Selina glanced up at her, shoving a spoonful of red syrupy rice in her mouth. Cassie smiled, hoping she’d feel some kind of warmth from her friend. All she felt was Selina’s desire to be alone. Cassie’s shoulders slumped, and she dug into her own lunch.
“Lunch is pretty slim today,” said Selina.
“Yeah.”
“We never had this problem in Colorado.” Her tone oozed condemnation.
“I know.”
“We shouldn’t even be here,” Selina said, hitting the table with the palm of her hand. Selina rose without giving Cassie another look.
Cassie sighed, her self-confidence caving in on itself. She wished more than anything that she had not brought the Anu or Pyramid Corporation down on the pack. It was really her fault that they had to leave their home. It was her fault that so many had died.
Rafe walked around her table and stood at the front of the room with Neil. Neil’s amber eyes narrowed on her and then scanned the room, shushing everyone.
“We know that hunting has been disappointing. We are well aware that the food supplies are running low. First of all, it is no one’s fault that we are here. I know many of you would like to place the blame on someone, anyone. Let me make it clear, if you want to blame someone for our situation, then there is no room for you in this pack. If you don’t approve of my leadership, you are welcome to leave or fight me for the position yourself. So does anyone want to challenge my authority here?” Rafe said, his amber eyes sparkling as he stated his challenge.
Cassie gasped. Then darkness gripped her stomach. She felt even worse that he would willingly kick out his pack mates for her. She looked around the room at the stunned faces of the other wolves. No one offered to accept Rafe’s challenge.
“All right then, now that we can put that aside, Neil and I have been discussing a solution to our food problem. We still have enough rice for at least another two months, but almost all our other staples are dwindling. We’ve decided to take one of the cars into new territory to explore new hunting grounds. We put this off because every time we drive, we use fuel. We can tell that you are all hungry, so now is the time to go.”
The group rumbled approval.
“We leave early tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 29
Rafe steered the SUV down the long, bumpy road in the predawn darkness, headlights illuminating the craggy rocks. Neil sat in the passenger seat, and three of his best hunters sat in the back. Everyone remained silent as he drove.
He was tempted to turn on the stereo, but he wasn’t in the mood to have his taste in music mocked today. Cassie liked crap like Lady Gaga. What did she know? The difference in their taste in music made him realize how much younger she was than him.
There was a ten-year difference between them, which usually didn’t bother him. He liked her wide-eyed innocence and even found her sometimes-childish behavior and stubbornness to be endearing. But her life as a teenager and her time in the dome had not prepared her to be the alpha female of a werewolf pack.
He’d seen the subtle rebuffs she’d received from the others. Every time someone stood from a table when she sat down, it made him wince. Even her gathering efforts were undervalued. Try as he might, he couldn’t make the pack respect her, and she couldn’t shift to put them in their places.
If she had been a werewolf, his mark would have made her strong. Cassie was strong in her own right. Her psychic skill with weapons and hand to hand combat could best even his most experienced hunters, perhaps even him, but it was the brute force of the wolf that the pack respected above all else.
He turned onto the one-lane road that led back to the highway as a pale glimmer of yellow light appeared on the horizon. They had chosen to hunt by a river nearly twenty miles away. Using the gas was a risk. Without gas, they wouldn’t be able to get the pack out of the desert to settle anywhere else. But it was a risk they had to take.
Taking long journeys in wolf form could put them in danger of encountering zombies. It was better to travel by vehicle if they roamed too far from their swords. They could not fight the zombies in wolf form for fear of being infected with the fatal disease they carried.
Driving the car to better hunting was the only answer for now. They would address the fuel issue when it became a serious problem. For now, they had enough to get the whole pack back to Colorado or to California if they had to.
They made it to the highway and began the long drive toward the nearest river. Selina had opened the back window to let air into the stuffy car. The dry desert air wafted around Rafe, and he smelled the scent of cactus and sagebrush.
As they drew near the river, he could smell the deep, damp scent of the water, reeds, and the fish and frogs that populated it. He licked his lips as they approached. Desert life could become oppressive. The heat and monotony of sights and scents wore down the senses.
He grinned as he parked the car, realizing how much he looked forward to hunting in a new place. Everyone piled out and began stripping from their clothes. He noticed the wound that Selina had suffered from the zombie was healing well. The witches’ spell had cured her, even though she still limped ever so slightly.
Selina stripped out of her pants and flung her long, brown dreadlocks over her dusky shoulder before quickly shifting into a massive gray wolf. Rafe slipped out of his clothes, tossed them in the front seat, and shifted with her.
All five hunters gathered near the riverbank tasting the scent of the water on their lagging tongues. Selina made a little yelp of impatience, and Rafe playfully nipped her tail before bolting down the riverbank.
The scent of the clear, fast-moving water made him salivate. Deep below, moss and algae grew amongst the waterweeds and river reeds.
The pack bolted through a dense stand of young willows. Some pranced up the riverbed; others weaved through the trees. They met again on the other side before Rafe slowed.
He sniffed the air; the distinct musk of boar stung his nose and made his stomach grumble. The others picked up the scent, and they slowed their pace. The boar drank from the river, twenty yards upstream.
The pack broke into two groups. The forward hunters trotted up the bank and ran around the animal to flank it. Rafe and Selina stayed behind to stalk and seize the boar once it was surrounded.
On soft, patient paws, Rafe padded down the muddy bank. He could smell the boar’s scent grow stronger. His whole body tensed, as he panted, waiting. He could see it through the reeds. Wiry brown hairs covered its muscled body. The boar dipped its head to drink then lifted its snout to swallow the cool, fresh water.
Rafe sensed his opportunity; he crouched, his muscles coiling, ready to strike. He slowly moved through the reeds to get within striking range. He could sense his pack mates circle around the creature, leaving it no escape.
The boar lifted its head and made an angry squeal as it turned its body to run. Before it took two steps, Rafe jumped. He landed on the boar’s back and sunk his teeth into the creature’s hard neck.
He tasted blood, and it strengthened his bite. The blood lapped on his tongue as the boar squealed. Its strong body tried to throw him off, but the rest of the pack came to give the animal its final blow.
He held fast until it stopped moving, then let go to stand panting over his kill. Blood dripped off his teeth, and he licked and swallowed the tangy liquid.
Rafe stood ready to shift when he caught another scent on the air. Confusion rose in his mind. It not one of his own pack mates that he smelled, but it was a werewolf.
Chapter 30
He sniffed the wind and turned toward its source somewhere across the river. The rest of the pack yipped in agreement, and they set off across the low, swift river while Neil stayed behind to guard the kill. Most of the way, the pack was able to bound from rock to rock. Near the other side, the water deepened, and they were forced to swim.
Rafe paddled through, enjoying the feeling of cool water on his hide. He made it to the opposite bank and shook violently to d
islodge the water that clung to his coat. The other wolves followed suit as dawn broke over the mesa ahead.
Golden rays crawled down the mesa and over the sagebrush to warn the wet wolves with its glowing light. Rafe trotted up the incline toward the red mesa ahead. The scent grew stronger as his swift feet darted over loose rocks.
The pack ducked around the tall, dry shrubs that stood like a silver-green barrier between the bank and the mesa. As they cleared the shrubs, Rafe sniffed again. The scent was just ahead, coming from inside the red rock wall.
Shadows still lingered so close to the mesa, and Rafe couldn’t make out where the scent originated in the haze between light and shadow. As he drew near, he could make out the dark outline of a cave entrance gouged into the cliff face. The scent blew out of the cave like a stream of ribbon in the wind.
The pack followed him into the darkness, sniffing until their eyes adjusted. Rafe was unprepared for what he saw. A young woman lay on piles of vegetation completely nude. Dirt streaked her tanned body, and her light hair was matted from lack of care.
Rafe slowly stepped forward. His mind racing, looking for answers. He instinctively lowered his nose to sniff the woman’s behind. She was definitely a werewolf. Before he could draw back, she shot up and shifted, lunging at Rafe with her teeth bared.
She snarled, biting at his neck. Rafe fought back, meaning to knock her off easily, but the woman was stronger than he’d expected. He gathered his strength and lunged at her leg, biting hard and pulling her off her feet. He twisted around and bit for her neck. The rest of the pack circled her, growling and yipping.
Rafe had her pinned to the floor of the cave. She slowly shifted back, panting heavily. Her shapely breasts rose and fell with her labored breaths. Rafe still had her pinned under him, his mouth on her human neck. He let her go, teeth still bared, and shifted.
He stood over her on all fours, staring down at her. She didn’t move. Rafe could see her pulse beat in her jugular vein. He could smell her fear. He glanced down at her naked body, realizing just how beautiful she was. He could feel himself involuntarily become aroused at the proximity of their naked flesh.
He rose quickly and stood over her, staring down. She remained on the floor of the cave, cowering before the alpha and the other hunters.
“You may rise,” Rafe said, lowering his hand to help her up. She took it quickly, and he helped her jump to her feet in one fluid movement.
She stood at the center of the pack, frowning and defiant.
“Who are you? What do you want? This is my cave. I have nothing to offer.”
“I am Rafe, alpha of this pack. Who are you? Why are you alone out here? With no clothing and no supplies?” Rafe asked, looking around her cave. The sunlight filtered into the dim cavern, and he could see she only had the straw mat, a plastic water bottle, and flint and steel.
“I am Nadine, a hunter. I lost my pack. Zombies attacked our ranch while we were sleeping. There were only ten of us, and we lacked adequate weapons to fight them. Our alpha and beta went into wolf form to defend us, and they were only able to take out a dozen before they died. The rest of us scattered. I was the best hunter in my pack. The others were not as strong or as fast. The only thing I could do was run. Once the zombies know of your location, they keep coming back. I just kept running. I ended up in cougar country, and they almost took me out. I was forced up here. They only defend to the edge of the other side of the river so I can stay near the water without being threatened.”
“I didn’t smell cougars,” said Rafe.
“They haven’t been by in a week. They patrol a long length of river and about fifty square miles of desert. Their mark fades in the heat of the sun.”
“We better get back to Neil,” said Selina, already shifting.
“You are welcome to join us,” said Rafe. Selina growled and headed for the cave entrance. The two male hunters stood with Rafe.
“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked.
“You can’t. But your situation can’t get much worse than living here.”
“Point taken.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
The woman shifted into her sleek gray wolf form and padded past Rafe with a flick of her tail. The other wolves shifted as well and followed her out of the cave. They trotted down to the river and met Selina already dipping her toes into the clear water.
The sun had risen over the mesa, dousing the land in the light and heat of early day. Rafe could see Neil prancing around the boar on the other side of the river and hear his growling yip over the sound of rushing water.
They swam across quickly, Rafe leading the way. On the other side, Neil came to meet them, sniffing around Nadine with an angry gleam in his eye. Nadine knelt down in subordinate posture and let Neil smell her. When he was done, he relaxed, prancing back to the boar.
They gripped the kill with their strong jaws and carried it back to the SUV where everyone shifted to human form, including Nadine. She stood by as they lifted the kill into the back of the car and watched them dress.
After Rafe finished dressing, he glanced at her, realizing she had nothing to wear. They hadn’t brought any extra clothing, not even a blanket. She would have to ride back nude.
“Where is she going to sit?” asked Selina.
“In the back with everyone else,” said Rafe, dismissively, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“There isn’t any room,” she complained.
“Make room.” Selina had been through a lot, but so had everyone else. Rafe was getting tired of her attitude.
“She can sit on my lap,” said one of the male hunters.
Rafe nodded slowly, feeling strangely protective. The alpha in him felt the urge to claim all the females in his pack, although he never did. Nadine’s presence had activated his most dominant traits. He needed to be a strong leader, but too much dominance could get him into trouble. He had a mate now, Cassie. And she was all he needed.
They piled into the car, Nadine on the lap of a hunter, gripping the handle over the back door. He turned out of the parking lot and drove onto the main highway.
Chapter 31
“So where are you from, Nadine?” asked Neil, eyeing the nude woman. Her white-blond hair hung in tangles around her tanned shoulders. Her full pink lips frowned at him, and her piercing blue eyes regarded him skeptically.
“I told your alpha my story,” she said looking out the window.
“Nadine lost her pack to zombies. She says there are cougars in this area. We found her alone in a cave.”
“You want to be part of our pack?” Neil asked her, twisting around in his seat.
Rafe watched him through the rearview mirror. Neil’s dark brown eyes narrowed on Nadine, but they flicked up and down her naked flesh. Approval washed over his face in only a way that Rafe could recognize. Nadine was beautiful. Her shapely breasts bounced as the SUV hit a bump in the road.
“I do,” said Nadine, looking Neil directly in the eye. “I have been alone for too long. Every wolf needs a pack. I am no lone wolf.”
“Well,” Neil said, trying to keep his skeptical tone. “Good, then. I’m glad you aren’t just joining for easy food. We don’t have much.”
“Leave her alone, Neil,” Selina chimed in. “And stop staring at her breasts. It’s not like you’ve never seen a pair.”
Everyone in the back seat laughed, except Nadine, who bit her lip and glanced at Selina with a look of confusion on her face. Selina had earned the right to be somewhat insolent. She was a great hunter and a stronger wolf than most. Rafe chuckled to himself at Neil being caught staring at the werewolf’s human form.
Rafe turned onto the highway toward the fallout shelter and nearly plowed over a group of naked humans in the road. He could tell they were cougars by their decorations. He slammed on the breaks and came to a jerking stop.
The pride of cougars stood defiantly in the middle of the road, their arms crossed and their eyes dark. Bones, beads, and feather
s hung from the long braids in their hair. Cougars lived like hunter-gatherers, dismissing all technology in favor of closeness to nature.
Rafe sighed. He hated cougars, with their superiority complexes. Wolf packs lived in human settlements, used technology, and even communicated with other wolves and witch covens through a limited computer network. Cougars looked down on any shifter that didn’t live as they did.
Nadine whimpered in the backseat. He could tell she was scared. They’d threatened her, made it impossible for her to leave that damn cave. Rafe looked back at her, already feeling protective. He frowned and hopped out of the car.
Neil followed, as did the rest of the pack. Nadine stayed behind in the car.
“This is our land, wolf. You are trespassing and poaching. We demand retribution.”
“I didn’t smell any markings. No markings; no territory.”
“You’ve got a boar in the back of that manmade death trap.”
The cougar’s leader flared his nostrils. His tanned skin glistened in the hot sunlight. He had once been pale and red-headed, but the harsh landscape and lifestyle of a cougar shifter had turned him hard and brown, in a mass of overgrown freckles.
The cougar pride moved forward aggressively, but the clothed wolves stood their ground. The leader sniffed the air again.
“You’ve got that wolf slut with you. I told her to stay the hell off our lands. She knew. So you did too.”
“She never mentioned it,” said Rafe.
“Give us the boar, and you can take the woman and leave our hunting grounds.”
“No. My pack is hungry. We killed the boar without any knowledge of your pride. It is rightfully ours.”
The leader shifted instantly and lunged at Rafe’s neck. Rafe shifted, clothes tearing, buttons popping, and tackled the cougar. The rest of the pack and pride joined the scuffle. There were more cougars than wolves by two to one.