The Alpha's Concubine (Historical Shifter Romance) (51 page)

His fists clenched at his side. Caspian was not a violent man, but he could permit his wolf's savage impulses to take control in the name of justice. If any of them harmed Netya, he would make sure they thought twice about doing so again.

Even in her debilitated state, Adel did not miss a beat. "Selo, brew me more tea, will you?" she said, handing the girl her cup. Once they were alone Adel leaned forward, her fingers tightening around Caspian's arm. "The others are searching all over, but you and I know there is only one place Netya would go if she thought the pack had turned against her. Take people you trust. Do not wait to ask the alpha's permission."

"I will want Khelt's help, especially if we are heading toward the territory of the Sun People. He will listen to me."

Adel pressed her lips together. "If you love that girl, you cannot share her with him forever."

Her words struck a tender chord in Caspian's chest, and he was forced to grit his teeth to fight through the unwanted feelings it provoked. "Let us find her safe and well first before worrying over matters of love."

"She was never meant for a man like Khelt."

"Enough of this." He pried her fingers from his arm. "Stay here and regain your strength, Adel. I will find your apprentice for you."

The den mother curled her lip in disappointment, but she did not say another word as Caspian rose to his feet and hurried out of the seers' cave.

"I am as worried as you," Khelt said, his right heel drumming in agitation against one of the log seats as he sat perched on the edge of his table. "I thought you of all people would approve of me being patient. The hunters will find her."

"You do not sound convinced. She has slipped past them somehow. We need more people looking for her," Caspian replied.

"And if there is still a murderer in the midst of our pack?" Khelt growled, shaking his head. "I need to be here. The alpha's place is with his people at a time like this, not searching for his lost love."

His words triggered another painful rush of emotion in Caspian. How would the pair of them ever resolve this? No matter what happened, someone would end up suffering for it. He shook his head, fighting past the worries. He could not allow himself to be preoccupied with thoughts of love. Right now, Netya's safety was what mattered most.

"This is not the day for you to be a reserved alpha. Adel is recovering. She and Oke can take care of the pack in our absence. I need your speed and strength out on the plains."

"Some part of me still wonders whether this is all just one of the den mother's schemes," Khelt murmured, glaring at the cave floor.

"That is a foolish thought and you know it!"

"Do I?" Khelt turned his angry gaze on his friend. "What makes you so sure you understand the wickedness inside that woman's head? She has tried her hardest to keep Netya away from me, and now the girl may be gone for good! If I find out Adel is responsible..." He trailed off, slamming a fist into the table beside him.

Caspian's heart sank. "Do you really hate her more than you care for Netya?"

Khelt averted his eyes, saying nothing. His jaw was clenched stubbornly, his shoulders tense and unmoving. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this.

"I am going east to look for her," Caspian said. "I cannot waste time arguing over it." He gave Khelt one last chance to respond, but the silence sat heavy on the alpha's lips. True to his word, Caspian wasted no more time attempting to convince him.

As he left, he was almost thankful for his worry over Netya. It prevented him from dwelling on whether his friend had finally passed a point from which there was no coming back.

Few of the hunters were lacking in eagerness to join the search for Netya, but eagerness was no good to Caspian. He needed level heads around him, those who had experience venturing into the lands of the Sun People. More than that, he needed wolves he could trust with restraint.

"What do you think the alpha will do with her?" he overheard someone say as he hurried through the centre of the camp.

"I know what I'd do. Vaya was right, her kind were never meant to mix with ours."

"I would be more concerned about the den mother when she gets her hands on her," another voice chimed in. "I heard Adel's pack burned those who wronged their seers alive."

Caspian grimaced, resisting the urge to waste time silencing the unsavoury gossip. It did not take him long to gather his group, but their numbers were smaller than he had hoped, especially with Khelt being absent.

Fern had been an obvious choice. She had been just as worried as Caspian ever since her friend went missing, and it took no more than a few words to convince her to come along. If not for his leg, Erech would have been another great help, but even with a wolf to bear him he would only slow them down. Many of the slightly older, more reliable pack members were away with Tal chasing down a herd of aurochs, but a quiet conversation with Hawk persuaded the seasoned hunter to lend his aid as well. He had always spoken respectfully of Netya, and despite having dismissed her from the great hunt, Caspian knew it had been a difficult decision for him to make. In some ways, it seemed as if he wanted to make amends for denying the girl her chance at joining the ranks of the hunters.

To Caspian's surprise, Hawk's mate Essie also insisted that she join them. It had been a long time since she hunted, but years of motherhood had certainly not softened the woman. Much like her male, she was a focused, practical sort, and she had joined the pack on many forays into the Sun People's territory in her youth. She said little about her reasons for joining them, only that the seers had always been kind to her. Whatever debt Essie felt she had to repay, it was her own secret to keep.

The four of them gathered at the base of the outcrop before noon. Little explanation was needed. They all knew what they intended to do, and the danger they might face. Netya could not have made it all the way back to the village on her own, but the longer they took to find her, the closer she might get.

With a tireless energy lending strength to his strides, Caspian led the way out into the plains, his wolf's soft brown fur rippling in the wind as he searched the air for any trace of Netya's scent. He set a hard pace, but his three companions kept up doggedly. Perhaps they all desired to see Netya safe just as much as him, or perhaps they sensed the passionate urgency driving their leader. He did not care to pretend otherwise. It was difficult for wolves to hide the silent language of their emotions from one another. His actions spoke of more than concerned friendship. The force pushing him forward could have kept him running for days.

It was only later that afternoon, as they slowed their pace to spread out and begin searching, that a fifth wolf caught up with them. Neither of them said a word as Khelt bounded up through the tall grass and settled into place beside Caspian, growling under his breath as he lifted his muzzle and sought out the myriad scents in the air.

It was a bittersweet relief to have the alpha join them. Half of Caspian wanted to embrace his friend in relief, while the other almost wished he had stayed back at the outcrop. He knew he needed Khelt's help. He knew Netya was safer with the alpha out looking for her.

But he also knew that his companion cared strongly for the woman they both loved. Just as strongly as he did.

Careful not to wear themselves out, they made camp before sundown and took time to hunt and rest. Night was the natural time of their wolves, and it would be safer to search under the cover of darkness while they were so close to the Sun People's territory. The edge of the forest was already visible from the top of the small hillock they rested on. After catching a few hours of sleep, they would spread out and start searching back the way they had come.

Caspian's body still burned with energy despite his lack of rest, but he knew exhaustion would dull his senses if he did not force himself to sleep while he had the chance. Fern was impatient to carry on searching as well, but Khelt reminded her of the danger they were in. The Sun People would be eager to take a tired wolf's skull for their wall if given the chance. All of them needed to stay safe and alert.

Caspian was thankful for Hawk's presence. Between the three males, the practical talk of their plans helped mask the lingering sense of discomfort between him and Khelt. On some instinctive level, they both understood far more than they were willing to give voice to. Neither of them had ever wanted a female to come between them, and yet they had been forced into a situation where concealing their true feelings was no longer possible.

Once their wolves had tracked down a few small critters to satiate their hunger, they slept in shifts until the stars were out and night had blackened the plains. The others allowed Caspian to sleep without standing watch, and despite knowing that he had probably needed the rest most of all, he still could not shake the feeling of guilt at having lain idle for so long while Netya was still out there.

They split up three ways to begin searching. Hawk and Essie headed south, Fern and Khelt north, and Caspian in the middle, where both pairs could quickly come to his aid if he ran into danger. It was a painstaking search, requiring much patience when all his wolf wanted to do was latch on to a scent and chase it down until he found Netya. The running during the day had felt like progress, but now the challenge of patience began.

Forcing himself to push aside his wolf's reckless impulses and focus on its calm cunning, he began combing the plains for fresh scents. His ears pricked up as he tasted the smell of the Sun People on the wind, but his heart soon sank when he realised it did not carry Netya's unique flavour. The scents on the breeze were just traces of hunting parties who had passed through here recently, and he ignored them as soon as he realised what they were.

As the night wore on, however, he began to question what he was smelling. The scents were fresh, and they carried the distinction of many different bodies. What was more, they seemed to have been moving in a meandering, searching pattern, just like him. How often did the Sun People venture into the plains to hunt, anyway? The more he thought on it, the more it began to concern him, not least due to the freshness of the trail indicating that they were still out here somewhere. They would know better than to light a fire that would betray their position to the beasts roaming the plains ( beasts like
him
, Caspian reflected grimly), and that could mean stumbling upon them at any moment if he was not careful. He would have to keep track of the scents to make sure.

His agitation flared up again every time he stumbled over the Sun People's trail. Perhaps it was only the instincts of his wolf, but he felt in competition somehow with their hunting party. Two opposed hunters could not share the same territory. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to shake their scent. They had been everywhere, doubling back on themselves and combing every inch of the plains, searching every tangle of undergrowth and every spur of rock that broke the flat landscape. Their paths even extended all the way to the craggier land in the south close to the river, where Hawk and Essie were searching.

Dawn had almost crossed the horizon by the time Caspian caught sight of a small wisp of white fur caught on a blade of grass. The Sun People's trail was so easy to follow that he could have tracked it without relying on his nose any more, but the little white wisp stirring in the breeze made him pause. It reminded him of a white wolf, and he doubted there were many of those nearby.

Without disturbing the piece of fur, he brought his muzzle close and sniffed. Instantly, Netya's warm scent flooded through him, bringing back so many fond memories. He closed his eyes, almost forgetting where he was for a moment. He smelled the seers' cave, herbal tea, smoke, grass, sweet meadow plants, and that fragrant core that was distinctly Netya, tinged with the gentle flavour of the Sun People. Latching on to it, he followed his muzzle until, with growing unease, he realised that Netya's trail was now indistinguishable from that of the phantom hunting party. It was hard to tell whether she had been travelling with them or not, but it was a bad omen.

Lifting his muzzle to the sky, he let out a low howl. The Sun People would hear it, wherever they were, but he could not worry about that now. After a painstaking wait, he finally caught sight of Hawk and Essie bounding through the long grass from the south, and Khelt and Fern appeared shortly after, just as day was breaking.

Caspian told them what he had found. Hawk and Essie recounted a similar tale, having tracked a second band of the Sun People heading west near the river. They too seemed to have been searching for something.

"It cannot be Netya they were looking for," Fern said. "She could not have made it back to the village already, could she?"

"Perhaps they were looking for something else and stumbled across her," Hawk replied. "Or perhaps they have seers of their own who foresaw her return. Either way, they are out here, and so is she."

"If she is with them, we must try and talk," Caspian said, looking to Khelt. "She would not want blood to be spilled on her account."

"Will it do any good if she is?" Khelt grunted. "Perhaps she is glad to be back with her own kind. When has their tribe ever proven willing to talk?"

"Perhaps now, if Netya is with them. What other choice do we have? They are greater in number than us."