Chapter 47
Forty-Seven
RYDER
With a snap of his fingers, Jasper transports us to the centre of yet another forest that looks identical to Banff.
“Where are we?” Conan asks what we’re all wondering.
“Middle of Manitoba.” Jasper shakes off our hold.
“Any closer and my magick might get picked up. You’re about a day and a half away—maybe two.
Maybe even one. Depends how fast you run.
As much as I hate it, for this to work Carina will need time to learn what she can, so the time it’ll take you to reach her will be good.
A day we can do. A day is better than a week.
“Thanks.” I clasp his shoulder before readying to get going.
“Thank me by bringing her home.”
“I’ll die before I don’t.”
“Don’t let that happen. She likes you too much.”
She won’t after learning what the bite on her neck really means.
We run for the remainder of the morning and well into midday, getting through much of Manitoba. The landscape is less elevated than Alberta’s, making the run fairly easy.
Physically easy. Mentally? I’m all fucked up over something that may or may not be happening. Over the concept I might have lost my mate right as I claimed her.
Running in wolf form means letting him roam free. Letting instincts take over, which demand running faster, harder, no matter how much my body pleads for rest.
Nearing the Ontario border, Xander cuts in front of me and tosses himself into my flank—the universal sign he wants to stop and talk.
Talking is the last thing I want. It’s the last thing Carina needs.
But he knows this and wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, so with an aggravated growl I follow him away from the forest’s edge—where we’ve been sticking to the main highway—and shift to talk.
“We don’t have time to stop.”
“We need rest.” Xander jerks his chin at the other two, who are using the trees to hold themselves upright.
At my look, they straighten, doing their best not to make his point for him.
“You do as well, even if you don’t want to believe it.
We show up in Ontario how we are and we’ll be shit to help her.
” He pauses, his silence imprinting the importance.
“You know I’m right, Ryder, and you know you’re tired as well.
We still have to get into Ontario and figure out where exactly they are, then get inside and find her.
It’ll be nonstop from here on out, and she needs us to rest as much as we do.
We don’t want to risk endangering her rescue. ”
Resting is the last thing my mate needs…but he’s correct. Even pausing for this conversation has made my body grow heavy with the urge to nap.
“We show up weak, we’ll lose. You’ll lose your pack and your mate. Carina is strong; she can handle a few more hours. She knows what she’s doing.”
My wolf huffs, but he too knows our beta is correct.
“A few hours won’t put us far behind,” he adds, imploring.
No, but a few hours could change how much they do to her.
“Hunt and rest. We’ll leave at sunset.” Given the time of year and where the sun is, that’s only a couple hours away.
Conan shifts into wolf form to hunt, and after a grateful smile, Holly follows. Once they disappear, Xander hands me the backpack of clothes and pulls on a pair of shorts for himself.
When the others return, we all settle in a circle to eat and then take turns napping.
Silence is broken by Conan, who’s staring at the sky as the sun slowly disappears, moment after moment.
“Time to go get our other Alpha.”