~ Chapter Eighteen ~

***Nearby help needed, about ten minutes to the north***

“Okay, people, get your shit and let’s go! We don’t have time to waste!” yelled out Leanne, as a flurry of people rushed past us.

“That means you, too, Keller,” Henry muttered in amusement, watching me over the steaming mug of coffee in his hands.

“I know.”

“Then why aren’t you going?”

I nodded back at the house. “I’m waiting for Gina.”

He frowned. “She doesn’t go on rescue missions.”

“She’s coming with me today because it’s my first time.” I paused. “Well, I think she’s coming. She doesn’t-”

“Keller!”

My head snapped in the direction of Gina’s loud, authoritative voice, and I saw her waiting for me beside her other wolf bodyguard, her skin rippling with the sensation of shifting.

“Coming!” I called out, as I prepared to down the last of my coffee. Henry chuckled to himself and shook his head. I tipped my head back, then snatched up the backpack next to my feet and hurried over to Gina. She let out a pained growl, shifting, and I instantly joined her.

Since I’d arrived at Morone’s village just a week ago, I’d experienced more freedom than I had ever had. It was completely up to me what I wanted to do - both every day and with my future - and no one put any pressure on me. Considering most of the neighbours were rogues who had a reason for being kicked out of their packs, I was hardly touching the ice berg of judgement. And I liked the little village, away from everything I had ever known.

A wide rushing river ran alongside the village into the woods either side of it, and there was a mountain range about half an hour away in the car, a lake at the end of the river, the coast not far past that - with a beach complete with human visitors, and so much greenery that it often felt like I was living in heaven. I loved the village and everyone I had met so far, including Henry, Gina’s bodyguard. There was just one person I wasn’t sure about: Leanne, but that was only because she pushed me in training the moment we met. I supposed that should be a good thing, considering why I left my mate and his pack. Just a day after I arrived here, I was asked what I wanted to do and I said I’d like to help; Leanne watched me in training once and decided that I would be perfect as part of the rescue team, so, days later, I was carrying out my first rescue mission.

*Push forward, push forward!* Gina called into the mind-link. *Keller, follow me. Fall back when I howl*.

*Understood*, I replied.

Ten minutes of running as a wolf was nothing compared to the training I’d been put through already. I steamed almost ahead of the group of wolves I ran with, but kept pace with Gina’s light wolf. We eventually burst into a riverside clearing taken up by a battle, with a small group of wolves backing toward the water, a circle of much bigger and scarier wolves approaching them slowly. I had no idea how they weren’t already dead, or how we knew they were even in trouble, but I jumped into action the second Gina told me to anyway.

*Watch out for that dark brown one*, Simon - Gina’s other bodyguard - warned me politely as he crashed into a black wolf. I followed his lead, but found a light brown biter instead. Her nasty jaws clenched around my ear, attempting to pull it off, and I threw the full force of my large body into her. She was sent flying into a pair of wolves fighting behind her, and I turned around to face the approaching paws.

The battle was like nothing I’d ever been a part of before, but I didn’t get injured. At least, not so badly that I couldn’t heal and keep fighting. We were protecting a group of teenage rogues Gina had been trying to bring in for a while now and we were winning the battle with ease. Between Simon, Gina, Leanne and a rogue warrior I didn’t know, we cleaned the field. With just one conscious attacker left, Gina howled alongside Leanne, and we all fell back immediately, as if cold water had been poured over the top of us. We formed a small circle around Gina, protecting her. She shifted and her voice carried across the entire clearing.

“We will not kill you,” she said to the attackers, “but we do ask that you leave before we have to take further measures.”

The wolf growled at her, snapping in our direction. Simon snapped back at him, but Gina remained completely calm.

“Please, this is not the way we wish to do things. Shift and talk with us, or be removed.”

“He doesn’t have the authority to make that decision,” another voice said, as bones cracked. A young man stood up from the pile of knocked-out wolves - his knocked-out wolves - and moved toward us, completely naked. He had no shame.

“Do you?” Gina asked politely.

“Yes.”

“Are you the Beta?”

“I am, and I would prefer it we did this without those scoundrels watching.” He nodded toward the rogues, who cowered closer to the water from the attention.

“I could arrange for the *children* to be taken someplace safe while we chat,” Gina agreed. “Would you allow a couple of minutes?”

“Someplace safe?” the beta repeated. “No, these ‘*children*’ must be taken someplace off this earth. They should not exist and they certainly should not be stealing from us.”

Gina’s jaw ticked. *Kelsey, lead the rogues back to the village; take two warriors with you*. She switched to my personal frequency. *Keller, go with them*.

I followed Kelsey, a strong warrior, away from the clearing, ignoring the beta’s angry expression. My nerves flared up for Gina, but she didn’t seem bothered by anything that was happening. I realised she had done this plenty of times before - and she’d survived a knife to the stomach, so what did she have to fear, really? Kelsey started to run with the rogue wolves, who followed because they were terrified of those trying to attack them. I ran at the back of the group, herding the youngsters through the trees back toward the village, and kept my head held high as a sign of confidence. When we reached the village after ten minutes, Kelsey led the rogues into a safe house I, too, had been brought to before, and I headed back to Gina’s place to shift and change into clothing. Henry was missing.

I walked into the safe house dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but wished I had worn something a little more white-coat-like the moment I saw the condition of the teenagers.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

Kelsey looked up at me sharply but eased when she saw it was me. “I know.”

“Do you…” I stared at her patching the young man up, completely focused on helping him, and I saw flashbacks from my own time spent next to injured people. It had felt so natural then, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was good at it. I always had been. “Do you need help?” I asked reluctantly.

“You don’t have to,” Kelsey murmured, distracted.

I took a breath. “I think I should - you know, as I’m qualified anyway.”

“Everyone knows it’s a touchy subject for you, Erika.” Kelsey put down the roll of bandages she held and turned to me. “Seriously, just leave it. You’re earning your worth here by fighting, not healing.”

“I want to help,” I insisted. “It’s wrong for me to let my hang-ups make someone else suffer, isn’t it? Besides, I always said I would help if I needed to.”

She frowned. “Did you?”

“I always thought it at my mate’s pack,” I admitted as I took my place next to one of the young girls. She didn’t look frightened by me, but none of the teenagers looked comfortable, either.

“That’s noble of you.”

“Yeah…”

We fell into silence, working on fixing the cuts, broken bones and cramped wrists of the young people. It had taken a lot to get them here, compliant, according to Kelsey. In the time it had taken me to change, the eldest boy had almost trashed the room as a wolf before Kelsey managed to calm him and sit him down. He still sulked at the other end of the room, watching his youngsters carefully for signs of trouble. He would not find any but it was sweet to think how protective he was.

*Where are you?* Gina asked me.

*Helping Kelsey*.

There was a short pause.

*Really? I thought you just escaped all of that shit.*

*The teens needed help*, I grumbled in my head.

There was no response, as Gina had walked into the safe house instead. Both Simon and Henry followed her.

“Miss Morone,” Kelsey greeted cheerfully.

“Ladies.”

I gave Gina a smile.

“How are our guests?”

Kelsey looked at the eldest boy to respond, but he only snarled and looked away. One of the younger girls stepped up instead.

“We are alive, thank you.”

Gina smiled softly at her. “I am glad to hear it, young lady. Do you all have names? I think we should start talking about how we can help you all.”

“Okay.” The girl sounded tiny and shy, and stole my heart in a moment.

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