Chapter 20: 20 Familiar

Max

It was past time to know what Nash was hiding. I would have preferred if he had told me voluntarily, but maybe that was asking too much. The wolf with the knife to his throat began to speak. “He made a deal with our alpha, but ran off with the money. Alpha wasn’t happy about that.”

“What was the deal?”

“Information.”

I looked towards my pack mate and decided to give him one final chance. “Want to confess?”

Nash’s shoulders slumped, but he kept his teeth in the leg of the unconscious wolf beside him and just watched what was unfolding.

It was a convoluted situation that he was helping me threaten answers that exposed his own wrongdoing out of these enemies. But even with exposure looming over him, he didn’t say anything.

I turned back to the wolf and he asked, “If I tell you what you want to know, will you let him go?”

“Sounds a fair trade to me.”

“He was supposed to spy on Glenshadow and report back, I think.”

Nash’s flinch confirmed that this wolf was telling the truth. “Just report? Not act?”

“As far as I know. We were just following Alpha’s orders, I don’t know any details, please don’t kill us.”

I didn’t think there was much more I could get out of him. “I missed getting your name. I need it, for your own safety, because after this your alpha might just decide you’re too much trouble to keep around. I wouldn’t put it past him considering he’s fine with spying and having his fighters attack peaceful travellers.”

He swallowed. “Allan Mann.”

I moved the knife away from his neck. “Here’s what’s going to happen, pup. You’re going to grab your mate’s brother and drag him back to the rest of your fighters. You’re going to heal up, and you’re all going to go home and stop following me and Nash. I don’t care what deal your alpha made with Nash. Next time I will kill anyone from Bluegorge who comes at me, and no one would fault me for it. Tell your alpha that.”

He whimpered.

“Go,” I said, my wolf pushing through with the growl in my voice. He scrambled up and towards the unconscious wolf, and slung him over his shoulder before scurrying off into the trees. I didn’t know if they’d actually take my threat seriously, but I wasn’t concerned. I was done with this failed search. It was time to head back to Glenshadow, and we’d be safe travelling back in the human world full of witnesses.

“Shift,” I told Nash. “We’re done looking, we’ll take a bus back.” I pulled clothing from my bag and dressed before slinging it over my shoulder, not sure if Nash was even going to follow now that he was exposed as a traitor. I was half surprised when I heard his footsteps catching up to me. He didn’t say anything as we walked far around the gas station so it wouldn’t be obvious we were coming out of the forest. I texted Jason a message about what happened and the recording of the Bluegorge wolf’s words. Hopefully it was enough evidence to make Bluegorge reconsider their harassment in the future.

We arrived at the gas station, and entered the attached diner. It was a bit grimy and had a bunch of humans, mostly locals and truckers sitting around the table, but the food smelled good and there was a free spot with an outlet so it fit my needs just fine.

We both ordered, and while we waited, I charged my phone and turned my attention to my companion. “So, you’ve been spying for Bluegorge?”

Nash sagged. “Yes, no, that’s the problem. I took his money and I was supposed to get into your pack, and then... Well, I didn’t know West and his mate were going to join you. And I didn’t know Theodora was pregnant.”

Nash shot me a look that was supposed to be defiant but looked more pathetic than anything. He looked like a mangy stray dog, weak, all bark with no bite. “I didn’t tell him anything. Well, I only told him stuff that everyone already knew. Then he started pushing me for more, so I told him to fuck off. Then they kept hounding me.”

“So you decided to come with me to get away for a while.”

Nash slumped down in his seat. “It wasn’t even that much money.”

“Why didn’t you just give it back then?”

“I’d already used it to settle some debts.” He looked away cagily. “Sorry.”

I sighed. “You should have just told us in the first place. We could probably have used your testimony to prove that Bluegorge was the one harassing us and not the other way around when they challenged us before the assembly.”

He didn’t answer.

“I don’t know what Alpha Jason is going to do with you.”

“What? I figured I was banished.”

“Have you felt the bonds snap?”

“No.”

“He wants to talk to you.”

Nash shifted in his chair.

“Worst case he banishes you. I don’t think he’ll do more, if you really didn’t tell them anything important.”

“I didn’t.”

I shrugged. “Then you choose. You can go back to Glenshadow and face the consequences if your pack ever meant anything to you and maybe help Glenshadow get stronger, or you can go back to your old rogue life. I’m not going to force you to come back. Alpha Jason didn’t order me to.”

He inspected my face like he was trying to figure something out. “You’re not surprised.”

“No. I’m not. I always knew there was something you weren’t telling us.”

Our food came, and we ate in silence. I searched for the nearest bus station, and checked the times. I had a few hours before the once daily bus came, so I ordered another cup of coffee and waited for my phone to fully charge while pondering getting a solar charger for my next search.

Nash left the building, and I didn’t ask where he was going. He wasn’t my responsibility any longer. I’d done enough, the ball was in his court now.

I walked into the small town off the main road. It was tiny, not even really a town, maybe a hundred humans living in the area. I was surprised to see a small supermarket, I wouldn’t have expected anything more than maybe a corner store with a population this small. Maybe this tiny place was a hub for all the other rural humans.

I was one street away from the bus station—and by station, they apparently meant a bench beside a sign detailing the times. There was a lone figure sitting on the bench, looking dejected. Nash? I guessed that meant he was going to come back to Glenshadow to face the music. That did surprise me.

My wolf’s sudden excitement swept through me, and I was puzzled by how happy he was to see my travelling companion. Sure, he was technically pack, but after everything...

My slow human mind caught up to my wolf’s instincts. A scent so familiar, just the barest hint, carried on the breeze. I had to be hallucinating, but I turned back the way I had come.

There was no conceivable way she could be here of all places, in some shitty little human nowhereville, but my logic had no impact on my wolf’s certainty.

I ran toward into the wind, the scent only getting stronger, debating with myself whether my wolf had finally pushed me into madness.

My mind swam with questions, and there was only one person who could answer them.