Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(30)

"We?" I asked.

He turned his gaze on me. "You and I are going to the Cancer pack lands."

“What?” I blinked at him. “Just the two of us?”

“We don’t know if the remaining Cancers are holed up and waiting to shoot anyone who enters the pack lands, or if the Leos have overrun them and now control that area. They could have dozens of fighters there, for all we know. A stealth mission is our best bet. You and I can use our Moon Touched gifts to get in and out undetected. Once we know what the situation is, we can go from there."

I nodded slowly, unable to argue with his plan. Kaden's invisibility combined with my teleportation would make us the ultimate spies and scouts. Assuming we could get along long enough to get the job done. I had a feeling the tension between us would only get worse when it was just the two of us in the car.

Kaden said a few more words to the pack, laying out the logistical details of their trip, and then the others headed back to their cars and vans. They'd be driving to the airport in Spokane, leaving the vehicles behind there, and taking a flight to Anchorage. Harper gave me a quick hug and promised to take good care of Mira. Dane gave me a short nod since he never spoke as far as I could tell, and Jack gave me a wink.

He clamped Kaden on the shoulder. "Good luck, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You would do everything," Kaden muttered.

"Exactly." Jack grinned one last time before giving a wave and heading off with the others.

I turned to Mira, who hung back like she was hesitant to go with them. I wrapped her in a hug. "You're going to be okay. They'll take care of you, and help your pack too if they can." I was certain of it after Kaden had called her a friend of the pack. Since he didn't know Mira all that well, I could only assume he did it because of her connection with me, and I was grateful.

She hugged me tight like she was afraid to let me go. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too,” I said into her shoulder. I hated that we would be split up again. I wanted all of us to be able to stay together and not have to deal with the Leo pack, but I knew that wasn't possible. We weren't kids in the Cancer pack anymore, playing on the beach near our houses. We'd both moved on, joined other packs, and Mira had a mate to rescue. And me? I had a grumpy alpha to deal with.

"I have a phone now, so we can keep in touch," I said. "Oh, I have an idea! Let's get a selfie before you go."

Mira giggled as I pulled her close, and we smiled wide for the camera like we were on vacation and not running for our lives. It wasn't the same as having a real camera, but at least I could have a picture of us in my phone. After I’d taken a few pictures—just in case one of us was blinking in any of them—I frowned down at the little screen, trying to see if they’d turned out okay. The cheap phone's camera was a piece of crap, but it was all I had.

“Did you ever get a new camera?” Mira asked. "After yours was broken?"

“No,” I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice. “I haven’t had the chance to get a new one.” Or had the means to do so, for that matter. It wasn’t like Kaden had ever paid me a salary during my time with the Ophiuchus. I doubted I'd have been allowed a camera anyway, just like I hadn't been allowed a phone. The Ophiuchus pack had rightfully been wary of anything that might reveal the location of their village.

Mira tilted her head at me, her dark brows furrowing with concern. “I’m sorry, that’s such a shame. I know how much photography means to you.”

“I have other things to worry about right now." I caught sight of the others waiting for Mira and knew our time was up. "Here, put your number in my phone.”

Mira nodded and took it from me, tapping a few buttons before returning it. I looked down, finding she’d put a heart and a fish emoji behind her name, and I smiled. I really would miss her.

"Let me know what happens with the Pisces pack," I said.

She got a hopeful look in her eyes. "I will. I just pray Aiden is all right."

"I'm sure he's perfectly fine and will be very happy to have you back."

She sucked in a breath and nodded. "I really do appreciate everything the Ophiuchus pack is doing to help me. I can't promise that I'll be able to sway the Pisces alpha to stand up to the Leos, but I'll try."

"That's all we can ask."

“It’s time to go,” Kaden said, making me jump. He was leaning against the car behind me, close enough that he could have heard our whole conversation, looking as annoyingly hot as ever with his muscled forearms crossed over his chest. Had he been listening in the entire time? Probably.

I said goodbye to Mira again, and then she was off, slipping into one of the other cars with Harper. My chest tightened as they drove away, turning down the road and moving out of sight. I quickly typed out a text. Let me know when you land safely.

When I looked back up, Kaden had pushed himself off the side of the car and yanked the passenger door open. “Ready to go, little wolf? Or do you need another ten minutes standing around this parking lot?”

"Forgive me for taking a moment to say goodbye to my oldest friend," I muttered as I slid into the passenger’s seat. Somehow I'd managed to forget just how arrogant and irritating Kaden could be. But he'd also called me little wolf, a nickname I'd originally hated, thinking it was an insult before I came to realize it was a term of endearment, even if Kaden would never admit that. Maybe he didn't hate me as much as he wanted me to think.