Page 24

Her senses snapped back to reality when she felt the gentle thump of the skids when they touched the compact ground. With a quick tug, she released her hand and looked away. She glanced over at her grandparents. Her grandfather’s eyes lit up with excitement as he bombarded Van and Peterson with questions. When she noticed the speculative expression in her grandmother’s eyes, a flush of embarrassment crept up her cheeks.

“I will see you settled,” she said.

The corners of her grandmother’s mouth turned up into a comforting smile. “Thank you for being here,” she said.

She bowed her head in acknowledgement. She had a sinking feeling deep down, knowing that the most challenging part was yet to come. She waited as Van opened the door and exited the flying machine. After assisting her grandfather and grandmother, he extended his hand towards her. She hesitated before placing her hand in his.

One last time can’t hurt, then I will avoid them until I leave.

Chapter 7

First stage transfer camp: Olympic National Park

A month later

* * *

Jayden stood in the shadows. Her body felt stiff and unnatural, as if her soul had been ripped from her physical form. She listened to the drone of voices. Some were as familiar to her as her own. Her mother and father, were chatting with several shifters. Her focus turned to Mitchell. Who she had always looked up to and believed in—until today.

Today it felt that the world was dissolving around her. It was the day she had thought she would be prepared for—the day the world ended.

No… not the world. Just me. It’s going to be the end for me.

She had argued and fought for the past month against moving the clan, but she had been overruled… again. The realization made her nauseated. She breathed deeply through her nose and gripped the spear in her hand until her knuckles turned white from the pressure and her fingers grew as numb as the rest of her body. Rage fought with disbelief.

How could Mitchell support moving the rest of their clan to this faraway place? He didn’t even stay with them here! He traveled with Tracy.

Why had her parents and the other elders been so accepting of all of this? If they stayed here, they would at least be close to the mountains and forest that they knew.

I would be close to them, she thought as grief filled her.

How could they forget what the shifters had done to humans? Even in the past month, they had been forced to stay within the confines of the compound. Regardless of what Mitchell and the others said, they were caged like animals.

The overwhelming need to run, to be free from the wired fence, from the curious eyes burned through her until she thought she would scream. She felt like she was slowly suffocating.

“Jayden.”

She stiffened at the soft voice calling her name. It was one she hadn’t heard in over eight months. She tightened her jaw, refusing to show her conflicted emotions to the one person who knew her better than anyone else. Turning slowly, she faced the one person she had been purposely avoiding.

“Ella.”

When she spoke, her voice carried a cool, curt edge. A pained expression flickered across Ella’s face, and she winced at the sharp tone in Jayden’s voice. Ella’s hand gravitated towards her extended stomach, a silent testament to the life growing inside her, and Jayden couldn’t help but be aware of it. Her stomach churned with a sour, burning acid sensation.

“Please… don’t be mad,” Ella quietly pleaded.

As Ella advanced closer, Jayden instinctively took a step back, maintaining the distance between them. In warning, she shook her head vigorously. In that moment, she could feel her emotions teetering on the edge of control, unsure if she could rein them in completely. She couldn’t bear the idea of causing harm to Ella, or to the innocent creature growing inside her. While she knew she would never hurt Ella physically, she knew that sometimes words could cut sharper than any blade.

“You should return to the… group,” she replied.

Ella’s eyes followed the movement of her hand when she waved toward the large group of people sitting around the fire. Ty Bearclaw was watching Ella with an intense, protective scrutiny.

“I wanted to say hi… to talk to you,” Ella said.

She could feel her head shaking. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she stated through clenched teeth. “You made your choice.”

Ella winced at her blunt tone. “It doesn’t have to be a choice. You know that. Things are already better. Look at your grandfather. He would have died if not for Ben. If Mitchell and the elders didn’t accept what Ty, Tracy, and Michaela were offering, there won’t be anyone left. Those other shifters would have wiped everyone out.”

“What’s the difference? At least, that would have been quicker,” she retorted.