Reed (Nano Wolves #4) - Donna McDonald Page 0,26
hurt to lose her until you grilled me.”
Brandi grinned at Reed’s story. “Well, that sure explains a lot. I bet all your official mates were home-loving doormats like the females Gareth mated before me. Wolves like you two seem to love being with females who practically turn themselves into domestic slaves for your benefit. Matt is the only alpha wolf I’ve met who truly did not want that type of female.”
Reed’s head whipped around. He was not like that. Was he? “What do you mean?”
Brandi lifted a hand from the steering wheel and waved it around. “Your stoic reactions to Katarina never seemed right to me. There’s also your attitude that your feelings for her can wait to be expressed. I bet you secretly think she’ll leave one day. And knowing Katarina, she might. No wonder you’re afraid of getting involved with her.”
“I wouldn’t call what I feel being afraid.”
Brandi chuckled. “Really? Gareth used to accuse me of being afraid of my feelings for him. He was right, but I never once admitted it. I don’t think you’ll ever admit it either. I totally understand the satisfaction of being in denial, but you should at least be honest with yourself if not the world. Katarina may be the alpha she-wolf you’ve been looking for since you lost the first one.”
Reed squirmed in his seat. “That can’t be true. Katarina is volatile and unpredictable. Look at the trouble it’s landed her in. We have to go rescue her.”
Brandi chuckled. “Yeah, she’s trouble all right. She’s a she-wolf willing to risk her life. I bet all your previous mates paced around with one of your many babies on their hips and prayed you’d make it home safely. Now Katarina… she definitely will not stay home and wait. She’s the type who’d call Yana to come watch the child and go rescue you herself. She needs a guy who’ll accept that about her. Am I right?”
Reed shrugged. “Probably.”
“Gareth back at Bear Central is pacing and waiting for me to come home. He stayed behind because Stewart needs one of us to be there. I get how it feels to be the one left behind. Given our true natures, I appreciate that Gareth and I can take turns being the one who races off to save people.”
Before Reed could respond, Brandi pulled off the road near a swath of woods. “We’re as close as we dare get. Given their access to technology, they may see us if we get within a mile.” She pulled a device from her jacket. “Take this with you. It’s a GPS that will lead you straight to the coordinates where Katarina is being held. My best guess is that’s about a mile and a half through the woods and due north. You should be able to walk it fairly quickly in human form. Don’t shift until you have to. A tall First Nation man will blend into the background easier.”
Reed took the device, studied it, and decided it was easy enough for him to follow. He got out of the vehicle and removed two backpacks from the backseat. They held clothing, solar blankets, and rations in case food and water were inaccessible. One of them also contained a first aide kit, which he hoped he wouldn’t have to use.
Brandi got out and walked around the vehicle. “Don’t take them on. They have weapons like Randall Crane’s group did that can take down even the largest wolf. All you need to do is monitor them. If they start to move, follow them. We’ll be following you and I expect to see two trackers heading in the same direction.”
“I’ll do my best.” He put one backpack on his back. “Why did you agree to me doing this? I could tell you thought I needed to go back to the village.”
Brandi nodded. “You’re right. I did. That would have been the best plan. The reason I went along with this is because I think you’re way more worried about Katarina than you are about your people. You trust me and Gareth to protect the village, and you trust Ariel to lead them. Katarina has no one to go after her. I also agreed, because if it were Gareth who’d gotten abducted, you can bet your giant wolf ass that I’d be headed to find him. No one would stop me.”
Reed laughed even though it wasn’t really funny. His life was a mess. His pack was a mess. He was a leader who