Chapter 4

• Of all the stupid things she’d done in her life, this one ranked near the top of that list. It was a long list too. All she’d wanted to do was run and see the area she hadn’t seen in so many years.
• Many times, she was worried that she would never find her way back here. A few times, she’d almost given up, but then she would remember those who didn’t have the chance to return and had figured out which way to go. Well, she was back, and the first thing she does is get hurt before she can even speak to anyone.
• The last time she was running through this area, it had been on two legs because she couldn’t shift yet—and she hadn’t been alone, but with her sister, Emi. She closed her eyes, lay on the cold snow, and tried to see her face. It was gone now. She couldn’t see her sister.
• Whining made her open them. Daigo was face to face with her. She could see in his eyes that he was scared and wished she could communicate with the little wolf in her cat form. She had tried before, but he never understood her. Keeping her eyes open, she held his look and hoped that convinced him she was just regrouping, and then she’d see how bad it was and take it from there.
• Her cat moved through her, wanting to take control, but Journee refused the request. She didn’t need her animal forcing things and crippling her for life. Worse, she’d be stuck in this form forever and wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what she knew. Then all that time figuring out where the clan lived would have been for nothing.
• Daigo started barking and pacing back and forth. Lifting her head, she saw a man coming down the embankment. He slid a few times but managed to keep it under control and reach the bottom. He started walking toward her. He was too young to be Alpha Cain.
• “Hey, bud, I’m here to help her.”
• Her cat was still and listening. Journee tried to scent him, but the pain in her leg was distracting, and she couldn’t focus on what she was smelling. He was a shifter though. The males all had this walk that gave away that their other side was a predator.
• Daigo crouched between them.
• “It’s okay.” The man said in a gentle way.
• Daigo inhaled and sat still for a moment and then jumped up. Just like that, as if the pup sensed he was good, he ran around her a few times and then licked her face to say, help is here. We’re saved.
• “I’m Asher. Alpha Cain is at the top of the hill.” He crouched a few feet from her, keeping his gaze on her wolf pup.
• Journee lifted her head and looked at the little creature. He stopped and then inched closer and put his head down beside hers. Asher. She knew him or had known him. This man didn’t resemble the boy he had been. He was a year older than her, but she’d had a crush on him when they were young. Of course, she was nowhere on his radar then. Although, she was pretty sure he hadn’t yet noticed girls.
• He moved a little closer, “Can you get up?”
• Lifting her head, she shifted one front paw.
• “Whatever you do, don’t try to shift.”
• She lifted her weight. If she’d been in her other form, she would have cursed loudly as the pain went through her.
• “You know what, don’t try to get up.” He knelt and reached slowly to touch her back leg. He didn’t use too much pressure, which was good for him, because then she didn’t have to bite him. “Stay down.” He leaned back and looked at her, “I think it’s broken. I have no idea how to set it so you can shift, so we’re going to have to get you up out of here and let someone more qualified do that.”
• She chuffed and then dropped her head back down. Daigo inched closer and rested his chin on her shoulder.
• Asher pulled out his phone. She’d never held a phone like that. The last phone she had used was attached to a cord and plugged in. “I might know someone with answers.” He touched the screen and then scowled at it. “I can’t call until we’re back up top.”
• Journee didn’t know a lot about technology, but in her travels, she’d heard enough people swearing about no signal, so she could only assume that was the issue.
• Daigo jumped up and started growling. If she could smile, she would have. The little pup thought he sounded intimidating—toward shifters that could munch him in half with one bite. Two men were walking toward them, pulling a long toboggan. She recognized the one as Alpha Cain. He’d aged. but hadn’t changed much over the years.
• When Asher stood up to go to them, she tried to shift her weight so they would easily get her on that piece of plastic. She moaned when the pain shot through her entire leg, right up into her hip. Daigo went a little crazy and started barking and growling. Any other time she would have found it cute.
• Asher squatted and put his hand out. “Come here.” Daigo didn’t move. “Come on. We can’t help her if we’re tripping over you.” The pup inched closer to him, his little belly dragging in the snow.
• “How bad?” The Alpha called out to him.
• “I think there’s a break in her back leg, but I’m no expert.” Asher continued to hold his hand out for Daigo.
• The two men stopped a few feet away from where Asher was. “Okay, we’ll get her to the top, and then I’ll have to call around and see if any of the clan doctors are nearby. Ours is off helping the Alliance.”
• The Alliance. She had only ever heard it spoken of in a wrong way. They were active. Her trip hadn’t been for nothing after all. That was such a relief, now, if she could only speak words.
• “I can call someone once we’re back up top and have a signal.” Daigo inched closer to his hand. Just as he went to grab him, he darted back in the other direction and sat watching them.
• “Let’s get her on this.” The Alpha glanced back at the hill, “it’s going to take all three of us to pull her up.”
• In any other instance, she would have put up a fight about this. She trusted no one, but if she didn’t let them help, she was going to be stuck like this for a lot longer than she’d like. It wasn’t like when she was ten and broke her wrist. Then she only had one form, and even though she had been out there on her own, she had managed to let it heal.
• Her cat wasn’t happy with three males so close to her. She could smell all three of them and was tensing up, which made the pain worse. Journee closed her eyes as they discussed how to get her onto it and told her animal to relax. If she ever wanted to run again, they had to help. That settled her down and allowed her to stay calm and let these men shift her weight onto the toboggan.
• Hopefully, she could shift back later and tell the Alpha what she’d learned since she was last on clan land.