Chapter 42

Mira

It was after three in the morning when I finally got to sleep.

Ward had to practically drag me away from the makeshift triage center, and I was grateful that he recognized when I was about to run out of steam.

There had been burn victims, many had inhaled smoke, and several had gone head-to-head against the wolves in defense of their families and the Pack.

The Pack that used to be mine.

There had been bittersweet reunions among the chaos, and I was glad to see my old neighbors even under the terrible circumstances.

The cool air refreshed me as we stepped outside the Shea house, and I didn’t realize that I had been holding my breath throughout most of the night.

My eyes were half-closed as I followed Ward into the house, and I barely got my shoes off before I fell like a log into bed and sleep overtook me.

As light crept into between the blinds in the window, I groaned at the realization that morning had caught up with me.

I stretched in the small bed, suddenly missing the expansive mattress I had been sharing with Dominic.

For a moment I thought of him, and the tension between us last night. I felt a bit of regret for snapping at him the way I did, but I blamed the urgency of the situation for my behavior.

I know he was just trying to protect me, but he still hasn’t figured out how to do that while still allowing me to be my own person. Hopefully a night alone did both of us good, and we wouldn’t have to get into it when I got home later.

Rubbing my eyes, the room around me came into focus.

My breath caught in my throat.

Somehow, in my fatigued state, I hadn’t realized that Ward had brought me to his family house. I had slept in my old bed, in the bedroom that I had been given when Ward’s parents took me in as a teenager.

The room was sparse, but it looked like nothing had been touched or moved since I moved into my own place three years ago.

It was confusing to me at first, but then I was touched that even now my adoptive family still considered me one of their own. They had treated me as a daughter, and then thought I would become a daughter-in-law when I married Ward.

And even after our relationship blew up and I left the Pack behind, they kept my sanctuary exactly how I’d left it.

I was never one to decorate, but it was nice to see a few small pieces of my past around the room.

A few books on the shelves, some old clothes in the closet, and a large map on the wall above the desk. I used to love mapping out my running routes on the trails in the woods that surrounded our area.

My eyes were drawn, like magic, to what I discovered was the spot where I’d met Dominic. Everything seemed to keep bringing me back to that place and that night.

I shook off daydreaming and pulled myself out of the bed.

On the desk there was a pile of folded clothing on the desk. I looked down at the clothes I’d worn to bed, noticing the dirt and bits of blood that had dried on them. I was grateful that someone thought to provide me with something clean.

I changed quickly and headed downstairs, finding Ward in the kitchen with a pot of coffee.

“How did you sleep?” he asked, handing me a mug.

“Like the dead,” I said quickly.

By his reaction I knew that my quip hit too close to home.

“Thank you, again, for letting me stay here,” I said trying to change the subject.

“Of course,” he said, “it’s still your home too.”

“I guess.”

Ward took a step closer to me.

“Mira, I know things are still weird between us,” he said, placing a hand on my arm, “and I know it’s all my fault.”

“Well I sure as hell didn’t get Tessa pregnant,” I said.

“No, no you didn’t,” he said with a chuckle. “But I hope you know, I would still do anything for you.”

I looked up and met his eyes, and didn’t like what I saw. He was looking at me they way he used to, the way he did when we were eighteen and he asked me to be his Mate.

“I know, Ward,” I said, “we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“And more than friends, too,” he said, leaning closer to me. “You’ll always be my first love.”

Ward placed his hand on the side of my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. He closed his eyes as he titled his face towards mine.

“No!”

The word left my mouth before my brain knew I said it, and I pulled away from his touch.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the shame written all over his face. “I shouldn’t— that was wrong of me. I think I’m still exhausted from last night.”

“Right, adrenaline, yeah,” I replied, letting him off the hook. “We should probably go check in with the Pack.”

I didn’t wait for an answer before I made my way out the door, my muscle memory kicking to take me back to the Shea house and the patients I’d left there.

We were met by sad faces, learning that two people had died in the night from wounds incurred during the attack.

One of them was an older woman I had sat with in my last hours before I slept. She had gotten stuck in her home when it was set on fire, and had third-degree burns on her arms and legs.

I hadn’t been hopeful for her recovery, but my heart still broke to hear of her passing. I just hoped she wasn’t alone during her last moments.

“We will mourn these lost members of our Pack, and must be grateful that our casualties were not greater,” Brooks, the Alpha, told his people.

“Our homes we will rebuild, and have already received such wonderful donations of time and resources from our neighboring Packs. In spite of past differences, all wolves must look out for one another in the face of the barbaric attackers.”

There were nods and sounds of agreement around the room.

“Now, unfortunately,” he went on, “we have to speak of the urgent matter in front of us.”

Ward and I exchanged a look, unsure of what the Alpha meant.

“One of our own, Rae, is missing,” Brooks said somberly.

Gasps went up throughout the crowd.

“At this point, we assume that she was taken by the Rogues that attacked us,” Brooks said. “Whether that was their plan all along, we do not know, but we have already sent out our tracking team to see if they can pick up a trail that will help us bring her back. If anyone has any information, please come to me immediately.”

I didn’t realize that I was gripping Ward’s arm until I felt him feel my fingers away. My vision started to blur, and I closed my eyes for a moment.

Images flashed behind my eyelids. I was young, I was restrained I was being transported in a van by large wolves that I didn’t recognize. The vision was different but the atmosphere was the same as the nightmares that I’d been having.

My stomach turned and I opened my eyes. I went up to Brooks quickly, getting his attention.

“Sir, I promise the help of the Greys,” I told him. “You will have the strength of our pack behind you.”

“Thank you, Mira,” he said, taking my hand. “You will always have a family among us, should you ever need it.”

I offered a soft smile, and walked away from him. I held my hands to my temples, a headache throbbing from my visions.

Ward was looking at me, concerned.

“What just happened?” he asked me.

“Ward, we have to find her,” I told him urgently. “I can’t explain this, but I think I know where they are taking her.”

“What? How?”

“I don’t know exactly, but they have a facility somewhere,” I went on. “They’re experimenting on young wolves, and I think Rae is their next victim.”

“Testing? What do you mean?” Ward spoke in a furtive whisper. “And how do you know all of this?”

“Because,” I told him, looking him square in the eyes, “I’ve been there.”