20
Shelia navigated for us while Malcom and Kyle took turns carrying Alec. I kept constant, obsessive lookout for Tyler. We couldn’t risk anyone knowing where the witch lived or what she was doing. But we couldn’t afford to wait to go to her for help, either.
Every hour, when the males switched who was carrying Alec, I checked his breathing and heartbeat. I wasn’t sure if it was in my head or not, but it felt like it was getting harder to find his pulse.
Furious at myself for causing so much harm, I focused on the anger I felt toward Tyler. It drove me. As long as I felt mad, I wasn’t feeling the pull toward the bond.
“I should have let the bookcase slam into him,” I muttered under my breath.
Sheila slowed down and matched her pace with mine. “How you doing?”
“This is all my fault,” I said. “The whole mess. How did I end up as a damsel in distress always waiting for someone else to save my ass? It’s not right. I swore that I’d be stronger when I got free of Wolf Creek.”
“You’re no damsel,” she said. “You’re our friend, and you needed help. That’s what friends do. They help each other. Even when it’s not easy.”
“I could get you all killed. That’s beyond just a little help,” I pointed out.
“That’s part of being a friend. Especially when you’re in a feral group. All of us have people who want us dead. You gotta stop thinking you’re special,” she teased.
I smirked and glanced over at her.
“You’d do it for me,” she said. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I’d do it for you,” I agreed. If her old pack was after her, I wouldn’t think twice about running toward danger to protect her. So this was what it was like to have friends. Friendship was fucking dangerous. But it was so much better than being alone. It was worth it.
“How far are we?” I asked. “Didn’t Alec say three days?”
“Yeah,” she said. “We’ll have to break for the night. Especially since those two are going to need a rest from carrying Alec.”
I looked back and saw Kyle carrying Alec on his back. It wasn’t easy to carry someone who was unresponsive, but the two large males were doing a great job of sharing the burden and continuing forward. Good thing they had that extra shifter strength. They almost made it look easy but I knew they had to be feeling worn down.
“Tell me about this witch,” I said. “What should I know?”
“Well, she’s different, but she’s a witch, so maybe that’s normal.” Sheila didn’t sound convinced.
“What do you meandifferent?” I asked.
“She’s quirky, I guess,” she clarified.
“Is she dangerous?”
Sheila chuckled. “No way. Her coven is a different story.”
“We’ve got a long walk ahead of us, I could go for a story,” I said.
“Well, she’s kind of like us, from what I’ve gathered. She was kicked out of her coven. She’s different, so they treated her differently despite the fact she’s crazy powerful. Assholes.”
“She’s an outcast like us?” It made sense why she lived alone and stayed away from her coven. It also helped explain why Sheila and Alec trusted her.
“If she were a wolf, she’d live in camp,” Sheila said. “She’s got a lot in common with us. Her coven thinks she’s dead and that’s the way she wants to keep things. Our arrangement with her helps keep her off the grid. She gets to stay in her house all the time, and we get help when we need it.”
“For a price,” I said.
“Yeah, we pay her. Money or sometimes other things, but it’s worked out to our advantage to have a witch on our payroll,” Sheila said with a shrug.
“Alec said you bring her supplies,” I said.
“We do. Every few weeks, Alec drops off groceries and whatever random shit is on her list,” Sheila confirmed. “Sometimes I go with him.”