The pack started piling into the vans, and Kaden stalked toward me and Mira. He grabbed each of us by the arm and shoved us inside the van we stood in front of, then slammed the door shut. This van was the kind you used to transport things and had no windows looking out, and no seats in the back. Our area was closed off from the rest of the van, so I couldn’t even see who was driving. In fact, it looked like more of a prison than anything else. Dammit, I thought. Not again.
The click of the lock confirmed my suspicions. We were prisoners, or maybe just a step up from that. The van shuddered to a start, and I was thrown to the floor as whoever was driving took off at top speed. I stayed down and pressed my head to the floor. I was a captive, again, and it stung more than ever because it was my own pack that was locking me up. I could understand why Kaden would be a little hesitant to trust me after seeing me willingly leaving with Jordan, but if he'd given me even a second to talk to him, I would have explained everything.
Why did Kaden come after me if he was just going to treat me like a prisoner?
I glanced over at Mira, who was slumped against the wall, her eyes closed. The run to the van had taken the rest of her strength, and we both needed time to heal. At least we were together, and we were getting away from the Leos and the Sun Witches. We were better off with the Ophiuchus pack, even if they treated us like dangerous criminals. It hurt knowing they didn't trust me, but once I explained everything, they'd let us go. I was still a member of their pack, dammit.
Wasn't I?
Chapter Eleven
Hours passed. I’d tried to stay awake at first, thinking we’d only go a little way and then Kaden would come and talk, but no such luck. We drove, and drove, and eventually, I fell asleep. My body was tired, hurt, and the adrenaline had finally worn off, leaving me with bone-aching weariness and a body desperately trying to heal itself.
When I woke next, it was to the back of the van being opened. Both Mira and I sat up in expectation, and I held my breath, but it wasn’t Kaden who opened the door. In fact, I didn’t recognize this member of the Ophiuchus pack. He looked vaguely familiar, probably someone I’d seen around the town, but I’d never talked to him.
“Get out,” he said, and there was more hostility in his voice than I’d expected. I climbed out, squinting as I took in the landscape. We were no longer in the desert, but it didn’t look like the forest of the Ophiuchus pack lands either. I clearly hadn’t been out for that long.
I turned and helped Mira down, and then turned back to the male shifter. He crossed his arms as he looked at both of us and then motioned to the gas station we’d stopped at. “One of the females is going to take you to the bathroom, and you’ll be provided with food. Don’t even think about running.”
I gave him a bewildered look. “Why would I run? I’m back with my pack.”
Something in the male’s jaw twitched. “Just go.”
Another shifter motioned us forward, a female. I’d talked to her before, and remembered she was one of the mothers of the cubs that Stella taught, but I couldn’t remember her name. She didn’t look at me as we walked through the gas station. Where was Harper? Or Jack? Or Kaden, for that matter?
The place was deserted except for the cashier, who stared at us as we walked by. I wondered what we looked like, two battered young females being led by a tough-looking older female. He didn’t say a single thing, despite his looks.
Mira and I took turns in the bathroom, and when I got inside, I was shocked at my reflection in the mirror. I’d almost forgotten that I was still wearing that goddamn see-through dress, although at least my bruises had faded and my black eye was mostly gone. No wonder the gas station attendant stared at us when we walked in.
I turned away, used the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face. When I came out, the female shifter silently led us back out to the van, where the male who had opened the door was waiting with sandwiches that looked like they’d been purchased from the gas station inside. He shoved them into our hands, and I tore into mine quickly. I hadn’t eaten anything in over a day, and I was starving.
I took the time to look around. A few of the other cars and vans were stopped, with over a dozen Ophiuchus pack shifters milling around, talking quietly. I tried desperately to find a familiar friendly face and spotted Harper standing with Dane and Jack. I gave them a little wave, and they shot me a wary look, before getting back in their van. What the hell?
“Back in the van,” the male shifter said. "It's time to go."
I climbed inside and he handed me some water bottles. I started to ask him where Kaden was, but before I could, he slammed the door in my face and locked it again. I glanced over at Mira, who shrugged her shoulders. I smiled at her, but it probably wasn’t very convincing. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”
"I'm sure it'll all get worked out soon," Mira said, patting my arm. "They're just being extra careful since they don't know what the Leos have done to you. Or the Sun Witches, for that matter."
I nodded, hoping she was right. As the van started up, I sighed and leaned back against the wall, and we were off again. I tried to stay awake so that I could get a feel for what time it was, but the lack of things to do soon had me falling asleep again.
When I woke, it was to mountains. We were out in the middle of nowhere, in the forest, but not one that I knew. All the trees were different, and the mountains didn’t look like the ones I was used to.
“Where are we?” I asked as I jumped out of the van. My body was almost fully healed, and I felt more like myself again.
“Outside Pueblo, Colorado,” the shifter said, surprising me with the specificity. “We’re in the middle of the San Isabel National Forest, and you won’t be getting anywhere if you decide to run. Nearest town is over fifty miles away and it’s bear country here. I hear they’re a bit hungry this year since winter ran long.” He shoved a tent into my hands. “Happy camping.”
“You think I’d be dumb enough to run in the middle of a forest I don’t know? Also, why would I run?” I glared at him. “Tell me where Kaden is. I need to talk to him.”
The shifter’s lip curled, and he looked ready to say something back when another car came barreling toward us on the dirt road, kicking up dust. It stopped, and Kaden got out. I perked up, but when he saw me, his moody expression didn’t change, and he immediately walked into the trees.
I sighed and turned to Mira. “Let's set up the tent.”
It only took us a few minutes, since we'd had some experience with camping back in the Cancer pack lands. The tent was barely big enough for the two of us, but another shifter left us some sleeping bags, and I found myself excited to sleep out under the stars after being held under lock and key for so long.
The sun was setting over the mountains, casting a deep shadow into the valley, when Harper brought back firewood that she’d foraged for around the campsite. I cornered her as she was putting it down.
"What's going on?" I asked her. "Why is everyone treating me like an enemy?"