Austin removed his boot and shook out a small pebble that had been lodged in the heel for the past mile.
Anyone captured with a Packmaster was in imminent danger, but it hadn’t made for an easy decision to separate from his life mate, knowing he wouldn’t be there to protect her. The more distance he put between them, the safer she’d be—especially if he could lure the rogues in the opposite direction. Despite orders, most Shifters would hesitate before killing a woman and would rather take them into their pack as concubines. That hesitation would offer Lexi an opportunity to overthrow the enemy or at least survive a little longer if captured. He’d given April orders to stay with Lexi since April had impressed him with her Mage skills over the past several months.
Wheeler sat down hard in a pile of leaves and leaned against a tree. “Damn,” he said, out of breath. “Is anyone keeping count anymore? I stopped at thirty-two.”
“Doesn’t matter at this point.” Austin pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Reno, who was busy hiding bodies.
“I could use a cold beer,” Wheeler said, wiping blood off his pants with a leaf. “It’s only day two, and I feel like we’ve been living out here for weeks. Reminds me of my time in captivity; stuck with nothing but your thoughts to pass the time.”
Austin wiped the sweat off his brow. “Hopefully the assholes trying to kill our pack are keeping you entertained.”
Naya’s black panther slinked into sight and fell across Wheeler’s legs, lapping her rough tongue against the palm of his hand.
“What did I tell everyone about shifting?” Austin reminded him.
Wheeler patted Naya’s belly, and she began to purr. “Mayhap you only ordered us not to shift into our wolves, and Naya here doesn’t qualify.”
“You know what I meant.”
Wheeler arched an eyebrow. “That any way to talk about the woman who single-handedly took on two Northerners firing at everyone with a semiautomatic? I think some of us owe her a little gratitude, but that’s just my opinion.”
And that was before Naya had shifted into her panther. Austin lured the men toward one of their traps, and three fell to their death. The archers picked off a few who had scattered, but when two men with endless ammo began firing, Austin realized they were in over their heads. Naya shot one of the men and then crept up on the other from behind. Her shot wasn’t true, so when he fell to the ground, he fired his gun, and the bullet struck her in the leg. Wheeler moved in fast and finished the guy off, but after Naya shifted to heal, her panther smelled blood and took control.
Judas had failed in thinking that numbers were enough. You couldn’t just assemble a group of strangers and expect them to work as a true pack would, and half of them didn’t look like they’d ever fired a gun before.
“Any news?” Wheeler asked, scratching behind Naya’s ears. She cleaned her paw with her pink tongue and purred contentedly.
Austin glanced at his phone, reading a text message. “Axel’s men protected the borders, but the rogues are moving in. Two local packs joined up with Church to fortify the territory.”
“And the plot thickens.”
Church had more men, and he’d promised Austin he’d send a few to guard the southern half of the property.
Naya’s panther growled happily, flopping around and playfully gnawing on Wheeler’s hand. He merely gripped her fang and lightly shook it, unafraid that she could easily bite down and sever his hand from the wrist.
Leaves rustled behind Austin, and he spun around, his senses alert.
Izzy appeared, looking harried, with muddy water dripping from her wild tresses.
“What the hell happened to you?” Wheeler asked, a chuckle rising in his throat.
She picked a leaf from her hair. “I fell in a spring of water chasing down a Shifter, and suffice it to say it’s not one of those sparkling springs our bottled water comes from. It’s a long story, but I think I saw Spartacus.”
Wheeler cursed under his breath. “If you see Naya when she shifts back, don’t spread the joyous news or else she’ll go hunting for him. ’Preciate ya.”
Izzy wiped her dirty face, dark circles underneath her eyes, and her body showing signs of exhaustion. “Have either of you seen Mel?”
They shook their heads.
She nibbled her lip and turned in a circle, searching the forest with a look of concern in her eyes. “The kids were supposed to stick together. The boys checked in and said they lost sight of Mel. They wanted to search for her, but I was afraid something might happen, so I told them to stay at their post.”
Austin stood up and whistled with his fingers. They had come up with a communication system using sounds since Reno expressed concern that phones could become a distraction or inadvertently disclose their locations. Only he and Reno carried them in order to relay information and communicate with Packmasters on the outside. Austin listened for Melody’s dove call, but no reply came.