14. Deacon

Faint voices filter past my foggy brain as I try to identify them. They're muffled, but both sound irritated, and, based on the chill resting on my skin, we're deeper in the forest where the sun isn't infiltrating enough to bring up the temperature.

Quickly, I attempt to reach my wolf to find him as dazed as I am.

Well, shit, this wasn't what I was expecting.

The slow movement I feel rocking my body makes breathing difficult, and I realize someone's carrying me over their shoulder. Adjusting my arms slightly, I feel a light tension as if I'm tied up, but not very well. Repeating the process with my ankles, I find they remain unrestricted.

"Rod said his spot is just behind this outcropping." The voice underneath me says, his words more clear now as the meds wear off.

"There's no way he's going to make it all the way back to the site in time. Fuck finding his partner. There's just too much land to cover without his wolf. Why'd Rod move his so far?" a voice a little further away asks, exertion evident in his panting.

"This one's a Marlo," he responds, his voice vibrating through my ribcage as he continues slowly to our destination.

"I thought Rod told that pack they couldn't send anyone else from that bloodline after the poor excuse for an Alpha they sent a few years ago."

My wolf stirs beneath my skin, poised to take over, and I fight back a growl as my automatic defense of my brother rises within me.

"Well, they didn't listen, so he's going to make it so the kid can't stay. Now, help me get the area set up. He shouldn't be awake for another hour, but I want to be long gone when he does."

Guess you all miscalculated on that dosage.

My body is jostled off the man's shoulder and set on the frozen ground with little regard. Footsteps sound walking away from my position, and I peek out to see the retreating backside of a pair of faded jeans and work boots.

It's still daylight; based on the cold, it's still early morning. The ground has a thin layer of icy snow that crunches loudly with each step he takes. His partner, a smaller, younger man, follows idly, not looking back in my direction.

Not sure if they are arrogant or stupid, but I'm leaning toward stupid.

They obviously aren"t very highly ranked, or they wouldn't be on shit duty dropping cadets off in the middle of the forest. I wait until no sound reaches me before I jump up, landing on unsteady legs, and quickly scan the area, looking for any sign of my belongings, already missing the picture of Grace I have in my bag.

Nothing.

Fuck. They didn't bring my luggage with them.

Not daring to step anywhere outside of the footprints the men left behind, I search the trail as far as I risk. Returning to the drop spot, I lay down and await their return. The men's voices reach me long before they do.

"Why are we even leaving him a map if Rod doesn't want him to make it? Wouldn't it be easier just to leave him out here?"

"Because he can't fuck with the validity of the retreat, Otis. Not giving him the map gives him reason to dispute the ejection. If he doesn't make it there, it"s valid. Besides, Rod made sure his partner was the last-minute addition, so he will probably end up at the bottom of the pit, which means not only do they have the farthest to travel, but Marlo will have to go five and a half miles in the opposite direction to go save the new kid before having to double back toward the training camp while avoiding all the obstacles along the way."

"What if he does make it?"

Yeah, assholes. What's the plan when I make it?

My patience is waning, and I struggle to stay human so I don't tear their throats out. My wolf is no longer hard to reach; he simmers beneath my skin, ready.

"He won't. Rod double-dosed him, so he'll be out longer than the rest. That, coupled with the lame partner and extended distance, should be just enough to seal his fate. Dump his bag over there. Empty it. That will waste a few more minutes." He laughs, and I hear the contents of my meticulously packed bag tumble to the ground.

"Is Irene making lasagna for tonight? I haven't had a good home-cooked meal since we started set up for this shit three weeks ago?" One man asks, changing the subject from me to trivial matters.

Just leave. I have shit to do.

The voices begin to lower as their footsteps take them back in the opposite direction toward the vehicle I assume they came in.

"Yeah, she's made extra for everyone. You and Rick should join us."

After what feels like forever, they move far enough from my range that I can move without detection. I waste no time, popping up and quickly repacking my gear, making sure to double- and triple-check that Grace's photo is not only there but also safe.

Once everything is back in place, I examine the half-page map left for me, identifying the star on the map that indicates where my teammate is.

My ‘last-minute addition' teammate that they believe to be a considerable hindrance. Well, I'm just going to have to hope that my early wake-up is enough to make up the time I'll lose.

I guess they didn't hear the story of my Awakening.

It wasn't until years after that day that one of the elder council let slip the information that my ceremony was the first recorded Awakening with a newly gifted wolf to regain consciousness in under ten minutes. Most wolves are out for the better part of an hour. Fast transitions ranged around thirty minutes, so the seven and half minutes I was unconscious was not only rare, it was unheard of.

It certainly made my father"s reaction that much more understandable.

They predicted that the strength of my wolf was the reason, and the fact that I could defy his Alpha command, even as a newly turned, only backed that theory.

Guess his pride is my benefit today.

After some analysis, I determine the general direction to head to find my partner and take off at a jog, my eyes scanning furiously for anything that seems out of place while tapping into my wolf's heightened sense of smell to identify any area with shifters nearby. They said we couldn't shift, not that we couldn't use our wolves. Let's call it a gray area.

They want me to fail. Well then, I'm going to bust my ass to not only get there but to be first. Now, I just need to hope The Fates are on my side, and this guy isn't a complete waste of space. Based on the time on the watch in my bag, it's only 9:40 am. I have about fourteen hours.

Game on, Rod.