Page 6

The awkward push and pull between Colson and me continued to vex me during the days that followed. The initial twenty-four hours in Pack Marsden had been eventful, but after Jenny and I failed to escape that first morning, I decided it was best to play nice with the pack. At least for now. I hadn’t given up on getting back to Sparkle Hollow, but there was no upside to repeating our failed escape.

Unfortunately, Pack Marsden and the rest of the packs they were aligned with were even more distrustful of me than I was of them. This had been apparent from our first day with them and became increasingly obvious with each encounter.

We had gotten permission from Colson to venture into the town without him, with his reminder that any move toward another alpha’s territory would have dire consequences. So Jenny and I had taken a stroll down Main Street, looking for shops to keep us entertained. There wasn’t much else to do.

“This place looks kind of cool,” Jenny said, peering through the window at an assortment of herbs housed in glass jars. They were lined up on rustic wooden bookshelves, and I could see plants hanging from pots along the ceiling. A large orange tabby cat was lounging in a ray of sunlight that fell through the glass, looking content with his surroundings.

“Very cool,” I agreed. “Should we go inside?”

Jenny nodded her head enthusiastically, and I opened the door. A metallic tinkling sounded from the other side of the door handle, announcing our arrival. I peeked around to look at them and saw a set of three copper bells tied around the handle on the inside.

“Witches’ bells,” I told Jenny. “They’re said to add a layer of protection when placed at the entrance to a home.”

“But no one lives here,” Jenny observed.

“I bet the cat does,” I replied, pointing toward the tabby.

Jenny smiled at the cat, who had lifted his head in curiosity as we came inside the shop. “Are those to keep you safe, big guy?” Jenny said as she knelt next to him and held her hand out for him to sniff.

“He doesn’t like people touching him,” a man said gruffly from behind the counter.

“Oh!” Jenny started and pulled her hand back. “Sorry.”

The cat stretched his front paws out in front of him and gave a lazy yawn before closing the distance between himself and Jenny, wrapping his body around her legs and nuzzling against her.

“He seems to like her,” I remarked with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hmph,” the man said with a frown.

I turned my back on the man and screwed my face up at Jenny, eliciting a chuckle that she immediately covered with her hand. She gave the cat a brief head scratch and got to her feet to follow me as I looked around at the herbs.

Aside from plants, the shop was well-stocked with candles, incense, and crystals. An entire wall was devoted to tiny drawers with labels describing their contents.

“Carved frog figurines, eagle feathers, twine, onyx beads, blackthorn twigs,” I read the labels quietly as I walked down the aisle. “There’s all kinds of interesting things here.”

The bells made another tinkling sound as a trio of young women entered the shop. All around the same age, they wore flowy linen pants and tight-fitting crop tops. They were covered in jewelry, both silver and beaded, and were clearly regulars here.

“Did you get any of those gold pillar candles in yet, Fred?” one of the women asked the shopkeeper. Her hair was as dark as a raven’s, making her pale skin look even more white. The contrast made her skin almost luminous.

“Not yet,” he replied.

I went back to reading the descriptions on each drawer when the shopkeeper spoke again, this time much louder.

“Hey! Tell your kid to get their hands off my stuff,” Fred snapped at me.

I turned to see what had caused him to react with such alarm and saw Jenny’s face turn pink. She slowly removed her hand from a beautiful red cloth that was draped over a wooden dowel rod.

“She’s just feeling the fabric,” I told him, one eyebrow raised.

“This is why I don’t like having kids in here,” he grumbled. “Just keep an eye on her, will ya? You break it, you buy it.”

I saluted him sarcastically and rolled my eyes at Jenny as I walked toward her. Fred seemed to have had enough of my antics and took the opportunity to go into the back room, leaving us and the other women to browse in peace.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, hon,” I assured her. “Some people just want everyone else to feel as miserable as they do.”

“These people really don’t like us, do they?” Jenny pointed out quietly. Her shoulders had hunched over, as if she were trying to make herself appear smaller than she was.

I reached over and ran my hand across her shoulders, pressing gently in between them. “These people don’t know us,” I reminded her. “And their opinion of us is none of our concern. We know who we are, and we’ll carry ourselves the way we always have. Don’t let that guy make you feel like you’re wrong when you aren’t.”

Jenny smiled at me, and I smiled back. My daughter had been through enough teasing in her life to know the drill by this point, but I didn’t fault her for her reaction. Anyone would have a similar reaction to being scolded, and she was only a child.

“Don’t pay any attention to Fred,” said the woman who had spoken before.

“He’s crabby with everybody,” another woman—this one with mousy brown hair—assured us.

“I appreciate you saying that, but it’s okay,” I replied. “We know we aren’t welcome here.”

“Don’t be silly,” the brown-haired girl said with a wave of her hand. “You’re guests of the alpha. Of course you’re welcome here.”

“I think ‘guests’ might be reaching,” I mumbled.

“You clearly aren’t from around here, are you?” the third woman replied with a chuckle. “That’s just the way these Dark Alphas are. You’ll get used to it.”

“Are you three in the Marsden pack, then?” I asked. I hadn’t gotten much of an opportunity to talk to the rest of Colson’s pack, and I was keen to find any potential weaknesses that would help me find a way to get Jenny out of here safely.

“Yep. Born and raised,” said the raven-haired woman.

“So, you can tell me what the deal is with the Dark Alphas,” I said. “It seems like such a weird name to me. Is it just an alliance?”

“Not really,” the blond one said. “The packs of Wentworth, Rutherford, Vitali, Desmond, and Charles are all in such close proximity that the alphas decided to team up. They have rules amongst themselves, but they’re always subject to change at the whims of whichever alpha is in favor.”

“Luckily for us, that’s usually Alpha Marsden,” the raven-haired woman added.

“It doesn’t really matter, though,” said the brown-haired woman. “All we need to know is that our territories are safe. Beyond that, the alphas can duke it out.”

“I’ve never heard of packs banding together without a formal agreement before,” I admitted. From the way the women spoke, it didn’t seem like the Dark Alphas had long-lasting capabilities. Sooner or later, someone would break trust with another pack inside the group. What followed was sure to be a bloodbath. “How close together are all these packs?” I asked.

“We’re pretty much in the middle,” the blond explained. “Each pack has their own town, a home base that the other packs don’t go into without an invitation. But the claimed territory of each one goes past that.”

“How far beyond the towns?” I asked.

I was too eager, and the question came out more impatient than I had intended. I saw the three women exchange glances with one another, and I knew I had made a mistake.

“You’ll have to ask the alpha,” the blond replied.

They moved away from us and continued shopping, whispering together in low voices as they cast glances back at Jenny and me.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

I hadn’t realized that Jenny had been asking me something. My mind had been focused on what the women had said—and what they hadn’t said. Pack Marsden was in the middle of the Dark Alphas group, and that meant Jenny and I were trapped here indefinitely.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Jenny,” I assured her. “My mind just wandered a bit. Should we head back to Colson’s house?”

“Sure, Mom,” she said.

The walk back was quiet. My mind was still trying to wrap itself around what I had learned about our new home. The women hadn’t been as forthcoming as I would have liked. They didn’t regard me with contempt as some of the other pack members did, but that didn’t seem to matter. I needed to figure something out, though, and quickly. The thought of allowing my daughter to be kept as a prisoner a moment longer than necessary was repugnant to me.

And I knew the longer we stayed, the more likely it was that the truth of her parentage would be revealed.

“I’m going to take a walk to clear my head,” I told Jenny when we got back to Colson’s small, two-bedroom house. “Make sure you stay inside until I get back, okay?”

With Jenny’s promise to stay inside, I made my way back to the street and began a loop around the neighborhood. It wasn’t a large town by any means, but there were a few people out and about at this hour.

Just then, I saw one of Colson’s neighbors putting a trash bag into his dumpster. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, most likely fresh out of high school and still living with his parents. His black-rimmed glasses, unkempt hair, and wrinkled jeans gave the appearance of a man who wasn’t used to getting female attention.

Old enough to answer my questions, but young enough that he probably hasn’t learned not to tell pack secrets to strangers, Cassia pointed out.

She had a point. I was much more likely to get the information I needed from a wolf of the male persuasion, and I had just been presented with the perfect target.

“Hey there, neighbor!” I called out to him, putting a friendly lilt in my tone that I rarely used. It made my voice sound unnatural, but if I was going to get to the bottom of things, I would need to use all the charms at my disposal.

“H-hi,” he stuttered, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I’m Christa,” I said, holding my hand out to shake his. “I’m staying with Colson—that is, Alpha Marsden.”

There was no telling what this guy had heard about me, so I figured I’d cover my bases as far as introductions went. No need to bring up that my visit was coerced.

“Harry,” he said, placing his sweaty palm into my hand.

I giggled and tucked an imaginary piece of hair behind my ear while I looked away, then back into his eyes. He took a shaky breath as his pupils widened, visibly affected by my flirtatious performance.

“I was just going for a walk. It’s so beautiful here!” I commented. “Have you lived here long?”

“Yeah, yeah, it is,” he said with a voice half an octave deeper than the one he used a moment ago. “I’ve lived here my whole life. Alpha Marsden and my brother grew up together. Are you going to be staying with the alpha for long?”

“I’m not sure yet. There’s been so much going on with the dark alphas. You know, with all their big plans coming up,” I whispered conspiratorially. “But a man like you knows all about that, I’m sure.”

“Of course,” he said, puffing his chest out. “My brother just asked me to join his squadron. He’s in charge of a team that works with Alpha Vitali and Alpha Desmond’s packs. Our expansion is well underway, I think.”

Harry was self-important, but it also appeared that he knew more than I could have hoped for. I just had to keep him talking.

“Alpha Marsden hasn’t given me the full briefing yet,” I said with a wistful sigh. “I don’t suppose you could tell me what the next big thing is? I really want to be prepared to help.”

The young man waved me off as if I had said something too silly to imagine. “You won’t need to help. Pillaging the neighbor packs is the business of men, not she-wolves.”

So they’re going to expand by force, I told Cassia. I don’t know what I expected, but I’m still disappointed.

To say the least, she agreed.

Maybe we can take advantage of one of their planned raids to make a break for it? If we can figure out which direction they’re heading, we could escape the opposite way.

Fewer guards would help, she agreed. See if he knows when it’s going to happen.

“I bet you’re excited to get out there,” I said with a sultry smile. “A strong man like you will surely be sent right away with all the bravest warriors.”

“Next week sometime, we should be heading for—”

“Christa!” a sharp voice interrupted Harry, and I cursed the poor timing.

“Hi, Colson,” I responded with a strained smile. I wanted to keep up appearances with Harry, but I could tell from Colson’s face that he had overheard at least part of our conversation.

“It’s time to get home,” he commanded.