Mira: Her Alpha, Her Ruin Chapter 8: The Journey (2)

(MIRA)

Three hours in, I knew we weren't all going to make it.

Despite bringing along to lead them safely through the woods, Shiloh and his wolves continuously charged ahead of and tried to make their own path.

With every step I took, my knee grew worse and I slowed. Patience was not their strong suit. Alphas tended to rely on the power and loyalty that was always at their side, but we were traveling through a territory that didn't give a damn about any of that.

Imdiately, I could see the path he was trying to take. The most direct one. Four tis, I cleared my throat delicately and purposefully turned to force us to wind a little wider around the mountain. On the fifth ti, he roared.

"We need to take a break, and you need to cool off," I announced in a steady voice as I sat.

"How dare you talk to like that," Shiloh snarled. "I am your alpha."

"You are, and you're going to lead us all to our deaths. You want to get you safely through Ashenveil, you're going to have to listen to ."

"We are not at Ashenveil yet, and at the rate we're going, we won't get there until tomorrow."

"Ashenveil is the entire ring of forest around the peak of the mountain, where the Darkwyn coven make their ho. There are two well- traveled paths to the woods, which is where you keep trying to take us. Those are also the most heavily settled areas with rogue wolves. If we take two extra days and move to the dark side of the mountain, we'll have an easier track to the coven."

Shiloh stared at for a mont, his nostrils flaring. "No," he said finally. "It'll take too long. We can handle so rogue werewolves. You have an hour to rest your fucking knee, and then we move."

He shot a look, daring to argue, but I just averted my eyes. Everyone imdiately began to move away from the small clearing, either eager to explore or just wanting to get away from . For most of this trip, they all acted like I didn't exist.

That was just fine with .

Kai ca and sat next to . Imdiately, I stiffened. "Shiloh has asked to look at your injuries. I will not touch you without permission," he said kindly.

Knowing that Shiloh was watching, I stretched out my leg and rolled up the leg of my green cargo pants. "It has gotten better."

"May I?"

I nodded, and he gently pressed two fingers to my ankle and then to my knee. "It's still holding heat. Have you been taking any anti-inflammatories for it?"

"The Iron Root is a bar, not a pharmacy."

"I have so with now. Will you take it?"

Shaking my head, I gently pulled my leg away. "Better save it for later. We have a hard journey in front of us."

"Very well. I have an inflatable pillow. If you elevate the leg when we stop, it should hurt less." He dug around in his bag until he found what he was looking for. After blowing it up, he handed it to . Leaning back against the tree, I propped my leg up.

"What is that?"

Too late I realized that when I adjusted, the hem of my shirt had risen up. Hastily, I reached for it. "Nothing."

"That is not nothing. I'm to treat all your injuries, Mira. Not just your leg. We are relying on you to keep us alive. Let see it."

At his hard voice, I sat back up and lifted my shirt. "I don't know that there's anything you can do. Most of it has healed."

What he'd seen was the burn Jasper inflicted less than a week ago. There were a few more matching, but older and healed. He probed at it gently. "This had a blister?"

"Yeah. It popped the other night." When I'd tried to escape, but I didn't say that.

"It needs to be bandaged. Did the manager do that to you?" "Does it matter?"

"I won't mourn his death quite as much."

"Wait, what? Jasper is dead? When?" In surprise, I jerked my leg under and hissed in pain. Kai tutted and gently straightened my leg and propped it on the pillow. Not used to the gentle touch, I tried not to shudder.

"Yes, Jasper is deceased." The healer pulled out a bandage from his bag and motioned to sit-up. "Carefully, now."

"How did Jasper die?"

"I'm not privy to the details."

"Do you know when he died?"

"Three nights ago." Kai sprayed my burn with sothing cold and started to wrap the bandage around my midriff. When he touched my naked skin, I shoved his hands away.

Pausing, he lifted an eyebrow. "You may do it yourself."

Grateful that he wasn't going to ask any more questions, I slapped the bandage on myself and pulled my shirt down. My mind whirled. Jasper died that night he'd chased into the woods.

What the hell had happened? Was Shiloh going to bla it on ? That was two managers of The Iron Root that had died.

"Did you ever co into the restaurant? You look familiar."

"No, although it is probably because you may have t my twin sister. We looked alike."

A face rose in my mind, and I closed my eyes. She'd been half-dead when my father had dragged her to the settlent four years ago. I'd always assud she'd been the reason Shiloh ca to the camp and killed my father, but no one ever said anything. Part of worried that she'd died naless.

And I'd never done anything about it.

"You rember her." His voice was still soft, but flat. I t his gaze and nodded. "When she made it back, she had clothes that didn't quite fit her and injuries that had been hastily bandaged. I did the best I could, but she died within a few days of returning."

Wishing he wasn't sitting so close, I stared into the ground.

Shiloh had returned. I could feel his presence, but I still couldn't see him. "I've been at the Iron Root for three years. If you wanted details, you could have co to ."

"I wasn't ready. Did you know her na?"

"Cora."

Kai tensed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, but he didn't touch . "He'd ripped up her back," I continued. "Dragged her unconscious to the settlent and told to fix her. That's what he always made do. Fix them when he was done with them. I did my best, but she'd fought him pretty hard. She was already near death.

There were three juveniles in the settlent, and my father was distracted. He kept leaving during the day. I didn't know what he was doing, but I thought she was my best hope at getting help for the children.

We both knew she wouldn't survive long, but she said she could get back. When my father returned that night, I told him she'd died trying to escape and one of the other wolves had dragged her body away. He believed , which was odd. I guess he was distracted. Two nights later, Shiloh arrived."

It took a few seconds before Kai spoke again. "She was so near death; she couldn't speak when she returned. Shiloh followed the tracks she made."

I looked at him. He deserved the truth. "I probably could have saved her. Her life would have been a nightmare, but she was strong. The strongest he'd ever taken. She could have survived and escaped. If it weren't for , she might still be alive."

His gaze t mine. "I've already co to that conclusion."

"Kai." Shiloh called from behind us. "Forrest needs a word with you.

The healer withdrew, and I watched warily as Shiloh sat down next to . "Worried that you've made a mistake?"

"I already knew that everyone here hated . It doesn't surprise that the man tasked with keeping alive would hate as well."

"I'm the one tasked with keeping you alive," Shiloh said harshly. "Tell how to manage the magic, and you can leave right now."

"It doesn't work that way. Every trap is different. We're stuck with each other," I lied.

"Tell why you're risking your life to do this?"

"Your job is not to ask questions," he said after a mont. His words echoed my father's and I flinched involuntarily. "What?"

"Nothing. I get it. Speak only when spoken to. Don't worry. I'm pretty good at that."

He stared at for a good hard minute before he rose and left alone to my thoughts and my pain.