Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(62)

When Kaden saw me approaching, he fell silent and let his eyes roam over me, although not in a sensual way. More like a dad who was checking to make sure my outfit wasn't too sexy for a date. “Be careful today,” he said. “With the other packs looking for us, it’s dangerous to even be leaving in a vehicle. They could easily track you back here.”

“You’re not going?” I asked.

Kaden shook his head. His eyes were back to being completely emotionless as he held my gaze. “Are you willing to put your life on the line to help a pack that isn’t even yours?”

I nodded and steeled myself, lifting my chin as I stared back into Kaden’s eyes. “I’d give my life for this pack if need be.”

I meant every word too. He’d made sure to make the distinction that this wasn’t my pack, but this felt like the place where I belonged. Even with my mortification over the mating frenzy, I wanted to be one of them, and I’d spend as much time as Kaden needed to prove myself a worthy member.

Kaden’s eyes held mine for a beat longer, as if testing my sincerity. I let it all show in my face and eventually, he nodded. “Get in the van.”

He walked away without another word. Back to normal, I thought and climbed into the van. There were six wolves total, most of them Kaden’s friends. Clayton was driving, and I was sharing an aisle of seats with Jack and another guy I'd seen around town, who was about the size as Kaden, aka big and muscular, except his hair was long and blond, almost like a surfer. When I glanced behind me to the back row, I noted two pack members I’d only seen once or twice. They looked like warrior twins, both with caramel-colored hair and bright green eyes.

The female gave me a smile, and there was nothing soft in it. “Welcome aboard. I’m Harper. This is my brother, Dane.”

“Ayla,” I said, inclining my head.

“Oh, I know who you are, trust me,” Harper said, grinning like she knew a private joke. "After the other night, everyone knows who you are."

Jack cleared his throat. "Yeah, about that. I'm really sorry, Ayla. I didn't realize..."

My cheeks burned with mortification. "It's okay. Really."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. But seriously, I had no idea you were in heat, or that you were Kaden's woman."

"I'm definitely not his woman," I sputtered.

"That bite mark on your neck says otherwise," the guy next to Jack said. "I'm Tanner, by the way. I'd shake your hand but I don't want Kaden to bite mine off."

Everyone else in the van rumbled with laughter, except for me. I wanted to sink down through the floor of the car and melt into the ground. They had no idea of the truth—that Kaden didn't really want me. Not like that.

Clayton got in the van and snapped his head around. "Are these pups bothering you, Ayla? Should I make them get out and run alongside the van?"

I ducked my head with a small smile. Good old Clayton, always looking out for me like a big brother. And to think I'd once been annoyed at having him always watching my back. "No, it's fine."

He shrugged his big, broad shoulders as he turned back to the front. "Okay, but just say the word and they're out."

"Aw, we're just having a bit of fun." Harper patted me on the shoulder. "I'm just happy we have another girl in the group, anyway."

"Especially one that puts Kaden in his place," Tanner added with a grin.

I relaxed a little then, realizing they weren't teasing me to embarrass me, but more as a show of camaraderie. I'd spent so much of my life being bullied, I hadn't noticed the difference at first. This was what it felt like to have friends. To be part of a real pack.

“Everyone buckled up?” Clayton asked, eyes meeting ours in the rearview mirror, and the corners of his brown eyes crinkled with a smile. No one bothered to answer him, and he pulled out of Kaden’s driveway.

“What kind of supplies do we need?” I asked, once we were on the road. Excitement thrummed through me now that I realized we were actually leaving pack territory—my first time since being brought here. I might actually get some answers, for once.

“Anything we can’t get easily in the town,” Tanner said and looked as if he expected me to be satisfied with that answer. Duh, that much was obvious.

“We have safe house drop sites all over the province," Jack added. "Our supplies are dropped off by people we work for or buy from, and once or twice a month we do a supply run.”

Province. I didn’t know if Jack meant to let that slip, but I clung onto it like a lifeline. It was the first real hint I’d gotten of where we were. Province meant that we were in Canada, not the US. “Which province?”

Jack shot me a sharp look. Busted.

Harper laughed from the backseat. “They really haven’t told you much, have they? We’re in Manitoba. Have you ever heard of the Narcisse Snake Dens?”

I frowned. “No.”

Harper leaned forward, putting her arms on the back of my seat. “It's full of red-sided garter snakes. Gotta love them. They hide in these dens in the winter and reappear in spring. We have the largest number of red-sided garter snakes in the world in one place. You should visit sometime. It’s a big conservation now since they’re lower in numbers, and it's a cool place to visit.”