Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
I kiss her while holding tight, adding, “We’ve got Dr. Blakely from the SCC coming with us and Catrina Savage, Ty’s mom, pack healer. They’re rounding up first aid supplies, bringing jugs of water and food since we don’t know what we’re looking at. Let’s get there as soon as we can, yeah?”
“Okay.”
“I’m gonna go talk to Luke. Get him to answer some questions, see if he’s got any info about the state of things when he left that’d help us know what we’re lookin’ at. If you can throw that bag together for us, that’d be good.”
My phone pings with a text and it’s Riley.
Brody called. He wants to help out. He’ll meet you there.
Brody, Riley’s brother, is a year younger than we are. He hasn’t been home in months. He’s alpha, used to work with us at Savage Construction, but has been away a lot the last ten years. He tends to come back three or four times a year.
I reply with:
Perfect.
Turning to Stacy, I say, “It’ll be me, Riley’s brother Brody, a couple guys from the pack, the doc, Cat, you and Luke. We’ve got Jase, Linc, and Jared already there. Joel, Mase, Ty, and Rye will hang back and look after things here.”
“Wow,” she says, pulling away, drying her tears on her sleeves. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
I quickly pull her back to me and kiss her head.
“I hate my brother,” she mutters into my chest.
I kiss her head again and give her a squeeze, feeling the same.
33
Stacy
My chest has been tight for most of the journey. Grey, me, Luke, and the alpha Gus are in Grey’s car and as we get closer, my thoughts race even faster.
His right hand has been on my thigh most of the drive, and it’s what’s keeping me from hyperventilating, I think. He’s grounding me.
Though my chest is tight with tension, I’m in awe of Grey. In awe of these people who are all helping.
Yes, Lincoln and Jase went to track down my brother and Jase’s sister, but this convoy is on the way to the village in order to help the people there.
The same day Grey finds out things are bad there, he drops everything to help. And several of his pack members come along to assist, putting the wellbeing of the people first.
Aphra’s premonition is coming true. Me going to Arcana Falls does seem to be the catalyst for change for my pack. In a twisted way, Wyatt did us all a favor by ordering me to go to Arcana Falls.
Fate is strange.
But why has fate given me all of this hope if others have been lost along the way? The way Grey said Lincoln vomited because of the stench of death coming from our village is more than troubling.
Luke didn’t have much extra insight about the state of things before we left. He was busy training the week before he left, which means he was in the back of the village in that place I loathe. And it’s clear Luke is unhappy about going back, has a look in his eyes that I suspect is about the fact that he was just removed from a home with food and comforts, not to mention a video game system and library of games, to go back to that. He’s still so young, has had a hard life so far. But this all could be the turning point to give him the sort of life he deserves, to help him be the man he could be instead of being molded into another tool for my brother to use. A tool that would get pulled by a spell that extracts all bad.
He’s been quiet for most of the ride. So have I. I quickly packed some clothes into my suitcase for us. I was surprised that all the gifts for the girls as well as the money I’d saved were in there. I took out a few things, added some more including a few changes of clothing for Grey as well as toiletries for us both. I haven’t even asked who died last night or who’s in the cell under the town hall. Because I’m not sure how much more bad news I can take, especially if that news is that more good men turned bad. If Malachi wound up in that lake.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know some things. Greyson Blackwood, my mate – his strength, his determination, his perception and capacity for caring means that he’s going to help. And it’s everything I need despite the shame inside me because I know he’s about to see where I come from. The way I lived.
I’m fretting over what’s happened to my loved ones, but I also know that no matter what the state of things… today is the beginning of change for the Silver Hills pack.