Unbound

Chapter 3

The wolf who was killed was a healer from Castle Pack who had come down with a small contingent to help our guard track the raiders. It had taken Dmitri some effort to convince Gabriel to send them; in the end, I was sure he only agreed to ensure they didn't flee into Castle territory. The healer was separated from his trio and cut off by the raider party. No one found him until it was too late—his throat had been torn open, far deeper than would heal on its own. By the time they'd carried him back to our clinic, he had bled out. Rosalind and Shiva, skilled though they were, couldn't bring him back.

The news of his death rattled everyone in our pack. No doubt Gabriel would be furious—with Dmitri for asking for his help, and with himself for agreeing to provide it. The mood was somber, and few ventured out of their homes. We didn't know what the retribution would look like, but we were sure it would be swift and severe. Pack members were not slain often; we hadn't seen an unnatural death in decades.

Jack had about worn a track in the floor around our coffee table with his pacing. He was worried about what might happen if the alliance was broken, whether pack members like himself would be called upon to join the guard. The mere idea of leaving home, leaving his farm and crops and animals, and being asked to potentially inflict violence on another, was his worst nightmare.

For my part, I tried my best to be upbeat for Jack as he so often was for me. I picked up a few extra shifts at the clinic while Shiva and Rosalind took time off to work through their emotions from that day and helped harvest and process crops to replace those we'd lost.

I felt excluded from the talks about our next move, and it stung. It was frustrating to not be privy to the discussions about our security and alliances. Jack tried to share what little he knew, but it was clear that he was being left out as well. I knew that I couldn't demand a seat at the table, but it still bothered me to be left so completely in the dark during such a pivotal moment in our pack's history. If there was a threat to us or our territory, I wanted to know about it. I wanted to help.

It was two weeks since the attack, and the first snow had just fallen. The valley was still and quiet. I was curled into the corner of our couch reading, Jack lighting a fire on the hearth, when a black SUV pulled up the drive. We both heard it at the same time and caught each other's eye.

"Stay here," Jack told me firmly and went to meet the arriving party outside. I tossed my blanket to the side and followed him out into the frigid evening air. He shot me a sidelong glance, annoyed but unsurprised that I'd ignored his instruction.

The driver stepped out and moved around the car to open the back door. A cold knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

"Stay here," Jack said again, this time low and in an intense tone that I'd never heard from him before. I stepped back into the doorframe and nodded. Jack vaulted off the porch, nearly losing his footing on a patch of ice for how quickly he moved.

My breath caught in my throat as Alpha Dmitri slid out of the car first, then offered his hand to his mate, Constance, to follow him. Immediately, my mind leapt to the worst case scenario: they were recruiting all able-bodied males to the cause. We were going to war with Castle Pack. Jack would be taken. Tears sprang to my eyes at the thought and I blinked them back hard.

Jack's head dipped and he made quiet conversation with the pair. I wished that I had the hearing of a full-blooded wolf and cursed the sharp wind that carried their voices out of my reach.

When all three looked up at me, I knew it was my cue to join them on the sidewalk. I took a breath and made my way down, my hand instinctively finding Jack's. He laced his fingers through mine and gripped tightly. He was shaking. I was too.

"Kiera," Constance stepped forward with a tight smile. She was breathtaking; they both were. "I'm sorry that we've not officially met before tonight. I've heard your name from Rosalind, she speaks highly of you as a healer."

I dipped my head slightly. "Thank you."

"We so appreciate the work you've done at the clinic." My insides were beginning to churn. Something wasn't right here.

"Why don't we step inside out of the cold so we can talk," Dmitri suggested, still standing slightly behind his mate.

"Of course." I was annoyed that Jack hadn't immediately thought to invite them in. "Please."

Still gripping my hand, Jack led the way inside the warmth of the house. I was grateful that he'd gotten the fire going before stepping outside, but the heat made my cheeks flush almost instantly. My blush was compounded when I glanced around quickly and noticed how messy our home was: Jack had never been particularly tidy, and I had given up picking up after him in the wake of his stress since the raid. I tried to place myself blocking the view into the kitchen so that the dishes on the counter, clean but piled to the side of the sink, wouldn't be immediately obvious.

"Can I get you something to drink?" I addressed the group. Dmitri and Constance had a larger-than-life presence that felt out of place in our small living room. Dmitri's sandy hair, similar in color to Jack's but much cleaner cut, glowed in the firelight. Constance was nearly just as tall, both of them standing a head above Jack and twice that over me.

"Thank you, no. We won't take up too much of your evening." Constance said graciously and looked at Dmitri.

"This is, unfortunately, not a strictly social call." Dmitri said. Constance cast her eyes to the ground. "As we mentioned to your partner, we've come with a request."

I understood with a start that he was addressing me directly. A request from the Alpha was less of a request than a demand, though he'd never frame it that way.

"You're aware that one of the Castle Pack members was killed defending our territory." He started. I could only nod. "Gabriel and I have reached an agreement, as was necessary to preserve our alliance."

His words sounded rehearsed, I realized. Scripted. It was all I could do to let him continue his monologue uninterrupted while Jack trembled at my side.

"He demanded a life for a life, a one-for-one trade. A member of our pack to replace the one he lost. And I've chosen you to go." Dmitri could barely meet my eye.

His words knocked the air out of my lungs and I let out a sharp breath as though I'd been punched in the gut. I'd been braced for the news that Jack would be called to the guard, but I wasn't prepared for this. A life-debt. Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my expression neutral as my mind raced.

It made sense—a healer for a healer. But more than that, I knew that as soon as Gabriel had made his demand, there wouldn't have been a question in Dmitri's mind who to send. I was at the very bottom of the Sawtooth hierarchy. I was accepted as a pack member, sure, but I knew that when forced to make a choice, Dmitri would never choose a full-blooded member over me, least of all one that was mated. I was the easy choice.

"She won't—" Jack started. I cut him off.

"I'll do it." I struggled to keep my voice from cracking. Any other answer wasn't an option, and I didn't want to make it harder than it already was by trying to argue or beg. "When do I leave?"

"In the morning. We can send a driver to take you." Dmitri offered.

"I'll drive her," Jack snarled. He knew as well as I did that there was no fighting Dmitri's decision, but he wouldn't send me to the wolves—literally—by myself. "You can show yourselves out."

Dmitri nodded and confirmed that he would send a car for us to take. He moved towards the front door, but Constance hesitated behind him for a moment. She took my one of my hands in both of hers. They were soft and cool. In my shocked state, all I could think of was how clammy mine must have felt, and I was embarrassed.

"I am so sorry," she said earnestly, holding eye contact. "We will find a way to make this right and bring you home."

I could only nod. She gave my hand a squeeze then let go, and suddenly the room was empty again, their absence leaving behind a void where they'd stood. My knees buckled and I fell back onto the couch.

"Jack—" I couldn't finish my sentence. The room was spinning and I felt too hot, my chest too tight, like I was suffocating. Without saying anything, Jack sat beside me and wrapped his arms around me, holding on tightly. The whole thing was surreal, too much to process. So instead, I let myself shut down.