43. Chapter 43
43
“We’ve been in the wildlands for one week. Can you believe it?” Ruck was in a fine mood, and his smile grated against me. I lifted my underarm and gave an exaggerated sniff.
“Absolutely I can.”
Bram and Birdie stifled a smile as Ruck helped me down off the cart. His long fingers tickled my underarms, unbothered by my eye-watering scent.
We traversed through sandy plains, with little landscape except the tumbleweeds and strange trees with spikes. One of which Bram poked with a finger, and his cheeks reddened as he held in tears. But the sprawling sand gave way to greenery, and I kept blinking like I couldn’t believe the sight. We’d stopped at a trio of thick trees, their shade a welcome reprieve. I kept my skin covered as best I could, turning pink rather than brown like Hale and Ruck. Oliver and I were twins with our reddened, throbbing cheeks.
“We’ll be home tomorrow by midafternoon, I hope,” Jameson shouted as he fixed a stake in the ground. Bram leaped from the cart and raced to give Charlie his daily sugar cube. We were all ready to stop traveling and set down roots.
“Only one more day until I can hopefully have a proper bath,” I knew I sounded spoiled.
After the third day, my nose seemed to switch off from the strength of our combined stench. But occasionally, I would get a whiff of myself, seven days in the same dress, in endless sun, dirt, and sand. It was fruit rotted on the stem, sickly sweet, and enough to make me gag. I couldn’t imagine what anyone else thought.
Jameson shot me another of his secret smiles, one I was getting sick of.
Ruck rubbed the back of my neck with a low chuckle. He led me over to the base of one of the trees and insisted I eat something while everyone else secured the animals.
“But I want to help,” I protested as he pressed a hard biscuit into my hand.
“Darlin’, we can all feel you right here.” Ruck rubbed his chest, and I flushed, gaze shifting to Hale and Oliver who were brushing down their horses and wetting their lips from a water bladder.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Ruck’s lips twitched, and he dragged out a torn shirt and offered it to me.
“I tore this shirt and if you insist on helping, it needs mending. Soon, we’re going to take you for a little break. Just rest, eat your biscuit, and let your pack look after you, alright?”
I watched them work, duly chastened. The biscuit stuck in my dry throat, but the shade was cool, and it was a relief to be out of the cart. I worked on the shirt but was easily distracted by the scene in front of me. I was still injured, though the graze was scabbed over.
The bruises were a painting of purple, yellow, and faded green. This wasn’t an easy journey for any of us, but it was almost over. I watched Oliver, Ruck, and Hale move about the campsite. They were so capable, so strong, and they worked well with each other. The competency with which they worked warmed my chest like honey tea.
Sweet hunger lingered on my tongue as Oliver rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing his strong forearm and prominent veins. He turned and squatted to grab something from the ground. His round cheeks made my throat dry. Ruck grunted as the horse he was dealing with resisted, tossing its head in a fit of annoyance. Why did the noise he made cause heat to curl down my spine and between my legs?
Ruck flared his nostrils, tossing me an unreadable look. Hale was lighting the fire. Even in the heat, it was necessary to keep away any wild animals that came upon us in the night. His thick thighs bulged as he crouched down and struck the flint. I licked my lips. Sparks caught the pile of leaves he bunched together. The flames licked my insides, my gaze bouncing between the three alphas until I was trembling.
The shirt fell to the side, needle forgotten.
Oliver stalked toward me, one of my dresses draped over his arm.
“Star. Please stop.” He loomed over me. The reproach chased with a soft smile. I took his giant hand and sighed as his calluses rubbed against my own. Rough, large, and mine. My thoughts were scrambled for some reason.
“Stop what?”
Oliver made a noise in his throat, cradling me in his arms. He strode toward the edge of our camp and dipped his head to Jameson. The man smothered a grin, tapping the rim of his hat.
“It’s five minutes, straight ahead. Sounds carries, though. Mind.”
Ruck swiped his flat palm in Jameson’s direction as he and Hale chased on our heels.
“Is there a reason you’re carrying me?”
“You’ll see,” Hale’s hazel eyes sparked with excitement, and the five-minute walk was silent.
The heat in my body didn’t settle. Pressed up against Oliver’s broad chest, my nose so close to his thick neck. I was wine-drunk, limp with dizzying need.
We followed a well worn, sandy path, carved by all manner of creatures. The trees were thicker, if spindly and as we rounded a sharp drop, and the path led us downhill. Oliver grunted as we pushed our way through the brush to reveal a shallow lagoon.
“A spring. I know you’ve been craving to be clean.” Ruck said as Oliver set me carefully on my feet.
Oliver hung my clean dress over a branch and hovered at my back. The water was clear turquoise, shallow for a length before leading into a deep, green-blue drop. The cliff face rose above us. Oliver’s fingers trailed down my back, tugging lightly at the ties.
“Let me get these for you.”
He unwrapped me like a present, taking my dress, chemise, and underthings from my body with exceeding care. By the time I was naked, so were Ruck and Hale, their gazes heated. Oliver tapped my behind and pushed me toward them in the water.
“What about you?”
“Let me undress first, Star. Then I won’t be able to keep away from you.”
I peeled off my bandage where the graze was and grimaced. It was healing quickly, thanks to my Designated abilities. The constant movement in the cart kept tearing the skin open. But it was clean, and I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. Hale and Ruck waded into the deeper water and beckoned to me. I tried not to look at their hard cocks, curved toward their bellies, but it was impossible.
“Let me bathe you?” Hale asked, his voice like gravel.
The water was tepid, not cool enough to shock, just enough to refresh. It lapped at my inner thighs as I waded toward Hale. He held up a bar of soap and, at my nod, began rubbing it against my back.
“This looks like a two-person job,” Ruck’s grin was cheeky as he soaped his hands and ran them down my front. My nipples tightened at the light pass of his hands. Oliver laughed as he joined us, hiding his rapidly hardening cock in the deep water. He ducked underneath and drenched his flame locks until they were dark red.
“Does that feel good?” Hale rumbled in my ear, his thumbs dug into my shoulders. I melted against him, too relaxed to move from the hard prod of his cock between my cheeks.
“Does this feel good?” Ruck, not to be outshone, dipped his hand between my legs and cupped my pussy. I arched my back at the touch. Electricity and fire engulfed my body. His fingers found my sensitive nub, and he rubbed with relentless, firm circles. I squirmed between the Hartlock sandwich, slippery with soap and restless with desire.
“I-I need—” I gasped as the sky spun above us.
“What do you need, darlin’?” Ruck slowed his touch, and I whined in protest, clamping my thighs around his retreating hand.
“You to finish what you began for a start.”
Oliver drifted closer, the water shifting as he stroked himself. Hale pressed against my back, his lips featherlight on the crook between my shoulder and neck. Ruck’s fingers sought my heat, sinking into my blazing channel. I drowned in the hard planes of their body, their musky, thick scents unmarred by travel. Now, they were potent from lust only. The tension of the journey drained into the sweet spring water.
“More?” I whispered, turning my head to entreat Hale. His touch roughened for a moment before he caught himself.
“How much more?”
I rocked my ass against his cock, not content with only Ruck’s touch. Hale groaned, his teeth grazing my neck. He knew what I was asking for. They all did. And that afternoon, in the spring, they gave me what I needed and more.
“Can you be quiet?” Ruck asked as Hale’s cock slipped from my body, spent. I wrapped my legs around him, beckoning for Oliver. He took Hale’s place beside me, and I was struck by the hardness of them both pressed against me.
“I don’t think so,” I chased Ruck’s lips.
“Well, we’re not stopping,” Ruck warned, sinking deep inside of me. All I could answer with was a groan. There was no more talk after that, just sweet nothings whispered into my fevered, slick skin. By the time Oliver came, I was wrung out with pleasure, my words slurred and limbs sluggish.
Clean. Sated. Everything and more.
The future looked bright for us.
Bad omens come in threes, and on our last day of traveling I was unable to shake the feeling of nerves.
“It’s the unknown, once we get there you will be able to relax.” Hale promised, pressing a firm kiss to my lips. The memory of our time together in the spring glowed in my veins but the pit in my stomach only got heavier.
Especially when a bird pooped right on my head.
Thankfully, I was wearing a bonnet, and the mess didn’t go in my freshly washed hair.
I swore I could smell salt in the air, but no one else seemed to notice. There were more birds in the sky as well, circling us like we were carrion, and they waited for us to keel over.
It made my stomach flip violently.
“You’re cranky. Did you not sleep well last night?” Bram kicked up dirt as we took a break to rest and water the horses.
The sun was dipping low, but Jameson pushed us until dusk, insisting it would be worth it. Oliver made a noise at the boy, narrowing his eyes in warning. I slept very well, in truth. With my nose jammed against Ruck’s chest and my back curved against Oliver’s impressive bulk. But I couldn’t shake the feeling something was going to happen. Bram made a face, wandering off to a scrub and poking his head underneath it.
“We’re all restless,” Birdie explained. I wasn’t sure if she was explaining away my unease or Bram’s behavior.
“We’re almost there,” Jameson shared a look with his pack, “I should warn you—”
Whatever he said was cut off as Bram snatched up a wriggling length with a shout of glee.
“Look what I got,”
“Bram, put that down, damn kid, it’s venomous.” Hale threw his hands up in the air as Bram flailed around with the snake. It was the length of his arm, small and brown with a dark black head. Bram tossed it over his head, holding up his hands with a sheepish look.
“Well, that’s a first, I can’t say I’ve ever had someone fight back by snake.” A dry laugh was followed by a figure melting out of the brush, four more men behind him.
They were armed to the teeth, with guns pointed directly at us. The leader tugged his faded red kerchief down and shared a sharp, hungry smile.
“You folks shouldn’t have come into the wildlands. Don’t you know there are packs of feral Designated, just waiting to snap up your women?” His leer made me stumble into Birdie, and my lungs burned until Jameson shouted.
“Stand down, stand down.” The bandits transformed, the prickly menace melting away to be replaced with excitement.
Jameson embraced them each and waved a hand at our group. Hale, Oliver, and Ruck were vibrating with fury.
“What’s going on?” Hale bit out.
Bram snuck behind and leaped on one of their backs, sinking his sharp teeth into the bandit’s shoulder.
“You little brat,” they complained, spinning Bram over their shoulder so he crashed into the ground. I lurched forward and caught Bram by his collar, barely holding on as he shook his fist at the intruders.
“Just try and rob us,” he warned.
“Explain yourselves.” I raised my voice, pleased there was no tremor to show the nerves jangling inside my chest.
Had Jameson betrayed us?
Led us all this way to steal everything? One of the chickens gave a loud, indignant squawk, and I swallowed a peel of nervous laughter.
“It’s better if you see it for yourself, but you don’t need to fear these men or us.” Jameson clapped his hand on the bandit’s shoulder, and they gave a little wave.
“You’ve come to join us? Welcome, I’m Pat.” The dangerous edge to him disappeared like it didn’t even exist.
Jameson ushered him a little distance. “There’ll be time to talk later, but right now, could you finish sweeping the south border?”
“You got it, boss,” Pat said cheerfully, saluting before leaving.
Jameson pointed to the hill in the near distance. “Let’s get over that crest, and it will explain everything. You can trust me.”
That seemed to be enough for Birdie, who climbed into the cart and waited patiently while everyone else packed up their things.
“If this is a trick,” Ruck threatened Jameson, strapping his rifle over his back. Jameson unarmed himself and handed his pistols to Hale, and his pack members did the same.
“Will this make you feel any better?”
A tension headache thumped across my forehead, and I couldn’t relax.
Not as the cart groaned and struggled to climb the steep crest. Hale and Ruck rode ahead, and their faces transformed. Ruck’s reins fell from his hand and his sharp exhale made me nervous until he let out hysterical laughter.
“You sly dog.” He slapped Jameson on the shoulder and whirled around, galloping back to the cart. He urged Oliver to push harder and I saw a sliver of silver and blue expanding to the horizon. It looked like a lake, but the largest one I’d ever seen.
Bigger than my imagination could even fathom.
My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped open. At the bottom of the ridge we were on was a settlement.
“What is this place?” I whispered.
“It’s the ocean.” Birdie rose to her knees, drinking in the view with awe I knew I mirrored. The curve of the coast bent in an elegant swoop, and the barren sand of the hill gave way to fields thick with green grass and trees. I scrambled off the cart, stumbling over the sand and shading my eyes down at the building nestled in the middle of paradise.
“This is home,” Jameson swept his arm forward, his chin high with pride.
There were several buildings, with a main strip like Misery Creek, except larger ones and houses in neat rows behind them. Bram vaulted off the cart and unraveled Charlie’s lead, taking the lumbering cow with him as he made his way down.
“It’s a town.”
“Not quite,” Jameson urged his horse forward with his thighs. “It’s more like organized chaos right now. But we know what we want to become. A haven for all Designated. A place where we can live freely in packs, safe from humans and their unfair Hierarchy Laws.”
“In packs?” I followed the dirt path, drawn to the settlement like magnets.
It looked like a jewel, nestled between the brilliant blue of the ocean and the abundant greenery. We started our slow descent in shock.
“The wildlands. The rumors. Does it even exist?” Hale scrubbed his face, blinking like he was looking at a mirage.
“Of course, you’ve been through the easiest path, but take a wrong turn in the dunes, and you’ll never come out. And there are feral Designated who roam in packs and prey on desperate travelers. We’ve just exaggerated the truth to keep people from investigating further.”
The scent of salt was thick, and the crash of waves was hypnotic. I took a lungful of the sweetest, purest air and let it filter through my lungs like crystal.
“It’s a miracle.” Ruck shook his head.
“It—” Jameson grimaced.
“Needs some work.” Birdie chimed in, logical as ever and already taking notes. Jameson nodded, smothering a grin. We caught up to Bram, who was struggling to pull Charlie away from a thick tuft of grass.
“We have a well and have even made contact with some Designated from across the ocean for trade. We don’t have the means to cross the ocean yet, but we hope to see their lands one day.”
“Who is in charge of this town, you?” Hale cast Jameson a curious look, and the man shook his head, two spots of color appearing on his cheeks.
“No, I’m too hot-headed. I’m in charge of security and organizing resources with towns on the other side of the wildlands, like Misery Creek. We are still small here, and there isn’t anyone who is well-suited for leadership. So far, we’ve cobbled together fairly well. All we want is a place to live as our true selves and I’m selfishly hoping you’ll help us build a place to rival even Breton City.”
Hale fell into thoughtful silence, the cogs of his mind turning with careful logic. Pride warmed my chest, thinking of my men and the skills they brought. We could live as a pack and be celebrated for it.
We could be free. I could scarcely breathe. My lungs brimmed with bursting excitement.
“It’s miles better than Misery Creek,” Bram commented, digging his heels into the ground to yank Charlie forward.
“We even have a school, Bram, so you can continue your education,” Jameson added while Bram groaned. His face twisted into something sour.
“I already know half my letters. What use do I have for the rest?”
I stifled a laugh, anchoring my feet on the ground. Ruck, Hale, and Oliver left their horses and the cart surrounding me.
“What is it?” Hale said, and I knew if I expressed unease, he would turn us back. But that wasn’t what weighed my feet down.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to wake up and find this was all a dream.” My throat tightened and my hands searched for theirs, needing to touch my alphas. To feel them against me. “I feel like what we have is too special, and my heart might burst.”
“You deserve all the love and more, darlin’,” Ruck assured me, dropping a kiss on the curve of my ear.
The Designated haven glowed in the falling light. Purple and pink streaks painted the sky like watercolor, and I wished I contained an artist’s talent to capture the beauty.
The ocean.
I’d never seen it and only read about it in stories. It was overwhelming, and my heart thundered under my ribs. But nothing made me feel as in awe as the warmth of the three alphas beside me. Of Bram and his cheek. Of Birdie and her brilliant mind, scribbling notes in the near darkness.
“Look, wife.” Hale pointed and a shooting star soared across our eyeline. Its tail orange, fiery and full of energy. For an endless moment it lit up the sky, burning a trail we all followed.
“Make a wish.”
“We already have everything we want.” Ruck squeezed my hand, and my heart clenched.
He was right. No matter what the future holds. Wherever we ended up living, whatever happened next, we had each other, and that was more than I’d ever wished for myself. Their love set me free in more ways than one.
“Are you ready to make a home, star?” Oliver nudged my hip, and I shared a soft smile with them all.
“I was home the moment we became Hartlock Pack, but I’m looking forward to the new adventure.”
I lied. I was home the moment I answered Hale’s letter for a mail-order bride. My soul knew before I did. There was something calling me to the wildlands, to three men who fell for me in three different ways. It wasn’t conventional. It was illegal if you asked everyone I grew up with. But nothing could pry these bonds from my chest. I would fight every day for the right to live as Designated were supposed to.
Ruck, Oliver, and Hale were mine, and I was theirs.
This was a love that would not fade like a shooting star. Tapering off after one brilliant thrust of light and energy. We would endure and burn through the pages of time.
In years to come, our descendants will remember us at this moment.
Scared, excited, elated. Balancing on a precipice of the unknown. They would remember how we took the first step, and changed history.