Once I made it to the mountains in Wyoming, I was beyond exhausted. Thankfully, Kade’s scent had worn off to where I couldn’t smell him anymore. My paws hurt, I was filthy, and I was so hungry I could eat a whole deer—if I wasn’t too tired to hunt one. I could survive as a wolf for as long as I needed to, but I missed the amenities of everyday life. A nice, hot shower would’ve felt great.

It was then a smell of a crisp, clean lake floated past my face. It was just up ahead. Making my way there, I noticed it was mostly frozen and nestled in a small valley between snow-capped mountains. Luckily, there were still parts of it that weren’t frozen, which reflected the moon’s light. The water was way below freezing, but being an Arctic wolf I could withstand those temperatures with no problems at all.

Looking around, I knew there was nothing close by other than a couple of smaller animals and a bear that was about a mile away. I wanted to make sure it was safe before shifting. Once Kade’s pack started looking for me, I’d be a hunted wolf. I didn’t want to run for the rest of my life, but I had no choice.

Stepping into the water, I walked down the rocky slope and shifted. Holding my breath, I completely submerged myself, letting the cool, fresh water cleanse me. I ran my hands over my body and through my hair to make sure every place Kade touched had been washed thoroughly. He’d made me feel dirty from the inside out.

After a few extra seconds submerged under the water, I lifted my head and took in a deep, ragged breath. I always wanted freedom, but running for the rest of my life wasn’t what I considered being free. Slowly, I started out of the lake but came to a halt.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

The wind had blown the scent of a nearby wolf in my direction and it wasn’t just any type of wolf. It was an Arctic, just like me. He wasn’t one of Kade’s pack or mine, but it was still dangerous being out in the woods alone without my pack’s support.

Quickly rushing out of the water, I crouched behind a set of bushes. I breathed in again, hoping I was just being paranoid. But there was definitely another wolf around and it was an unmated alpha male. He was about half a mile away and moving closer by the second. Closing my eyes, I transformed into my wolf and darted out of the bushes and away from the lake. From the vibrations on the ground, he faltered for a second and stopped before picking up his pace. I was tired and weak, hoping like hell I could outrun him.

The answer came swiftly enough when I heard his growls behind me, only a few feet away. Don’t look back, I chanted over and over in my mind. My muscles burned and started to shake, but I had to keep going. After only another couple of minutes of racing through the forest, I came to a complete halt when the mysterious white wolf lunged and landed on my back. My body gave out and my legs buckled underneath.

When I recovered from the fall, I was pinned to the ground, the other wolf staring curiously at me with his glowing emerald eyes. There was no hostility or any indication he wanted to hurt me, yet when I smelled other wolves approaching, all I could think about was fleeing. Slipping out from under his hold, I bolted through the trees but didn’t get very far.

The last thing I saw before everything went black were those emerald green eyes staring down at me. Except this time they weren’t coming from a wolf, they were from the most handsome face I’d ever seen.

They were almost familiar . . .

Ryker

“Is that really her? What the hell is she doing all the way down here?” Cedric asked.

Bailey had turned back into her human self almost immediately after subduing her. She was too weak to keep hold of her magic, which was why she was limp in my arms as I carried her through the woods to the ranch. The rest of the pack followed closely behind in wolf form. “I don’t know. The last I checked she was still in her territory.”

“What are you going to do with her?” he asked.

“Hell if I know. She looks at me like she has no fucking clue who I am. I don’t get it.”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“When she wakes up.”

“Why do you not sound happy about that? All the guys in the pack would give their left nut to find their mate.”

I snorted. “You don’t know Bailey. She’s an alpha female. Need I say more?”

“Have the visions started yet? You drew blood when you bit her.”

And I could still taste her on my lips. Even if I didn’t know she was my mate, her blood would’ve been answer enough. “No, they haven’t, but I can feel the connection. Her mind is starting to open up.”

“What’s going on in there?” he asked, excitement in his voice.

“Not that I would actually tell you, but right now it’s nothing but quick flashes. I can’t tell what they are.”

“Man, I bet she’s going to be pissed when she wakes up.”

“I have no doubt.” I was going to have my hands full. Even when I met her years ago, she was a spitfire.

Cedric slapped me on the shoulder and laughed. “Better you than me, bro. I doubt she’ll put up a fight for long though.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” I grumbled. We finally reached the ranch and I made sure the pack kept their distance.

“Do you want me to get the council together? They’ll want to know what’s going on.” The council was simply the alphas of each pack in the surrounding areas—my allies.

I looked down at Bailey. “Send word. It shouldn’t take long for them to arrive. They’ll want to know if trouble’s coming. I have no doubt Bailey’s pack will come looking for her.”

“And what if they attack?”

Stopping at the door, I sighed. If they came looking for her, they’d fight to get her back. “I’ll kill them.”

I carried Bailey inside and went straight to my bedroom to lay her down. Now that I’d drank her blood, I could get in her head. I wanted to know what made her run from her pack, but all that was showing in her mind were flashes of me and the woods. It was strange seeing myself through her eyes.

Tucking her platinum blonde hair behind her ear, I leaned down close, breathing her in. “Bailey, wake up.”

She stirred with my touch but her eyes stayed closed. One of the first things about the bond was that we could see visions of our future. I thought it would’ve happened as soon as I’d tasted her blood, but it hadn’t yet.

A few hours later, I could hear a couple of the other alphas approaching. Sliding off the bed, I grabbed a T-shirt and jeans out of my closet and threw them on before making my way out to the living room. Thankfully, with the bond, I didn’t have to worry about Bailey trying to escape.

There were five alphas, including myself, but only two had shown up, Ian and Tate. The others had a longer distance to travel. Cedric nodded and disappeared out the door to stand guard.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” I greeted as they entered.

The Northwestern pack alpha, Ian Randale, came forward and shook my hand. He was my age and an unmated gray wolf who was tall with light brown hair and green eyes. In fact, all of the alphas in the council were unmated. Ian, however, was one of the youngest alphas to ever receive the title. He defeated the original alpha at only fifteen years old, through combat no less. The alpha before him had been a fucking Machiavellian douchebag. We were all ready to see him go.

“No worries.” He bent his head in greeting. “I’m here to help.”

“Me as well,” the other alpha agreed, shaking my hand. His name was Tate Grayson, leader of the Great Plains pack. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes; the exact imitation of his father who had stepped down as alpha and made him their pack’s leader.