“I do.” I waited for a bit of elaboration on the subject but it never came. That wound was still much too fresh for her to discuss it with me. But it was my hope that with time, she would open up and relieve herself of that pain.
“Our temporary den is this way,” I directed.
She grabbed me by the arm. “I don’t think it’s a very good idea for us to go back there. Gerald knows about this temporary den of yours and I’m sure he left a couple of men behind in case your mates ever decided to show up.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?” I ran my fingers through my hair and paced back and forth. It felt like I was going nowhere fast.
“I know this is going to sound cliché, but I need you to listen to your heart. If your mates are really alive out there, then your heart will let you know. Follow that instinct and you should be able to find them.”
“Listen to my heart…” I repeated to myself as I nodded my head and closed my eyes. My hand came up, fingertips just barely grazing the mating mark the boys had given me. And that’s when it clicked. Our connection was established and it was almost like I could see an invisible pattern laid out on the ground that would lead me directly to wherever they were. “Landon? Roman? Can you hear me?”
“Jane?”
“Oh my God! Roman, is that you?”
“It is. Oh, thank Heavens you’re alive. Where are you?”
“Uh, the forest… It’s not like there are street signs out here.”
“Are there any distinct landmarks?” Landon joined the conversation and again, I was flooded with relief. Both of my mates were still alive.
I did a full 360, trying to spot something that might help tell them where I was but it was just a bunch of trees. “Fiona?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you have any idea where we are?”
“Hell Pass Creek,” she answered. “Or rather, we’re pretty close to there. The north end, where the water splits into two paths.”
“Okay, I’ll take it.” I relayed the information to the boys and was glad to hear that they knew exactly where to go. “You’re a lifesaver, Fiona.”
“I guess my passion for map-making wasn’t so stupid after all.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a story for another time.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said.
She smiled and off we went.
Chapter 26: Roman
We were on our way to find Jane but of course, something had to get in our way and that something just had to be the leader and his gang of thugs.
“So, we finally lock horns,” he said, as he stepped forward. “You know, it was my personal pleasure to take down your father. You know, he begged me for his life. Pathetic.”
Landon looked like he was about to lose it. I could practically see the smoke coming from his ears. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s just playing mind games,” I said, hoping it would calm him down. “Your father was the strongest man I knew and he would never go down without a fight. If this guy killed him then he did him dirty.”
“You lie,” Landon spoke up with a level of calm that I didn’t expect from him. “You murdered my pack in cold blood.”
“Did I? And how do you know that, when you were not even there?” Gerald laughed. It sounded just like nails on a chalkboard.
“Shut your mouth,” I snapped.
“And why should I?” he returned. “I am not subservient to a couple of mutts. The wolves in my pack are the best of the best — this following you have, they only make me laugh. Savages? Really? That’s the best that you could come up with?”
The old leader of our new pack stepped forward, wanting to defend the honor of his people but Roman held out an arm, stopping him from doing so.