The Lost Mate

Max

“Afraid there’s a price for information about your whereabouts on your head, and the reward’ll be higher if the information I sell is that you’re securely in my hands and ready for pickup. But I’ve got no problem with you. Walk away, Max.”

I was a well trained fighter, and Nash was tough in a scrappy way, but there was no realistic way we were fighting our way out of the situation. We were easily outnumbered four to one, and that was only counting the directly present wolves, not the ones nearby. And Nash was already being restrained by a couple of them, so he wasn’t exactly in a fighting stance.

That left me with two choices. I could walk away and abandon Nash, or I could try to convince Fennel to let him go.

And I couldn’t just abandon Nash, because no matter what he might be, he was pack, and he had become my strange friend over our long quiet hours together. I had a suspicion that he was the way that he was because he had been abandoned too many times already. It wouldn’t hurt to at least try and help him out of whatever predicament he’d gotten himself into.

I looked towards Fennel, who had already dismissed me. “Is there any way I could convince you otherwise?”

Nash grew very still as he stopped resisting the heavy hands of the guards holding him in place.

Fennel’s attention snapped to me, and the way he stared at me made me believe he was reassessing me. I met his eyes, stare for stare. “Why would you want to help this wolf?”

“He’s pack. And a friend.”

Fennel chuckled darkly. “Are you so sure about that?”

“Yes.” I had no illusions. Nash wasn’t a good person, or very reliable, or overly loyal, but that didn’t change the fact.

“You may regret putting your neck on the line for him, one day.”

He was probably right. I shrugged as if the truth had no effect on me. “Still. Can I pay you, instead?”

“How much are you offering?”

“Two grand.”

Fennel chuckled. “Try ten.”

“Three.”

“Six.”

“Four.”

Fennel considered me for a long moment and then laughed. “This one has some balls. Fine. I’ll let you have him for four, but that’s not enough to pay for my silence, too.”

“Fair enough. I’ll get the money and come back for Nash.”

“He’ll be here waiting. Don’t take too long. The wolves’ll quickly be on your tails.” Fennel smirked and I walked out with stares burning my back.

—————

A few hours later, after a desperate run to civilization, I returned with the withdrawn cash in hand. The gym was even more empty than when I had first seen it, only Nash sitting with a couple of guards, which was much better odds if Fennel tried to double cross me. I didn’t think he would from my impression, although I still didn’t let down my guard. I passed the money over to one of the men who had been with Fennel, and Nash was shoved roughly forward towards me. He stumbled before righting himself. His face was blank and he kept his eyes down, but he followed me as we left the building without further opposition.

We shifted and left the Red Wolves territory as quickly as we could, not stopping for a break until we had put as much distance as we could between us and them. Nash was even more quiet and subdued than usual, and I didn’t interrupt him, because now that the crisis was over, I was lost in my own thoughts about what I’d heard from the Red Wolves.

Between Whiteforest and Rustknoll...

I was familiar with the location, and not only because Rustknoll was where Nash and West were from. It was one of the first places I had searched after we had escaped Stonemason. I had consulted adherents at a moon goddess temple and they had suggested that I look there for my mate. I put aside my misgivings—the place Hannah said they had gotten split up was far from the area—and followed the lead.

After weeks of combing the area and asking everyone who would listen about Lillian, I found nothing. Not a scent, not a word, not a trace. A dead end, and the worst of all the disappointments yet to come, because I had hoped so desperately back then.

But now, that location was coming up again. My first instinct was to dismiss it, but after my first gut instinct, I began to reconsider. Would it be worth swinging by and taking another look? Maybe. Either way, first we were heading to Sterling Manor as planned, and I could decide whether to try that fruitless search again if I didn’t get a better lead from the witches.

“You shouldn’t have paid that,” Nash said, bringing me out of my planning and back to the situation at hand.

“It’s fine.” I glanced over at him. “Why did you have a price on your head?”

“No idea. Could be lots of reasons.”

I doubted he truly had no idea, so I tried a different tact. “Who’s after you, Nash?”

“Don’t know.” I sensed he was lying, and not only because of his even greater than usual reluctance to meet my eyes.

“Is it going to bring more trouble to Glenshadow?” I could accept some risk to myself, but I wasn’t willing to see my friends and vulnerable pack mates harmed because of Nash’s secrets and lies.

“No, not more trouble.”

“Good, because we already have enough.”

Nash nodded, a serious expression in his yellow eyes. He almost looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn’t and I let it slide. If he had something to say, he would, when he was ready. More importantly in the moment, we needed to keep moving. I didn’t want whoever was searching for smash to catch up with us.

—————

We continued travelling in the direction of Sterling Manor. The land became more heavy with conifers as we continued and the terrain became more rocky and difficult to traverse. We did little besides run, hunt, and rest, but that was fine with me because we were making good time. Maybe even better than I usually did thanks to Nash’s gift for hunting. It satisfied that nagging itch to keep moving, keep searching until I found her.

As we neared the manor, I explained to him what it was like so he’d have forewarning, and asked if he’d rather wait outside for me and he seriously considered the idea. We stopped for a morning rest before we arrived at our destination after running the entire night.

I was surprised when Nash broke the silence voluntarily. “I had a mate.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. She’s dead.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.” The words were inadequate and I knew it. Theodora and West hadn’t said a word if they knew, and if not them, I doubted he would have confided in anyone else.

“It was a long time ago. I only knew her for a few weeks before the hunters took her out.”

“Shit. Sorry, man.”

Nash barked a sound that was almost a laugh. “They weren’t wrong. She was dangerous. My perfect match. She took three of them down before they got her.”

He didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t push for more details. It really was amazing that Nash was as sane as he was after everything he had gone through. Being abandoned by his pack, losing his mate, and years with just his brother for connection could push any wolf to the absolute edge.

“Mates are important, hope you find yours alive.”

His words reverberated in my mind until sleep finally claimed me.