Page 102 of The Wolves of Forest Grove

The drive to the borderlands took about an hour since Ryland’s territory had expanded significantly since the night at the Four Corners.

If we’d run, we’d have made it there in a little under thirty minutes.

We were late. Not the best first impression I wanted to give Sam.

Clay was silent most of the drive, leaving to respond to some texts from Jared and Viv.

Jared would be home tomorrow for good apparently.

And Vivian…Vivian had a lacrosse game coming up. She was asking me if I’d come.

Allie: Lacrosse, Viv?

It pained me to point this out to her, but it had to be done.

Allie: Do you really think that’s a good idea?

I didn’t expect her to reply, it was well after midnight, but after only a few minutes a response came through.

Vivian: I’m not giving up lacrosse.

Well, that was decided then. I didn’t have a choice.

I’d have to go if only to make sure nothing happened.

Allie: When is it? I’ll be there.

We parked down a side road. and I left my phone in the car, knowing I wouldn’t be able to carry it in my wolf form.

We walked the rest of the way into the forest. Me with an armful of clothes for Sam, and Clay with a sour attitude that told me he didn’t want to talk.

I could sense the foreign wolf was there within minutes.

The border was just ahead, I realized, sensing the same shift in the air that I’d briefly experienced when I passed through onto the eastern pack’s territory earlier.

Like my wolf just knew that was where the borders were without having any visual cues.

I supposed that was how everybody knew where they could and couldn’t go. I’d usually relied on Charity to lead the way on our searches, and Jared and Clay on our runs, to make sure we didn’t encroach on any other pack land.

“Sam,” Clay called into the night. “You can cross.

We’re here.”

A shadowy shape appeared a moment later, growing in size until she was upon us. I squealed as she barreled into Clay, knocking him clean off his feet. She pressed her paws into his chest and bit at his face.

My wolf reacted, raging to the surface in defense of my mate. I dropped the clothes in the dirt and growled at her, ready to shift and go straight for the throat.

Sam whirled on me, as though only just realizing I was there. She snarled at me as Clay cursed to himself, trying to shove her off him. He finally succeeded. “Take it easy,” he snapped at me, and my wolf retreated enough for me to shove her the rest of the way back down.

Clay got to his feet, staring down a still-snarling Sam.

She wasn’t very big. Not quite Charity’s size. Maybe not even quite my size, but I could tell right away she was a spitfire. Lean and angry. Practically foaming at the mouth. And like her brother, she was fast. I barely had time to register that she was charging us before she was on top of Clay.

“She attacked you,” I spat back at Clay, trying to dull the sting of his words.

Ignoring me, Clay glared down at his sister. “Sam,” he said, his words a warning as his sister continued to growl at me. “This is Allie. My mate. Now would you fucking shift already?”

Her snarls quieted, and one second, I was staring at a dark gray wolf with a streak of white like a lightning bolt on her forehead and the next there was a very naked woman standing ten feet away from me.

A woman with long, wild black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Her pallor was lighter than her brother’s, the ivory tone of her skin and darkness of her hair made her look severe.

Her curvy body was a seductress’ dream. Large, heaving breasts with dark cherry nipples pebbled in the cool breeze. A thick, muscled frame and wide hips. Legs for days.

I cast my gaze away, blushing.

“Christ, Sam,” Clay cursed, lifting a hand to shield himself from seeing his sister in the nude. He snatched up the discarded clothes from the ground and shoved it at her, shielding his eyes all the while.

“Oh stop,” she chastised. “It’s not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before.”

Her tone was soft as suede, but she wielded it like a whip, leaving a sting.

“You can quit covering your eyes now,” she grumbled a moment later. “Hey big bro.”

I turned in time to see her tug Clay into a hard embrace. He hugged her back, the scowl on his face quickly changing to something I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen there before.

A sort of peace that made my own lips quirk up into a half grin.

“All right,” Sam said as she pulled away from her brother. “Introduce me.”

She said it like he was about to introduce her to the most unimportant person imaginable. I did my best not to take offense. If this bitch made Clay happy, then I’d swallow what I wanted to say in favor of something a bit less cutting.

“Sam, this is Allie. Allie, meet my kid sister.” Sam surveyed me top to bottom.

I did the same.

She should’ve looked ridiculous in a combination of Clay’s baggy sweats and my Naruto t-shirt, but somehow, she managed to rock it.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, not bothering with a handshake. A hug was out of the question.

“Right,” she said. “I’d say the feeling was mutual, but you kind of fucked up my brother’s chance to mate properly so…yeah. Hard pass.”

“Fair enough.”

“Sam,” Clay warned. “Be nice.”

She turned on her brother with a haughty stare. “That was nice,” she told him. “Do you want to see cruel?”

Clay rolled his eyes but said nothing. “We’ll talk about it later,” he promised her.

Her nose wrinkled.

I was tempted to ask Clay if she really had to stay with us at the cabin, but thought maybe now wasn’t the best time for that. Maybe I could crash at Viv’s for a while. Or with Charity.

A sigh left my lips. No. I needed to wear this bitch down. If she was a part of Clay’s life, then she was a part of mine.

“Missed you,” Sam said, bumping Clay’s shoulder with hers.

Clay grunted, neither confirming nor denying that he missed her, too, though I suspected it was the former.

“Still not much for chit chat, huh?” Sam asked, putting a hand to one hip.

“It’s late, Sam.”

“Well,” she replied with a sigh. “Can’t argue with you there. I’m pooched. Let’s go get this shit over with and head back to the cabin. I can’t wait to see my old room.”

Clay stiffened and cut me an apologetic look. I held my breath. No, it couldn’t be…

My room? I mouthed to him as Sam began to walk away.

Clay grimaced, and it was enough of an answer to make me grit my own teeth. I got the feeling Sam wasn’t going to like that one bit.

“Are we walking or running?” Sam asked, calling back over her shoulder. I knew what she really meant was are we really going to make the trek on human legs? Or can we do this properly?

Clay looked to me for permission.

Sam made a grossed-out sound in her throat and rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m good,” I said in a low voice, not wanting Sam to hear or to think that I was in any way controlling her brother. My skin bristled. “Let’s run.”

I’D BEEN RIGHT about how much time we might’ve saved if I’d had it in me to use my wolf to run to meet Sam. It took us barely thirty minutes to within ten miles of pack camp. It was late enough that we didn’t run into anyone along the way, which I appreciated.

I didn’t appreciate that we’d also have to run all the way back to pick up the Jeep at the northern border before making the painfully slow drive home.

Damn. I really wished I’d just bucked up and run with Clay instead of letting him drive us there.

It really backfired. At this rate we wouldn’t be home until close to dawn.

School tomorrow was going to really suck.

And I was meant to work at the shop afterward too, you know, if I still had a job.

That voicemail from Jacqueline was primed to expire tomorrow night if I didn’t listen to it.

I knew I would have to before I went in for my shift, just in case it was her telling me not to bother.

Which I assumed was exactly what it would say. At least I’d be able to nap after school…

The painful reality of it made me laugh darkly within the confines of my wolf. For all this new life had given me, it sure didn’t seem to want to stop taking things, too.

Clay slowed and I saw his ears prick, hearing something I was oblivious to.

What is it? I asked Clay.

Don’t know.

Before I could pause to have a better listen myself, curious what it was that had him on edge, another voice entered my thoughts. Sliding in like the sharp edge of a blade.

Stay where you are, Ryland bellowed the command. Clay and I stopped, and Clay let out a little bark for Sam to follow suit. She cocked her head peculiarly at him but didn’t make a fuss. In fact, she seemed glad of the break. Her chest heaved hard, and her legs trembled like reeds in the wind.

I remembered she’d run all the way from her pack territory in Alaska and understood why. It made me look like a wimp in comparison.

He must have sensed us, Clay whispered in my thoughts. He’ll want to escort us in, so we don’t startle the others.

I nodded my head to show I understood, though I didn’t share any thoughts with him. I was trying to clear them as best I could, not wanting Ry to be able to glean anything off me that I didn’t wish to share.

It took a continuous effort to make sure my thoughts were mine and mine alone.

We heard him before we saw him. Ry’s footfalls were heavy and coming from the left. Not in the direction of camp. He must’ve already been out for a run when he realized we were coming.

Sam parked herself beside her brother, sitting with a docile dip to her head and her fluffy tail curled around her paws.

Clay had no such chill. He stood next to his sister with a powerful defiance to his stance and a hard stare in his gaze.

I wanted to bite his ass to remind him to play it cool, but it was too late, I could already see Ry weaving in and out around tree trunks and brush.