The conversation—such as it was—moved on.
Varian’s mate, Tomas, brought breakfast to the table and chided Zio’s unit to help him cut bread and slice fruit. He was, apparently, a quiet man, but Devan could tell his relationships with the pack were strong.
He added extra bacon to the plate of the only woman in the room—Kate, from Gale’s unit, and glanced around the room. “No Zio again? He’ll waste away if he doesn’t come home to eat.”
“He’ll hunt if he needs to,” Varian said. “The boy can’t be tamed, you know that.”
“I know that he’s been running those woods every night since he came back from the city. Is he doing okay?”
Tomas directed his question around the table.
Devan kept his head down, devouring the first meal he’d had in days, but he couldn’t help listening, hanging on every word spoken and straining his senses to catch those that weren’t. Zio’s crew were reticent at first. But Tomas pressed, and the wolf beside Devan—Bomber—eventually cracked.
“He’s tired,” he said. “But he won’t rest, and I don’t think that’s gonna change until he gets used to having another, uh, healer in the pack.”
“And in his place,” another member of Zio’s unit added. “No offence, mate.”
Devan glanced up. “None taken. It’s an adjustment for me to live among wolves too. I’m sure we’ll get there in time.”
Gale’s half of the room nodded, tentative smiles warming their faces.
Zio’s unit remained aloof, but Devan could live with that. Knowing they had their beta’s back was worth every scowl.
Chapter Eight
Zio could avoid many things, but squad meetings weren’t one of them. Three days after Devan arrived, Varian tracked him down in the woods.
“It’s time to come home, Zio. We need you now.”
It was a request Zio couldn’t deny, even if he’d wanted to.
He shifted back to his human form and glanced down at his filthy skin. Cuts and grazes from his latest rampage through the trees were already healing, and the spectacle of his skin knitting together put Devan on his mind.Some good your great escape has done you, eh?
Zio found the clothes he’d stashed a few days ago and padded through the undergrowth until he came to the clearing behind the bungalow. Devan’s scent increased in potency with every step, and resentment simmered in Zio’s veins.Of all the healers in the entire world, the freaky cat king had to send this one.Gods’ sakes, I’d rather screw a southern wolf than a fucking Shadow Clan.
The thought left a bitter taste in Zio’s mouth. Southern wolves were his sworn enemy. Shadow Clan were allies, even if he’d never met one before Devan. Even if he knew nothing about them other than the fact that Devan had cast a spell on him he couldn’t shake.I—
Stop it. It was the booze, remember?
Zio remembered.
He let himself into the bungalow. Devan wasn’t home, but there were traces of him everywhere—his bag by the couch, spare clothes folded by the coffee table. Scent tracks on every surface, in every room except Zio’s.
There was food in the fridge.
Bemused, Zio gazed at the groceries stacked away, and his mouth watered. He hadn’t hunted in the forest. Hadn’t been hungry enough to bother. But he was famished now, and somehow the fridge was stocked with every single thing he felt like eating. Devan had forgotten nothing, even though he’d had no way of knowing in the first place that Zio had a childish penchant for fruit yoghurt desserts and cheese slices. That mass-produced ham and mushroom pizzas from the township store were his favourite thing to eat in the entire world.
Zio claimed a strawberry yoghurt and a spoon. He ate it in two bites, dropped the pot and the spoon in the sink, and trudged to the bathroom. A hot shower rinsed mud and grass stains from his skin, but it didn’t seem to matter how many times he soaped his body, he didn’t feel clean. His brain itched, and his wolf grumbled, eager to ditch the real world again and run free. But Zio wasn’t free. He was a soldier, and his pack was at war.Get it together.
Half an hour later, he made the pack meeting with a minute to spare. Varian’s dining table was devoid of the tea and snacks Tomas supplied them with for regular business, and maps of southern England covered every available surface.Yes.Adrenaline surged in Zio’s blood. This was what he needed—a return to the reason he continued to exist. To put an end to the southern packs, once and for all.
Varian’s hand was warm on his shoulder and then on his neck. He pressed his forehead to Zio’s, his silent question clear.All right?
Zio nodded, pulse jumping.I’m good.
“Sure about that? We’ve got a lot to get through today.”
“I’mgood.”