Rand.

Rand nodded, eyes locked on me now. Something primal lurked in his eyes, something that made me flush all over. Which just made me angrier. I shouldn't be having this reaction to him. I shouldn't want to jump his bones after everything.

"Right." Jameson tried to get control of the situation again. He guided me over to a closed door, Rand following close behind. "You stay in here, Astrid. I'll go get Klyte."

"I can stay with her." Rand stepped to the door.

"I'd rather you didn't," I retorted. "I'm more than capable of staying in a locked room by myself for a handful of minutes."

His eyes narrowed. "But—"

"The longer you two argue, the longer it is before we can get Klyte," Tannen pointed out.

Rand grumbled, folding his massive arms but not arguing. "Go get him, then," he said. "I'll wait outside if I have to."

I rolled my eyes. In another life, his protectiveness might have been sweet. Now, it just made me bristle.

Jameson closed the door behind me, leaving me in a tidy office with a massive window that looked out on a lake, frozen over in the winter cold. For a moment, I stared out, admiring the beauty and tranquility, then I snapped to. I had a job to do, and access to what was presumably Jameson's office. I shouldn't waste the opportunity.

I hurried to the desk, skimming through the documents there. But after a couple of minutes, before I could really get searching, an argument broke out outside of the office.

"I'm going in there with you," Rand's voice said on the other side of the door.

"You sure that's wise?" Tannen asked. "If you ask me, she didn't really seem all that pleased to see you."

"So? My ex shows up with a bunch of bruises and a hurt arm, and you don't expect me to want to find out more."

"I just think it would be better if—"

"Fuck that."

"Rand, for once, stop being a stubborn ass," a new voice drawled.

"I'm going in there. You want to try and stop me?"

"Considering I've been asked to check on a patient, I'd rather have all my limbs intact," the voice retorted. "And I think you would, too."

Rand grumbled. "I'm still going in."

"Rand—"

"Just let him. He's going to listen at the door, anyway," Tannen said. "Which, by the way, pretty sure she's been able to hear everything for the past couple of minutes."

A sigh, and then the doorknob turned. Jameson stepped in, along with a lean, sharp-faced man clutching a medicine bag. Rand entered next, followed by Tannen.

"Do you mind?" Jameson asked, gesturing at the entourage. But I knew what he was really asking.

"Even if I said no, he'd stay," I said. "He's stubborn like that."

"Some things never change," the new guy said cheerily. He had the same voice as the new one I'd heard outside. He came to crouch next to me. "I'm Klyte. Jameson wanted me to take a look at you."

"Astrid."

"So I've heard." His lips quirked upward. "Rather loudly. All right, I'm going to roll up your sleeve here and get a better look at it."

"What happened?" Rand demanded.

I shot him a look, then launched into my story. "I'm really not sure," I said. "I was out hunting and got grabbed by a group of shifters."

"Any idea why?" Rand asked.

I pursed my lips. "If the questions they asked me were any indication, they seemed to think I knew one of the Silver Wolves. Specifically you."

Everyone in the room stilled. Even Klyte, who had been working meticulously since he got here, stopped and looked up at me.

"I'd heard you'd gone military. I didn't think you'd gone spec ops," I said conversationally.

Rand had paled, eyes wide with shock. For once, he lost the ability to speak.

"What sort of questions did they ask you?" Jameson asked.

"How many people, what sort of defenses, how often Rand visited me." I raised an eyebrow at him. He met my gaze without flinching. "I told them they were full of shit and their intel was years out of date, but they didn't believe me. They said even if you hadn't, I'd be good leverage."

A look passed between all of them, as if they already had a suspicion as to who was responsible for the attack. The back of my neck prickled, and for a moment, I wondered if my entire story was about to be picked apart.

"Anyway, I managed to escape," I said. "They didn't expect me to put up much of a fight, so I managed to get out when they were bringing me food. I was so freaked out that I just ran with the plan of stopping at the first pack I came across." I gestured vaguely. "Which happened to be this one."

"Jeez," Tannen mumbled. He glanced at Jameson. "Are you thinking…?" he trailed off, apparently not needing to finish his sentence. The alpha seemed to know what he meant.

"It's likely," Jameson answered. "But there's only one way to know for certain." The alpha came to stand in front of me. "I know you've been through a lot, and I wish I could wait to ask you some of these questions, but we don't have that kind of time."

"Jameson, give her some…" Rand trailed off when the alpha stared him down. He wasn't happy about it, but he listened.

"Just a couple questions for now," Jameson said, turning back to me. "First off, do you know where they were keeping you?"

I shook my head. "Somewhere westish of here, maybe a day or so out. I didn't keep track of time, but I did run through the night."

"As a wolf?"

"For a bit. Until my arm started hurting too much to run on it.'

"When they were interrogating you, did they give any names or mention anyone?"

I screwed up my face as if trying to remember. "They talked about a gray wolf a few times," I said. "It sounded like he was their leader, but they didn't say his actual name."

At the words "gray wolf," all of the men tensed. Shock rippled through them, flicking across their faces.

"I'm guessing that means something to you?" I said.

"It might," Jameson hedged. "Are you sure they said Gray Wolf?"

I nodded.

"Fuck," Rand muttered.

I tried to keep my face blank, not wanting to give away that I knew more than I was letting on. Instead, I furrowed my brow.

"Could one of you please tell me who this guy is?" I asked, glancing around.

"A dangerous criminal," Tannen explained. "The kind of guy you don't want to mess with. The Wolf's Council just asked us to look into him, actually."

My spine prickled. That was news to me. "He's that dangerous?" I asked.

"Ignoring what his crew did to you, yes," Tannen said. "The council's tracked a few deaths to him, including a few in Aspen a few weeks ago."

Multiple deaths? That didn't make sense. There had only been the one.

"If he's going after people like Astrid, he's escalating," Rand growled. "We have to do something."

"We will," Jameson promised. He looked over at me. "Don't worry. You're safe here."

Something uncomfortably close to guilt began to squirm in my stomach.