Page 17 of Bond To The Alpha (Fated Bond #1)

LIANA

I stand in the corridor of Sam's residence.

The door to Jimmy's room is wide open so I'm able to see him lying weakly in bed as a woman tends to the huge wound on his leg. It's healing but still looks pretty deep.

It feels weird seeing him bedridden, especially considering how he's always trying to stir up trouble.

He also most definitely not comfortable being stared at by me, and I hear him say "Shut the door," to the woman.

She nods, catching my eye as she moves to close it, while I just continue down the hallway to Sam's room.

Sam's propped up in bed when I enter, his face brightening as he sees me. I return his warm smile as I move to crouch beside his bed.

"How are you feeling?" I ask worriedly.

He waves off my concern.

"I'm alright, just feeling a couple of little pains here and there. Nothing to fuss over."

But I can see the strain in his eyes, and the way he's holding himself carefully to avoid aggravating his injuries.

Another woman soon enters the room with us, and I see she’s carrying a bowl of warm water and a towel.

"I'll do it," I blurt out, springing to my feet.

“You don't have to worry yourself, Liana,” Sam says.

"It's fine," I insist, already taking the bowl.

The woman hesitates, glancing between Sam and me, before relinquishing her burden with a shrug.

After she leaves, I settle myself on the edge of Sam's bed and carefully balance the bowl in my lap. Then I dip the towel in, wringing it out almost immediately.

Kane walks into the room.

His added presence makes the room feel a bit queasy now, even though we've been together since he picked me up at the tavern.

I recall the instant twinge my wolf made on seeing him back there, with lots of cuts, bruises, and deep claw marks.

Forcing those feelings down, I tell myself I'd feel this way for anyone who was hurt. But now, seeing Sam and Jimmy, who are even more wounded than Kane, it doesn't stir up the same emotions.

Another thing that's worrisome is the fact that they only had a brief encounter with these rogues, and look at the damage they've done. If this is just the beginning, what will a full-scale attack look like?

Kane closes the door and sits on a chair on the other side of the bed. I can feel his eyes on me, but I don't look up.

"How are you feeling, Sam?"

“Better than earlier,” he grunts.

I wring out the cloth again and gently dab at Sam's forehead.

He sighs heavily. Then adjusts his sitting position a bit.

"I've spent some time thinking and processing a lot that went down back there, and I think…”

"There's a traitor in the pack," Sam and Kane say in unison.

My hands immediately pause my work.

A traitor? Here?

“I figured you’d have realized it too,” Sam nods unhappily.

I start to think of all the faces I see every day at the market, the customers at my tavern, the elderly couple next door, the young children who play with Lina, their parents who come by to say hi sometimes… any one of them could be a traitor.

"Things have gotten more serious than we thought," Sam says gravely. "We can't underestimate these rogues now, or whoever is helping them."

Kane nods, "But if word gets out that we suspect a traitor, it could cause panic in the pack."

"I'll assign a few trusted individuals to accompany you in investigating the rogues,” Sam says.

I watch Kane's reaction out of the corner of my eye.

"I think it's better if I act alone. The more people involved, the higher the chance of alerting the enemy. Or the traitor."

Sam frowns thoughtfully.

"It's too dangerous," he argues.

"I can't send you out there alone."

“I can handle it,” Kane continues to say.

A heavy silence falls over the room. I can see Sam silently mulling over the situation.

Then he looks at me, and I feel a knot forming in my stomach.

"Liana. What if you went with Kane?"

I blink. M e? My first instinct is to refuse. I've got the tavern to run, not to mention Lina to take care of. But before I can voice these objections, Sam continues.

"You're the fourth person aware of the situation, and you know the pack's environment better than Kane does. Also, I trust you.”

I glance at Kane, hoping for some kind of reaction, but his face is unreadable. He doesn't say a word. Great .

I’m still trying to come up with a valid excuse. But I know nothing would be as valid as stepping up if it means protecting this place.

"Lina can stay with my younger sister at Whispering Pines. It's the safest place in the territory,” Sam adds assuredly.

I bite my lip in consideration.

Whispering Pines is a secluded but well-guarded area in the center of town. If there's anywhere Lina would be safe aside with me, at the tavern, it's there.

I can’t decide to step back from this. I need this pack to be safe.

"It would be an honor to help," I agree after a deep breath.

Kane's expression remains neutral. Approval? Concern? I can't quite tell.

"Thank you, Liana," Sam says. "You two will leave on Thursday at dawn."

Thursday arrives far too quickly.

I'm crouched in front of Lina, my hands on her shoulders as I look into her eyes. The sun has barely touched the front porch of Sam's sister's house by this time.

"Promise me you'll be a good girl.”

"No causing trouble, okay?"

Lina nods quickly. "I promise, Mama."

Lina's demeanor has changed more within the last few days. She's not as reserved as she once was, but she hasn't completely reverted to her old self either. It's like she's found a middle ground.

The thought of Kane makes me glance over my shoulder. He's sitting in the car and watching us from a distance.

When Lina catches sight of him, she waves enthusiastically.

He waves back.

I turn back to Lina to plant a kiss on her forehead, and she responds by throwing her arms around my neck and pecking my cheek.

"Have fun, Mama," she whispers.

Fun…if only she knew…

"I will, baby," I promise, hugging her tightly. "I'll be back before you know it."

"We're all set here," I say to Sam’s sister who's been standing in the doorway the whole time.

"I'll leave her to you now." I smile at the woman, even though I’ve already started missing Lina around me, and it's not even been up to a minute.

"See you soon, sweetheart."

Lina waves goodbye as I walk towards the car. I can feel her eyes on me, watching until I'm out of sight, and it takes a whole lot of restraint not to look back until I’m in the passenger seat next to Kane.

"I wanted to apologize for interfering with Lina's upbringing. It wasn't my place,” Kane says as we make our way deeper into the wilderness.

We come to a rocky outcropping.

Kane scales it easily, then he turns and holds out his hand to me.

I hesitate for a moment before taking it. I can't ignore the buzz that shoots up my arm as soon as our fingers connect.

After he helps me up, I reply, "You weren't completely wrong, you know. I might have overreacted a bit."

Kane muses aloud. "A bit?"

I feel the corner of my mouth twitch, almost forming a smile before I catch myself.

"Okay, maybe more than a bit."

"It's alright," Kane chuckles as we continue our trek.

And while we walk he keeps positioning himself between me and potential dangers, for example, a sharp drop-off here, a tangle of thorny bushes there.

"I've always taught Lina to be quiet," I admit, ducking under a low-hanging branch.

"It's how I survived growing up. But maybe...that's not the best way for her."

Kane nods at the forest ahead. "It's natural to want to protect her. But there's a fine line between protection and suppression."

That hit home a bit hard.

I've spent so long trying to shield Lina from the world's cruelties that I might have been stifling her in the process.

I look up at the clouds gathering overhead as the wind picks up slightly. The forest grows denser and denser, and the underbrush is thicker. Kane moves ahead to clear a path for me.

"I can handle myself, you know," I say, perhaps a bit sharply.

Kane turns. "I know you can.”

There's an awkward pause now, which makes me very aware of how close we physically are and how isolated we are now, from the rest of the world.

"So," I start, to break the tension. "What exactly are we looking for out here?"

Kane's face turns serious.

"Any sign of the rogues of course. Tracks, markings, anything out of the ordinary.”

I suppress a shiver that has nothing to do with the cooling air, on imagining a rogue attacking us right here and now.

The air, in no time, gets chillier than minutes ago, and Kane offers me his jacket, which I decline with a shake of my head.

"I'm not made of sugar. I won't melt.”

He chuckles out a deep, warm sound that stirs something in me I'd rather ignore.

"Fair enough. But if you change your mind..."

"I won’t," I finish for him as he stops to examine a broken twig and an odd scratch on a tree trunk.

I should be observing alongside him, but I’m noticing him instead. I can’t stop concentrating on the stare-worthy side profile of his face as he’s concentrating hard on something else.

“What do you think?” He suddenly looks at me, almost catching me staring.

I straighten up quickly and brush my finger over my nose as I look away.

“Yeah…but I think we should keep moving,” I gesture at the sky.

"Looks like we might be in for some nasty weather," Kane agrees and I nod again, rubbing my arms for warmth.

Soon it starts snowing softly. The wind picks up and whistles through the trees. Kane breaks trail through the deepening snow, while I follow in his footsteps.

"Any idea how much further?" I ask in the howling wind.

I see a snowflake drop over his hair before he turns to me.

"Not far now. There should be a clearing up ahead where we might find some signs."

I nod.

What started as a gentle snowfall has, in a couple more minutes, has turned into a full-blown blizzard. The wind whips around us to drive icy particles into our faces.

Kane shouts over the roar of the storm. "We need to find shelter!"

Then he gestures for me to stay close.

But I'm falling behind. My legs are burning with exhaustion.

Kane stops again and turns, then he holds out his hand to me.

This time, I don’t even hesitate. I just place my hand in his and he pulls me. Although I can’t tell if the new zing of electricity I feel under my skin is from the biting cold or him.

The blizzard worsens and the wind howls continuously like a pack of angry wolves. I can barely see Kane in front of me; his form is a dark blur against the snow. My fingers are numb where they're clasped in his, but I don't dare let go. At this point, nothing matters more than finding shelter.

We've been stumbling through the blizzard for what feels like hours.

"I think I see something ahead!" I yell.

He squints into the distance, then nods.

As we get closer, the blur slowly starts rising out of the snow like a mirage.

“We're almost there!” he shouts into the wind.

The wind howls louder as if it's angry that we're nearly finding refuge from its fury, and the snow pelts us harder from all directions.

Goodness…it better not be a mirage…

“It’s a house,” Kane says.