Page 15 of And Omega Makes Four
I glance around to make sure no one’s watching, then I pick up the phone and begin soaking in as much information as possible.
And there’s a lot of it.
It's a detailed report of the pack's history, their territory, and their current activities.
It only takes a few seconds for me to send the information to my phone without being noticed. With the information safely in hand, I call out to the others in the kitchen and tell them I'm taking my lunch break.
Outside, free from prying eyes, I pull up the info and begin to formulate a plan. At the very least, I can point Devon and Kyle in the right direction, but looking at the details here, I'm beginning to worry we might be up against impossible odds.
11
DEVON
Clenching my jaw, I crouch in the underbrush along the edge of the compound. I don't like this. I don't like anything about this. My nose is filled with the scent of dozens of unfamiliar wolves. The invisible boundary line is just a few yards away from the tree line, but I can sense it just as keenly as if it were a solid brick wall.
I'm not a fighter. I've never been a fighter. I'm the easygoing one. The one who's always trying to make everyone laugh. I'm not cut out for this kind of thing.
But I can almost feel River's presence.
He's somewhere in there. Alone. And I'm not gonna leave him there. Not after seeing the look in his eyes when we first picked him up along the side of the road. The fear of whatever he was running from.
My gaze darts to the left where a large, steely gray wolf slowly pads toward me. His head is lowered, his sensitive nose taking in all the scents of our surroundings. Kyle's impressive no matter what form he's in, but I've almost forgotten just how stunning his wolf is.
He pauses beside me and looks at me with a questioning expression. I shake my head and exhale.
"I haven't seen any sign of him," I whisper. "I haven't seen any guards other than the ones at the gate, but with how many wolves are here, they don't really need to patrol the perimeter."
Kyle nods and turns his attention back to the compound. He's just as worried as I am. He's just better at hiding it. He's always been good at projecting confidence. That's why he's the leader, the one Frankie and I follow without question. He's protected us through thick and thin, kept us together no matter what. So it hurts to see the concern on his canine features.
He's worried about River, but I also know that he's battling with an internal decision.
How much risk is he willing to shoulder for someone who isn't one of us?
The big gray wolf shakes out his coat and turns away from the compound, slowly withdrawing back through the underbrush toward the road where we left the car. I hesitate to follow him. My wolf is internally howling in protest at the mere thought of leaving River there alone.
But there's nothing I can do by myself. If I want any chance of helping him, I need to trust Kyle. I need to follow his lead.
Reluctantly, I turn and follow after him.
"I'm sorry." I jog to his side, catching up to him. "I know you don't like being here…getting involved in this."
Kyle looks over his shoulder at me and huffs in response. I can't tell if it's a sound of agreement or disagreement.
"I just...can't leave him here." I’m speaking to myself as much as to Kyle. "I know we don't know him very well, but I feel like I owe him something. I don't know. Maybe it's just my instincts telling me to protect him, but I can't ignore it."
Kyle stops and looks at me for a long moment. But before he can make another sound, his ears flick toward a noise I can't hear. He stiffens at some unseen danger, and I'm immediately on alert. My wolf wants out, but I hold back. Shifting now could leave me vulnerable, depending on what's coming.
Kyle's hackles rise as he growls low in his throat.
And then, I see them.
All around us.
Even if I'd been shifted, I'm not sure I would've noticed them until it was too late. Half a dozen wolves, all of them bearing the same dark brown fur, slowly emerge from the shadows. They're not as big as Kyle, but they're definitely bigger than me. And there's a lot of them.
"Shit," I mutter under my breath.
"That's a good word for it." A measured voice draws my attention, and I turn to see an older man standing nearby, flanked by wolves on either side. "You're definitely in deep shit."
