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Kaylee

Watching the familiar scenery we drove past weeks ago, my mind wanders back to the ten days we’d spent sleeping in motels while putting as much distance as possible between us and Oak Fur. Amelia was the one who always chose what motels or hotels to stay at, making sure that we would be safe from any pack wolf we stumbled across. Now, we ignore our safety in favor of making it to Oak Fur before Ramos and his men can leave to attack Ivory Fangs.

I never thought that in the span of a few months, I would be turned rogue twice. I never thought I would be unable to link my friends and loved ones all over again. Yet here I am in a van with Lucas beside me and Simon and Evette behind us while two omegas sit in the front seats. The only wolves I can link are those in my familial bond—Lucas, David, Amelia, their pups, and, surprisingly, Kurt. It surprised me when I woke up this morning after two days on the road to hear Kurt’s voice pop into my head.

It turned out that Lucas called Kurt to talk about another vision he had at our first motel stop. The two had a heart-to-heart moment. Lucas confessed to Kurt that he felt more like a father to him than Ramos ever had, and the familial bond was formed. All this while I slept like a log on the hotel mattress.

“I can’t believe Ramos and Marilyn threw a party last night welcoming in their allies,” Simon mutters in irritation, a small growl escaping his lips. Turning around in my seat, I look at him to see Simon staring at his phone, the email he reads reflecting in his sunglasses.

“I can. Marilyn is an attention-seeking whore,” Lucas replies with a scoff, the two omegas in front snorting out a laugh at this. They were a mated pair who came from Oak Fur to join Ivory Fangs in search of a better life and escape Ramos and Marilyn. When Alexander informed everyone about our plans to take Oak Fur for ourselves, this pair—Sebastion and Carrie—volunteered immediately to be part of the driving team and said they would gladly rejoin Oak Fur if Lucas and I were in charge.

“Honestly, I’m shocked she even mated Ramos. He fucked every one of her friends after they turned sixteen, and we all thought Pearl would become his second Luna,” Carrie says from the passenger chair. Surprised by this new information, I motion for her to tell us more.

It turns out that before Ramos and Marilyn became a thing, Pearl was doing everything she could to seduce Ramos, wearing clothes that became more revealing by the day in front of him. One day, it worked, and the two were caught fucking in the packhouse. Carrie only knows about this because she was one of four omegas who’d caught them in the act.

“I’m willing to bet money on the fact Marilyn got pissed that Pearl, a warrior’s daughter, was trying to raise her status and decided to seduce Ramos for fun in her goal of becoming a Luna,” Sebastion says with a chuckle, making my eyes wide.

If this is true, it would make sense, considering Marilyn was obsessed with Lucas for years. If one of her minions stepped out of line trying to improve their own status, I can see Marilyn doing everything she could to put them back in their place.

“That would explain why she would fuck Ramos behind my back,” Lucas agrees with a shrug, pulling me closer. “But in the end, they did me a favor since I’m now with the most amazing woman in the world.”

I blush at this comment and try my best to hide it. Simon fake gags, telling us to take our lovey-dovey attitude to a hotel room while Carrie chuckles from the front seat.

“Alpha Amelia said the next hotel stop will be in two days, so get used to your alphas being romantic in front of us, Simon,” Sebastion teases, his words making my face heat up a few more degrees from the raging blush on my face.

I decided to ignore everyone and instead take a book from my bag. We still have another three days of constant driving before we reach Oak Fur, and as much as I would love to run in wolf form, I know sitting here is for the best.

[How is everyone holding up?] Amelia’s voice flickers through the link, making me smile.

[Good so far. I think we all miss running, though,] I answer, feeling the itch to shift creep in again.

[Well, we’ll be closer to Oak Fur in two days. Everyone can stretch their legs then. My friend just called me and said that Oak Fur’s patrols have weakened since his last check,] she replies.

Shocked to hear another person will join our battle, I ask Amelia for more information on this friend, but she doesn’t budge. She tells me that when we arrive at Oak Fur’s borders in three days, I’ll meet this mysterious wolf who has been watching Ramos for us.

The link goes quiet after this check-in, and I sigh, placing my book on my lap with the urge to read now gone.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asks, placing a kiss on top of my head.

“Amelia has someone else we don’t know about helping us,” I answer, feeling a little uneasy.

“I know. He’s the one who reported about the party,” Lucas answers with a shrug.

“Wait, you knew?” Turning to face him, I see Lucas staring at me with guilt in his eyes. I can tell from the bond that he did, in fact, know about this “friend” but kept it from me.

“Amelia told me about him because he’s also helping Council Representative Amos gather information. Since it seemed more like a Council operation, I thought the less you knew, the better to keep your stress levels down,” he explains.

I took a moment to digest his words before agreeing that he did the right thing. From the sounds of it, this friend is working with Amos, not us. He probably only called Amelia at Amos’ request to help us with our upcoming fight.

“So you’re not mad?” Lucas asks as I snuggle closer to him.

“No. Thank you for telling me everything now, though,” I answer, smiling when I feel his fingers playing with my hair.

“You don’t have to thank me, Kaylee. If you ask me a question, I’ll always answer it honestly,” he whispers, kissing my head again. “Now rest up. We need to be ready for the battle ahead.”