Broken Bond - Callie Rose Page 0,25

onto the large wolf’s broad frame, I settle just over his powerful shoulder blades. My fingers sink deep into his light brown fur, and I lean forward against his neck to cling to him, allowing myself to draw warmth and strength from his presence.

I don’t know these lands the way the shifters do, but as we set out, I can tell we’re taking a different path than the past couple times we arrived here at the mating cabin. Dare takes the lead, limping at a surprisingly quick pace for how injured his left leg is. I hate the thought of him up ahead, pushing through a debilitating haze of drugged-up pain, all alone with his own thoughts.

I wish I could comfort him, but he’d only push me away if I tried.

We jog for a while, though the only indication of passing time is the sun’s path across the cloudless sky. We pass over bare, rocky terrain, through a deep ravine, and into the soft cool shadow of a thick forest. The terrain is beautiful here, and more than once I find myself lost in the spectacle of it. It’s no wonder the shifters choose to live out here in the wilderness, surrounded by the mountains and the huge, blue Montana sky.

After a while, the landscape begins to pass a little slower, and I glance at Dare just slightly ahead of me and Ridge. It’s obvious his strength is flagging.

My jaw tightens, a knot twisting in my stomach. Shit. I knew he was pushing himself too far, setting too aggressive of a pace for that leg. As if he can sense my thoughts, the black wolf looks over at me, then quickly looks away with a small whine.

My heart aches for him. Not just for what he’s going through, but for the gulf that stretches between us.

Our pace gets slower and slower the longer we run, and it’s agonizing to see Dare pushing himself beyond what he should have to endure. But he keeps himself going long enough for us to reach the East Pack.

We finally step out of the thick forest into a vast clearing between two mountains. A small village sits up ahead, smoke curling from chimneys and a few people moving among the cabins. As we get closer, I can see that the setup is quite similar to Ridge’s town, only a bit smaller, with the homes closer together.

Just beyond the first line of houses, Ridge cuts ahead of Dare, halting his limping progress. He kneels, indicating I should get off. My legs and arms feel wobbly from so much time remaining seated on his back. I do a few stretches, shaking out my limbs while the men shift back to human form.

Archer is the first to finish getting dressed, and he goes to Dare’s side to help the wounded shifter get into his shorts. “We’re going straight to the medicine woman,” he informs us, shaking his head as he catch’s Dare’s gaze. “You look like death.”

“I feel like death,” the black-haired shifter croaks, leaning into Archer’s side.

“Hey, no more witch hunts. Got it?” Ridge jokes as he steps up on Dare’s other side.

I feel useless, standing around watching them help their wounded friend. I want to help him. I could have helped him put his shorts on or taken some of his weight on my shoulders. But how can I do any of that when he flinches from my touch and won’t even meet my eyes?

So instead, I fall into step behind the three men with Trystan, who’s uncharacteristically silent.

We draw several gazes, the same way I did on the day I tried to flee Ridge’s pack lands. But the looks we get aren’t filled with suspicion, just curious interest.

Archer takes us up a side road and past several houses. Two small kids are out playing in one yard, and somewhere nearby, I hear another child let out a laughing shriek. We pass a woman on her knees in a vegetable patch, and a man with bushy white hair sweeping off his front steps. Like in Ridge’s village, nobody would ever guess these people are shifters. Everything just looks so… normal.

Finally, we peel off from the main road and take a long, narrow dirt path away from the cluster of homes toward a small log cabin set apart from the rest. The chimney smokes merrily, indicating the healer is home, thank goodness.

Dare makes it onto her front porch before his legs collapse beneath him.

I let out a