Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(5)

Of course. They were probably already annoyed I was holding them up even though the sun had barely risen. I nodded and left my room without a backward glance. It had been a place to sleep and hide for the last twenty-two years, nothing more. I didn’t have a home, not yet. Hopefully, I’d find one soon. Of course, with my luck, I’d probably be back here once the Convergence was over.

I locked the front door behind me as Wesley walked up to our parents, who were saying something I couldn’t quite make out. Stepping off the front porch felt final, even though I didn’t know for sure whether I’d be mated right when my wolf was unlocked. Some people had to wait years ‘til their mate came of age, and a very small group of people never got mates at all. I prayed I wasn’t in that category, but it wouldn't surprise me either.

When I approached the SUV, Dad was giving me a dark look, his mouth pressed into a scowl. I could almost hear him saying, hurry up, you good for nothing half-breed. I could feel Jackie’s eyes on me as well, filled with hate as she waited for me to get into the car. I sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

I wished I could have ridden with Mira, but when I dared to ask last night, Dad growled and said I shouldn’t be associating with her anyway. Her family was at the very bottom of pack hierarchy now, thanks to her father’s actions. Besides, Dad needed me to ride with him, all to keep up appearances, of course.

There were other vehicles parked in our long driveway, all idling and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Everyone really was waiting on me. I didn’t realize so many of the Cancer pack were going with us this time. The beta and his family would be staying behind, so that meant no Brad to deal with at least, but there were several other people who would be hostile. At least I’d have Wesley and Mira with me, and the chance to meet several of the other packs.

“The drive’s going to take about fifteen hours,” Wesley said as I climbed into the backseat next to him. I’d been overjoyed to find that he was coming with us when he’d first texted me to let me know. Even though he’d gotten his wolf four years ago, he was coming for me.

“Have your bag?” Dad asked. His blue eyes met mine in the mirror. Though we shared them, I knew all he saw when he looked at me was his human mistake, not a daughter of his.

“Yes,” I said.

“And you packed everything in it?” he continued, curling his lip as if talking to me was bringing him physical discomfort.

“Yes,” I repeated.

“Good. With any luck, you won’t be coming back here. I can’t wait to hand you off to some other poor sucker. Let you be their problem.”

“Amen,” Jackie muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. I couldn’t see her, since she was sitting directly in front of me, but I didn’t dare roll my eyes. She liked to punch, and she wasn’t shy about hitting my face.

Wesley gave me a strained smile, but I looked away from him, and for once, I held my tongue. I’d never been to a Convergence before—Dad had never let me go, not even when Wesley came of age—and I could put up with their torment for a few more hours. With any luck, it would be the last long car ride with them.

As we drove, I reached for my camera just short of a dozen times before it really stuck in my brain that I didn’t have it anymore. I wanted to capture the beauty of the land zooming by, and I soaked up all the sights from the trip, trying not to miss even a second of it. When we entered Seattle, I practically vibrated out of my seat trying to contain my excitement at being there. I’d never been anywhere but the Cancer pack territory on the coast north of Vancouver, and certainly never to the States. I’d spent my life reading about cities like Seattle, and I wished I could freeze this moment forever in a photo. I even snapped a few pictures with my phone, though the quality would never come close to that of my camera.

I’d always had the half-baked notion in the back of my mind that I’d run away to a big city in America to escape my life. It was a half-formed plan at best, but it was all I could do to make my existence bearable. I would daydream about coming to the States and hiding from the Cancer pack forever in one of the areas where there were no wolves. Now I knew it was only an escapist’s fantasy, not logical in the slightest. The best I could hope for was a mate in another pack, and I’d still have to see the Cancer pack a lot of the time. I couldn’t fully escape them, not really.

Soon the cities faded away, and we crossed into the more rugged areas of Montana. The sun was setting, and we were getting close now. Wesley had fallen asleep beside me, and I wanted to jab him with my elbow so he could share the anticipation as we drove down a small road through dense forest, the trees closing in over us. Suddenly we emerged into a huge clearing covered in tents, and my breath caught at the sight of all the shifters there.

We’d made it to the Convergence.





Chapter Three





As we parked, I craned my neck to see over the rest of the cars, my legs aching from the long drive. I was eager to leave the car and escape the oppressive weight that filled it. Outside, there were tents everywhere, covering every spare inch of ground, and I’d never seen this many people before in one place outside of a city. Excitement thrummed through me, mixing with the anxiety that had been building up for weeks. My entire fate rested on what happened at the Convergence.

I got out of the car and stretched the travel strain out of my body, taking in the sights and scents of the Montana forest around the campground. It reminded me a little of Cancer territory, although the trees were different here and there was no smell of saltwater in the air. A couple of wolves bounded past me into the forest, and I caught sight of the Aquarius pack mark on them before they slipped away.