We have been running for what seems like forever. The darkness of the night seems to be closing in on us, the sound of the humans and the infected behind us closing in. My chest heaves as I try to push myself even faster, but I am seconds away from collapsing.

Something hits me in the shoulder, causing pain to flair all throughout my arm. Crying out, I hold my arm close to my body, not having any time to see the damage.

"Keep running, Rowan," Jesse says, voice harsh. He turns around, firing an arrow behind him. A human cries out, suddenly screaming as the infected most likely turn on them.

"Come on," Jesse says, gesturing to our left. "Over here."

I don't even question him, just follow through a bunch of crowded trees, almost falling down the abrupt cliff that suddenly appears. Jesse bends down, wiping his sopping wet hair out of his face. "Follow me, and don't look down." He climbs over the edge of the cliff then, the mud smearing across his clothes as he slides over the grass.

Swallowing harshly, I force myself to crawl after him. Jesse knows these woods like the back of his hand. Every nook and cranny he has explored, so I shouldn't question him when it comes to alluding the humans. But the thoughts of climbing down a steep, rock-edged cliff in the pouring rain has my stomach turning.

The sound of the humans an infected gets farther away as we continue to climb across the cliff face. My hands slip every once in a while, causing my heart to thunder even after I reclaim my grip. It seems like we are crawling forever, when we come upon a tall waterfall. Jesse doesn't even pause in his climbing, even when we are practically upon the onslaught of water.

"We're going through that?" I yell, the thundering of the waterfall drowning out my words.

Jesse just yells. "Trust me."

Gritting my teeth, I force myself after him, gripping onto the wall tightly as I go through the waterfall. It is difficult to breathe, so I just hold my breath, pushing through.

Hands grab onto me, pulling me away from the wall. Flailing, I fall away from them and onto a hard ground.

"Calm down, wolf," A deep voice says.

"Who the hell are you?" I say, scrambling away from the man. My back hits a rock, halting my escape.

"It's alright, Rowan," Jesse says, crouching down next to me. "We're safe here."

"Where is here?" I look around the place, but it is so dark, I can barely see anything. Jesse tries to help me up, but all that does is make me cry out, the pain in my arm flaring up.

"He needs a doctor," Jesse says, looking over at the man who spoke before.

The guy nods. "Reseda is home."

Stumbling to my feet, I lean against my mentor, eyes wide as I try to figure out where we are. But it is completely dark in here. We must be in a cave of some sort, the walls damp rock. There are different tunnels, winding in all directions. The man guides us easily through the maze, obviously being very familiar with the area.

"Jesse, I'm so confused."

"I was too when I first stumbled upon this place a decade ago."

"What is this place?"

The man leading up doesn't even turn around, but his voice carries, sounding eerie. "You're in Ekata. The only shifter colony on the West Coast to have survived the apocalypse."

"Shifter colony?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

The man turns again. "Contrary to your belief, wolves aren't the only type of shifters out there. You just tend to be the most popular here in the United States."

"Jesse, is he serious?" I ask, looking up at my mentor.

The beta nods his head. "It is. Just found out myself when I first stumbled upon this place."

"We nearly fell off the cliff getting here. How did you stumble upon this place?"

"Went over the waterfall in an effort to escape some claistes. Jordan here-" he nods his head in the direction of the man leading us- "dragged me out of the water."

"We have to stick together. Now, more than ever," the man- Jordan- says. "The humans are going crazier. Most of them have become cannibals, running with the infected. Many of our colonies have been overrun. Only a few have survived and managed to find their way here."

The pain in my arm is growing stronger, but I ignore it, too interested in what this guy is saying. "They nearly overran us today."

Jordan nods his head. "They seem to be heading North lately. Something up there is really drawing their attention."

Jesse and I both still, exchanging nervous looks. Well, Jesse's eyes only slightly widen, but that is a significant change in facial expression for the man. It tells me that I am not the only one put on edge by Jordan's words.

"How many?"

The man shrugs. "Combined? Over a hundred."

"Shit," Jesse says, words coming out harsh. "I have to get back. Try and warn the pack before its too late."

"I'm coming with you," I say, but when Jesse pulls away from me, I stumble to the ground. "You're too weak right now. Whatever those humans hit you with is making you weak. You'll only slow me down, and I can't waste time."

"I'm not just going to let you go out there alone when those creatures are probably still roaming around out there."

"Can't afford to wait them out," Jesse says, already moving in the direction we had come from.

"Jesse," Jordan calls, stopping the beta in his tracks. He throws something at Jesse, the jingling telling me that they are some type of key. "Take the bus. Get as many of your pack members here as possible. But you know the rules."

Jesse gives a stilted nod of his head before turning and running. That just leaves me and the broad-shouldered man. Jordan comes over to help me up, continuing on through the maze of these caves.

"What rules?"

"Hm?"

"What rules were you talking about back there?"

He sighs. "We keep this place safe by having rules that we cannot break. No one infected and no one prejudiced. We can't afford that when there is a war on the horizon."

Too many questions are spinning through my mind, leaving us in silence as we walk. Eventually, my mind settles on one, the words falling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"You called me a wolf earlier," I say over a yawn. "What kind of shifter are you?"

"You cannot tell?"

Shrugging, I fight to keep my eyes open, sudden exhaustion coming over me. "I've never met someone who wasn't a human or a wolf. You smell different, but I don't know what it is."

He stays silent for a minute, seeming to contemplate whether or not to answer my question. I can't find anything in me to push or pester, the pain from my body radiating out into the rest of my body. By now, I am practically being dragged, barely able to keep my eyes open.

"Bear."

"Hm?"

Jordan lets out an irritated growl. "I'm a bear shifter." He pinches my side, hard. Enough to make me yelp. "Stay awake. Reseda always likes it better when people stay awake."

My mind wanders, thinking about Jesse leaving, about what he will find when he makes it to our pack lands. The thought has me worrying. Matty hadn't been feeling well when I left, and I hope that he has gotten better. If he is too sick, he won't be able to fight. And those humans and infected had been vicious, more so than I have ever seen before. He will need to be his best, to fight harder than ever before.

All I want is to go chasing after Jesse, go back to pack lands and make sure everything is okay. Every bit of my being is praying that Jordan is wrong. It hurts too much to think about all those I love in danger.

"We're here," Jordan murmurs, drawing me out of my worry.

Cracking open my eyes, I see that light is starting to filter into the tunnels. It grows brighter as we walk close, until eventually, we are out of the caves altogether.

"Whoa," I breathe, taking in the sight. This place sits in a valley, mountains on all sides. There is so much, study looking dwellings dotting the place. There are a few fires around, people milling about. The area is so large, I can't even see everything. It is absolutely beautiful.

"Matty will love it here." My words come out completely garbled, so much that I can barely understand myself.

"Who's Matty?"

Shaking my head, I feel myself completely collapsing. "My love."

Jordan grumbles something, slinging me over his shoulder as he starts to walk down the long series of stairs that take us from the caves to the valley below. By now, my shoulder is numb. I can't imagine that is a good thing, and I can just see Noah in my head, tutting at me. But, for now, I close my eyes, sending up thoughts in the sky to whoever may be up there that Jesse makes it in time.