Marked (Pacific Northwest Shifters #3) - Reese Knightley Page 0,1
peril, Jonas would go to ground and hole up somewhere. Alister just needed to figure out where.
He was just about ready to give up for the night when he spotted something and dove in for a closer look.
Several wolves were running through the trees at top speed. He raced downward and kept pace with them until they finally came to a stop.
Alister landed on the trees and then dropped to the ground. Several wolves whirled, growling and snapping at him, causing the others to gather into a small gang, ready to tear his throat out.
Morphing into his human form, he shook out his cloak. “I’m Alister, a member of the high court of the grand wizard Pethious,” he said with authority.
A large wolf shifted. He was strong and tall and Alister vaguely remembered him from the summit meetings.
“I remember you. I’m Range, Jonas’ enforcer.” The man crossed his arms against a massive chest.
“Range. That’s right, I met you at the summit one year.”
“You did.” Range nodded and turned to the others. “It’s okay, I know him. He’s a friend to Jonas.”
The wolves shifted into human form and gathered in closer to Range.
“Where’s Jonas?”
“He split off. Even though I told him not to, he split off from us because he knew they’d go after him and not us.”
“Where’s the rest of your pack?” he asked through a suddenly tight throat.
“They were killed when we fought the mages. That’s when Jonas said we needed to split.”
It was just like Jonas to give himself up as bait to save his pack. Damn, the man was irritating. Alister wanted to shake him or kiss him. He’d take either, or preferably both.
“Which way did Jonas go?”
“South, away from where we are supposed to be.”
“Where are you heading?”
“Jonas said to meet up with the Swiftcrest pack in Canada, but I have no idea where they are,” Range admitted.
“Okay, here.” He pulled out his iPhone and gave it to Range. “Call this number.” He showed Cage’s phone number in the list to Range. “That is the alpha of the Swiftcrest wolves. He’s with the South and Midwest Alpha leaders. They should be in Canada.”
“Will they wait for us?”
Alister smiled. He couldn’t imagine Cage and Jace not waiting for them. “Of course. Call him.”
He conjured up a backpack that one of the wolves could attach to Range so they could carry the phone in shifted form.
“Thank you.” Range took the pack and gripped the phone.
“Stay away from any towns or roads,” he warned.
“Where are you going?” Range asked.
“After Jonas.”
He didn’t wait for a response.
Morphing, Alister soared high southward, looking for a man he couldn’t seem to forget no matter how much time had passed.
Jonas
His paws ate up the earth beneath him and he followed the rocks upward. The falls rang loudly with a crushing whoosh the closer he got to the edge where the earth gave way and sent the massive river down several hundred feet below. This was nothing, he reminded himself, he’d climbed these falls hundreds of times before.
Heading south, he entered his own territory. Come on, you bastards, follow me! If they could find him. He’d scented the mages and hunters strongly after leaving his pack and moving through Montana, but when he hit the border of Idaho, the scent had faded. He sat on his haunches, lifted his muzzle, and let out a long, low howl. The echo bounced off the surrounding hills and faded, leaving a lonely silence behind.
Leaping through the river at the top of the falls, he worried about his pack. They hadn’t been an overly large pack at twenty-seven members, and the mages had killed several of his older wolves and a young female who hadn’t yet reached her teens. They would pay. They would all fucking pay.
When he reached the other side of the river, he leaped up onto the bank and shifted. Shaking out his short hair, he brushed the water from his skin and crouched at the edge of the river to drink his fill. He’d need to make a fire and catch something for dinner. While he could catch dinner in his wolf form, there was no way in hell he could build a fire with paws.
Lightning quick, he thrust his hand into the water and hooked his thumb beneath the gill of a freshwater salmon. It waved in the air and he tossed it several feet from the bank.
Problem one solved.
He hadn’t been able to alert any of the other wolf packs in his region