Page 5 of Destined Mate (Cross Creek Pack of San DeLain)

“Matter? But it does. What I see are possibilities, but when a choice changes something, I then see an alternative path. Eventually I see an end result. And quite frankly, when I get a vision, it always comes to pass in some form or fashion. Always.”

“We all know this,” Henry added.

“Why didn’t you warn us of the hunters’ attack?” Elder Dillard asked. “If we’d had warning—”

“My visions are not on-demand like some TV network channel,” Jerome snapped. “I wish they were, but they are not. I didn’t foresee the attack until it had practically started, and I have no idea why.”

“So he says,” Elder Rodgers mumbled.

Henry growled at the one who spoke, taking a step toward him.

“No, Henry. Don’t.” Incensed, Jerome glared at Elder Rodgers. “Yes, he’s out of line, but we all know he wanted his omega son mated to Li Li. She chose me instead.”

“She didn’t need to go looking outside the pack for a mate when we had perfectly acceptable omegas here. Omegas who were born to this pack,” Elder Rodgers snapped. “And now she’s gone.”

Jerome stared at the elder. “Was that a threat? You think because Li Li is no longer here that I am unprotected? Don’t be foolish. I come from a formidable pack.”

“Then you should return to them,” Elder Rodgers retorted.

“That’s not happening. This is my pack now, regardless of whether I was born here. I am the alpha mate.”

Elder Rodgers sneered.

“Of course, nothing is stopping you and your family from leaving,” Jerome pointed out. “So please feel free to do so. Otherwise? Stop using this meeting to take your personal animosity out on me.”

Elder Moore nodded his head. “I agree. Jerome belongs with us, and I do not appreciate your actions against him, Elder Rodgers.”

“I agree,” Elder Dillard said. “You dig up old history that is as deceased as our alpha.”

“That’s foul,” Elder Rodgers gasped.

“As is what you’re doing.” Elder Dillard bared his fangs at the other elder. “Now, can we get back to what really matters, like this rogue and the threat he is to all of us?”

The room calmed somewhat, but the tension had only shifted rather than dissipating. When the elders devolved into arguing again, Henry ended the meeting, which was just as well. They were all grief-stricken and exhausted.

Jerome mainly wanted to warn them about what he had seen, and he’d done so. As they dispersed, Jerome sighed tiredly. He knew that every step they took from now on was critical to their survival.

Walking out into the night, Jerome’s mind raced with possibilities and responsibilities. Somewhere out there in the vast wilderness, Wesley Valentino was unwittingly holding a piece of their fate in his hands. And possibly Jerome’s heart.

A heart that had never known the love of a mate.

A sharp pang of sorrow struck him as he thought of Alpha Li Li. Her wisdom and strength had been the backbone of their pack, her loss an open wound that seemed to throb in the night’s silence.

Mother moon cast a silvery glow across the dense woods surrounding him, and his wolf yearned to run. And that was exactly what he needed—to run for as long and as hard as he could.

He reached the edge of the wooded area, where ancient trees stood. With a heavy heart and a mind swirling with thoughts, Jerome stripped off his clothes beside a large oak, placing them neatly at its base.

He took a deep breath, allowing the scents of the forest to fill his senses and soothe his troubled spirit. Exhaling slowly, he surrendered to the transformation.

With scarcely a thought, his body changed. Bones shifted with agonizing cracks and pops, muscles expanded and contorted, and fur sprouted rapidly across his skin.

Within moments, Jerome had transformed into his wolf form, his once human features now replaced with those of a powerful brownish gray beast.

His senses heightened immediately, the smells of the forest coming alive around him, every rustle of leaves sounding like whispers in the wind. His muscular back legs bunched, and Jerome propelled himself forward, sprinting through the forest.

With every step, he ventured deeper into the wilderness, distancing himself from the worries of pack life. The ground beneath him was alive with energy as he moved fluidly between trees, leaping over fallen logs and dodging low-hanging branches.

As Jerome ran, he let his mind wander along with his body. The forest became a blur around him as he picked up speed. Moonlight filtered through moving branches above, creating shifting patterns on the forest floor that danced like spirits, guiding him deeper into introspection.

He thought about Wesley Valentino. There was an upcoming storm—that much was clear—and how the pack navigated it would define their very survival.

He leaped across a narrow creek, water splashing underfoot. Here, in these untamed spaces among towering pines and hidden gorges, he could find clarity and strength—to mourn Alpha Li Li properly and to face whatever lay ahead.

The woods gave way to a high cliff. He paused to catch his breath, sitting on his haunches. Raising his head, his howl rose into the night air—a sound filled with sorrow for what was gone.

The sound echoed, stark and sad.

Turning, he started the trek back home. His paws padded softly against the forest floor as he retraced his steps through the dense undergrowth back to where he’d left his clothes.

Once he arrived, Jerome began the transformation back to his human self. It started as a ripple under his fur, a shudder traveling through his body as bones realigned and reformed.

His limbs contracted, then elongated—jaws cracking softly, while facial features melted and morphed back to those of a man. With the ease borne from years of shifting between forms, his fur receded, leaving behind smooth skin bathed in moonlight.

Standing fully human now, Jerome stretched out his arms and rolled his shoulders, feeling the peculiar lightness that always followed a shift. He dressed quickly and walked toward the pack house.

The wooden door creaked slightly as he pushed it open, and warm light spilled out onto the porch, drawing him inside. As he crossed the threshold, conversations abruptly paused at his entrance.

Greeting each member with nods and touches meant to convey both gratitude and reassurance, Jerome moved through those pack members there with an acute awareness of their shared loss and collective purpose. Tonight had been for soul searching.

Tomorrow would be for planning for the approaching storm.