Chapter 13
ROZI
The truck’s engine fell silent as Brody pulled into what appeared to be nothing more than a small clearing, miles from where we’d started at his cabin.
We’d driven for nearly an hour, leaving paved roads behind for gravel, then dirt, and, finally, what could barely be called a trail.
The entire time, my heart raced with a mix of anticipation and something more primal, the awareness of being alone with him, truly alone, for the next several days.
“End of the road,” Brody announced, killing the engine. “From here, we walk.”
I stepped out of the truck, breathing in the dense forest air, richer, wilder than the atmosphere around his cabin.
My boots crunched on fallen pine needles as I shouldered my pack, significantly lighter now that I knew about the well-stocked Fae cabins waiting for us.
Still, the weight of sample collection equipment and basic survival gear pressed against my shoulders, a familiar discomfort from my days collecting rare botanicals in remote locations.
“Are we near the Outer Ridge?” I asked, scanning the tree line for any sign of the boundary Brody had mentioned during our planning.
The place where unmated males with feral sickness went to die or, worse, live out their days as beasts without humanity.
A shiver raced down my spine at the thought.
“You said we’d need to skirt it to reach the COL. ”
Brody’s jaw tightened, his eyes scanning the dense forest with the vigilance of a predator in unfamiliar territory.
“Not yet. The Outer Ridge starts about three miles east of here.” He gestured toward a distant line of darker trees barely visible through the canopy.
“We’ll stay well clear of it. Feral shifters rarely leave their territory, but they’re unpredictable. Dangerous.”
Without a cure and his mate, Brody himself might eventually join those lost souls. My chest tightened at the thought, a reaction I immediately tried to suppress. I wasn’t here to save him specifically. This was about saving all the unmated males suffering from pre-feral symptoms. Nothing more.
“So this is it? The start of our grand adventure?” I couldn’t keep the slight edge from my voice, anxiety and excitement blending into something that tasted metallic on my tongue.
His eyes met mine, that gray gaze seeing far more than I wanted to reveal. “Scared, Dr. Dhahabu?”
“Hardly.” I straightened my spine, chin lifting in reflexive defiance. “Just making sure we’re on the same page about where we’re headed and what to expect.”
A hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “We follow this trail for about six miles, and then we hit the first Fae pathway. After that…” He shrugged those impossibly broad shoulders. “The forest gets interesting.”
I snorted. “Interesting. Very scientific terminology.”
“You’re the expert,” he countered, those eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that made my stomach flip uncomfortably. “I’m just the guy who knows how not to get us killed or lost.”
With that cheerful thought, he locked the truck and slipped the keys into his pocket. Something in his expression shifted, becoming more focused, more primal. This was Brody in his element, the warrior, the protector, the wolf walking in human skin.
“Stay close,” he said, his voice dropping to that register that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. “The path to the COL isn’t just physically dangerous. It changes people.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, falling into step behind him as he began moving toward a barely visible trail leading deeper into the woods.
He glanced back, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “Guess you’ll find out.”
The forest closed in around us like a living entity, branches reaching with gnarled fingers as we climbed.
My boots sank into ground that seemed to breathe beneath me, releasing earthy perfumes with each carefully placed step.
I followed Brody deeper into territory, a place where science gave way to something older, wilder.
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy in broken patterns, casting everything in a dreamlike glow that made my mind question what was real and what was imagination.
“How much farther?” I asked, adjusting my pack.
Brody paused at the ridge’s edge, a shaft of sunlight transforming him into a golden statue.
My traitorous lungs seized mid-breath as the light traced his profile, jaw sharp enough to cut glass, shoulders broad enough to carry burdens I couldn’t imagine, yet somehow there was a gentleness in how his fingers brushed aside a fern with unnecessary care.
This man who’d once shattered my heart now stood haloed in light like some dark angel I was only beginning to understand.
“We’ve barely started,” he said, though without mockery. “The COL is deep in protected territory. Even with the shortcuts only the Bane pack knows, we’re looking at a full day’s hike before we reach the first landmark.”
I’d hiked through the , scaled volcanic slopes in Indonesia, and navigated monsoon-flooded valleys in Thailand.
This trek should have been familiar territory, one foot in front of the other, until we reached our destination.
But nothing about this expedition felt ordinary.
Not the impossible rain forest ecosystem thriving in Alaska.
And certainly not the wolf-shifter leading me through it all, his scent carried back to me on every breeze, sandalwood constantly reminding me of what I was trying so hard to forget.
“The terrain changes about a mile ahead,” Brody called back, navigating around a fallen tree trunk with the grace of a man who’d spent his life in the wilderness. “Gets steeper. Watch your footing.”
I bristled at the instruction, pride flaring hot beneath my skin. “I’ve hiked through worse than this, Thornbern.”
He stopped so abruptly I nearly collided with his wide back, the sudden proximity sending an unwelcome jolt of electricity through my system. His scent enveloped me, earthy, masculine, intoxicating, and for a moment, I couldn’t remember why I’d been so determined to keep him at arm’s length.
When he turned, there was no condescension in his eyes, only concern that made something uncomfortable flutter in my chest. But there was something else too, a heat that had nothing to do with the exertion of our hike.
“This isn’t about your capability,” he said quietly, his voice dropping to a register that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. “This is Black Forest Ridge. The rules are different here.”
As if to emphasize his point, a distant subsonic rumble echoed through the trees.
Brody stilled with eyes that scanned the dense undergrowth.
The sound didn’t belong to any animal I’d ever heard before.
I shivered with apprehension. Something primal clawed up from depths I’d forgotten existed.
My spine arched involuntarily, muscles coiling for a fight-or-flight response that bypassed rational thought.
A low, warning rumble vibrated in my chest, not quite human, not quite animal.
Danger, my cheetah hissed through our mental connection, her presence suddenly so vivid I could almost feel her pacing beneath my skin. Wrong. Unnatural. Run.
“Wait. Don’t move.” His hand wrapped around my waist as he scanned the forest, nostrils flaring. “This isn’t right. It’s summer. They should be hibernating.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tension coiling through me.
“That sound you heard was from a Swarmer,” he explained. “It’s a massive beast with venomous retractable claws that secretes a paralytic toxin with hallucinogenic properties.”
“I’ve never heard of a Swarmer,” I replied.
“It’s an animal the Fae left behind when they sold this land to Boris Bane.” He paused. “Ridge folklore says the Swarmers were created by the Fae as guardians for their most sacred sites. And local legends claim they only hunt those who disturb Fae territories or artifacts.”
He touched my arm. “If they’re out here, it’s not safe. We need to call off our trip to the COL.”
“Until when?” I asked. “A day? A month? When, Thornbern?”
“I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Too dangerous. If it were just me, then I’d risk it. But I won’t risk you. The Swarmers are pack animals. So where there is one, its pack is not far behind. I can’t protect you while fighting off a pack.”
“I can fight, Thornbern. You saw that last night.”
“Yes, but the Swarmers are very different. One swipe from their venomous claws and initial paralysis spreads from the wound site within minutes. Hallucinations begin as the venom reaches the central nervous system. The venom specifically targets the connection between human and animal consciousness in shifters, temporarily severing the bond. Without treatment, victims can experience permanent neural damage. The Swarmers being active in the forest this time of year is wrong. I won’t risk your life. This expedition is canceled.”
I curled my fingers into fists at my sides, nails biting crescents into my palms. Heat flooded my face as I met his gaze, electricity crackling in the inches between us.
“Fuck that!” I pushed against his chest. “You can’t just do that! There’s a ticking clock. We need a cure for the pre-feral sickness for the unmated Ridge males and for you. The COL is our chance to find it.”
One of his hands slipped around my waist and drew me closer. “And I protect what’s mine… you.” He cupped my jaw with one of his big hands and leaned closer. The fire in his eyes intensified, its heat scorching me to my core. “You are my fated mate, whether you accept me or not.”
“I’m not going to accept you as my fated mate!” I jerked my face away from his hand.
“Why?” he asked, drawing back and narrowing his eyes. “I’ve smelled your desire several times since we’ve reunited. I’ve seen the way you look at me. And I for damn sure haven’t hidden how fucking much I need you.”