Clothes were tossed at my feet.

"Put those on."

I stared at them as I stood just outside the van. We were in some garage. Different vehicles were parked around us. All were solid black with tinted windows.

"Put them on or walk around naked. Either way, shift to human before we make you," said the black man.

Nodding, I sighed and shifted forms. I picked up the shorts and put them on. Pulling the drawstring tight, I glanced at their leader. He was going to be a powerful werewolf, but he didn't seem that old. Which was a good thing because I didn't want to deal with him when he was fully grown. I tugged the t-shirt over my head. It was extra baggy.

The man shook his head. "Sorry, we thought you'd be bigger."

I glared at him. Was this some running joke? I wasn't Saigon; I was a goddamn runner.

"Let's go." He nodded toward a door as one of the others grabbed my arm.

We walked through a white hall to an elevator. I hated these things. The few times I had been forced to use one were enough to make me prefer the stairs. We filed inside, and I waited for my stomach to flutter as the room rose.

A man with brown hair pulled the neck of my shirt over.

I jerked to the side. "Don't touch me."

He chuckled. "Just making sure there was actually a mark."

I yanked the shirt right up to my neck to cover my mating bite. "It's none of your fucking business."

The black man's eyes flicked over to me. "You'd be dead already without it."

Swallowing hard, I took a deep breath as the doors parted. I was taken out into a rather nice hallway. I expected this place to be similar to the hunters' hideout but a little more worn down. We stopped at a doorway and the leader knocked.

It opened and I was surprised by the white werewolf inside. He smiled slightly at the black man before darting away. I was led inside the dark room. The curtains were pushed to the sides, but the only light was the night sky. My eyes went to the moon. I still had time before my body turned to mush.

"We brought the pup."

The black man yanked me forward and shoved me toward an armchair. A hand reached out for the drink that was on the table beside it.

"Archer, correct?" said a deep voice with a raspiness to it.

I stood there and glanced around.

"That was a question."

"Yes." I could sense the power of the werewolf sitting in the chair. I wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Come around." He waved for me.

I shuffled forward and walked to the front. They were all staring at me, making my heart beat even quicker.

"So, you're the one Saigon chose?"

I nodded. The man was on Darius's level and that scared me even more. His dark hair and eye blended in with the shadows, and his every move made me flinch. This was not a man I would fight; I'd run and pray that I was somehow faster than him.

"Rupert's pup?"

I nodded again.

The light of the moon flickered on his smile. "Two good bloodlines coming together. Smart move."

"Why am I here?" I whispered.

He took a sip from his glass and crossed his ankle over his knees.

"Darius will pay for me. If you want money, they'll pay it."

"With Midfield's help," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "They've never fought fair, those two."

I swallowed hard. "Let me call my alpha. I can tell them what you want for me."

The man started to laugh. "They can't give me what I want. It has to come to me."

"What?" I said with a frown.

He turned slightly in his seat and looked toward the black man. "Put a little bug out about Archer's location. That should be enough to get a reaction out of Saigon."

"No." I lurched forward but immediately pulled away. "Please, just tell me what you want and we can figure it out. My alpha will work with you."

"I don't think so." The man chuckled and scratched his throat. A thick scar ran along his collar. I stepped back. It looked like a bite wound and a bad one.

"Saigon will come for you." He tipped his glass at me. "No stronger bond than the one a dominant shares with their mate." Finishing off the drink, he set the cup to the side. "Well, besides the one a parent has for their child."

My skin prickled at his words.

"Take Archer to the outpost up North. I doubt anyone will be looking in the middle of nowhere for a lost pup. Make sure he is comfortable but secure." He smiled to himself. "This might take a while, but I've gotten very good at waiting."

***

I climbed out of the SUV and was immediately surrounded on both sides. The snow was still several feet high here.

A member of our little group returned. "The road is closed. They had an avalanche that cover the road." He motioned over his shoulder. "I called the outpost to send a snowcat down since it's going to take a while for the humans to clean up this mess."

The leader sighed and looked back. Cars were already starting to line up behind us. "Out of everywhere, my dad had to choose this hellhole. Why not somewhere warm?" He slammed the door. "Watch the pup while I go figure this out."

"Dad?" I whispered. They looked nothing alike—in human form, at least. Werewolf form might be something else.

Humans passed by us to go check out the state of the road. I shuffled to the side and saw the snow being pushed to the side by a tractor. It wasn't that bad. There were a couple of big rocks but I had seen worse avalanches.

I put a bit more distance between me and the others, pretending to be examining the road. A woman randomly started yelling into her phone, startling me. I jumped out of her way as she passed. Humans would always be more terrifying than werewolves. I rubbed my arm. It was too cold to be without a coat and furless.

I stared at the ground as a thought occurred. Whether they were pack or rogue, the human government only stepped in when it involved a hurt human or one of them seeing us in werewolf form.

"Hey, get over here." A man jerked me closer to the SUV.

No one was coming to save me. They were going to hide me in the middle of nowhere and trick Saigon into looking in the wrong place. He was the real target. I realized that now. Hunters didn't like taking on alpha and betas, and I had a weakness in Willow. Saigon had always been what they were after and I was the easiest way to get him to come to them. My hand went to my shoulder. Saigon would come. If it meant he'd have a chance at getting me back, he handed himself over, and I had the feeling these men were either rogues or the strangest pack I had ever encountered.

I inched to the side, pretending to crane my neck to see. I was dominant, too. I had been given and earned that rank. It was about time I started protecting my mate.

"I told you to get over here." The man reached for my arm.

I dug my claws into his hand. He jerked it back and hissed with pain. I ran for the mountainside while yanking off my shirt. Dropping in front of a truck, I shifted forms and removed my shorts before changing to my wolf. I ran, not away from the humans, but directly at them.

They screamed but also took out their phones. I kept my distance as I raced down the road. Somehow this was working because I didn't have a pack of werewolves chasing after me. My size was large for a normal wolf, but some of their wolf forms would have appeared monstrous to the humans.

Darting around the bend, I spotted a path up into the trees and hopefully far away from them. My ear flicked to the side and I could hear heavy breathing. I glanced back and yelped when I saw the huge black wolf racing toward me. I took off away from the road, hoping my endurance might be enough to outpace him.

I reached the main incline, but the snow was making it hard to climb. Taking a chance, I shifted to my werewolf form so I had my hands to grab at the bushes sticking out of the snow. I was close to the top as long as I didn't cause a mini-avalanche of my own. Grabbing a tree branch, I tried to pull myself onto the ledge. My leg was jerked back. With a gasp, I clambered to get a hold of something, so I didn't slide down the mountain.

"Where are you going, pup?" said the black werewolf through gritted teeth.

I turned my body and saw him struggling to get a better footing. Perk to being a runner, we were lighter.

"Home."

I kicked him in the face, making sure to rake my claws across his muzzle. His grip slipped and I watched him slide through the snow with plenty of it following him down the incline. Climbing the rest of the way up. I moved out of sight of the road and took a moment to breathe. I did it. At least I made it past the first step. I peered up at the sky–now to find my way home before they found a way up the cliff.