Chapter 40

“Will you please stay here, Sasha?” Dante stands near the entrance of the cave, haloed in moonlight. “Someone needs to watch over Jeff and Dustin, and it should be you.”

I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but his words strike a nerve. “Why? Don’t you think it should be Evan? He’s the doctor. I have self-defense training. I can help.” I don’t mention it, but I’m worried that if I stay and something happens with Dustin, I don’t think I’ll be able to perform a mercy killing. I couldn’t cut off his arm to save his life if I had to. I’ve never felt so sick in my life. It’s one thing to do something I have to for someone I don’t care about. But being in the position I was? I never want to face that again. Dante bit him. He’s been bitten twice by a lykoswulf, and apparently this is now a test of whether his body can handle the change or not. Humans aren’t intended to evolve immediately. Many of the ones abandoned on this island to fend for themselves don’t make it. Out of the fifteen people from our original group, Dante said they only expected a handful to make it. That’s all that’s left right now. Except for Lisa and Ian. And she’s going to lead Dante’s pack to him. She’s going to give up information to kill him in exchange for survival from the alpha. Maybe. I can’t honestly believe that a man who knows that many of us are going to die here would ever grant that sort of mercy.

“He won’t. She’ll be given to the Windshore pack, bitten again like Dustin. If she survives, she’ll be cast out. They would never blend bloodlines with my pack.” Dante answers my thoughts using his telepathy.

I should feel bad. I really should. But she stabbed Jeff. She came after me. She was responsible for Dustin getting mauled. All I feel now is relief that she will face karma.

“Which means you’ll be blessed for your compassion. These men need you now. Be here for them. Care for them as they’ve tried to care for you.” Dante closes the space to me and touches my cheek. “Please. I need to ensure you’re safe until I return.”

“They need your little badass self, Sasha. I’d want it to be you playing doctor over Evan if I were them.” Breck strolls from the back of the cave, clean and dressed in the clothes Dante brought. He hands me the bag, and I pull out the extra blanket, wrapping it around myself.

I sigh. “Fine. But I expect you back before dawn.”

Breck comes up to me next and ruffles his fingers through my hair playfully. “You can blame that asshole if we’re not. I think he might overestimate our ability to navigate this hellhole island in the dark.”

Turning to Dante, I say, “I trust you to bring them back safely.”

He tightens his jaw and nods once. “You have my word.”

Evan and Zev stroll from where the saltwater pool is, and Evan offers me a weary smile. I quickly kiss his cheek and tell him to be careful before turning to Zev.

He keeps space between us and crosses his arms over his chest. His rejection stings, but I can’t blame him. We still haven’t had the chance to talk about him attacking Jeff. And now? Fuck. I can’t think about it.

Dante shakes his head, staring at Zev but no one comments. I shift on my feet, deciding to let them leave the cave together instead of watching after them.

Dante murmurs softly, and Lisa releases a breathy sob. I turn my focus toward where Jeff and Dustin sleep on blankets on opposite sides of the cave. Vines tangle around Dustin’s wrists and ankles, securing him in case he falls ill and his body rejects the bites. Just because it hadn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. Dante said everyone reacts differently.

I close the space to Dustin, giving him a quick once-over, double checking to ensure he’s as comfortable as he can possibly be, all things considered. Breck and Zev did their best to pad the cold floor with leaves and moss. The blankets Dante brought help as well, but I don’t think anything will ever be good enough.

Jeff groans, drawing my attention to him. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up but fails. I stride to him, kneeling on the blanket to get into view.

“Relax. It’s going to take a bit for your body to heal from such a deep wound. Dante said with his salve, you’ll be better by tomorrow night as long as you take it easy.” I scoot closer, keeping my voice calm. I was so scared seeing him bleeding out. The terrifying moment is forever imprinted on my mind.

Jeff licks his lips. “My gorgeous hero. How can I thank you?”

My heart lightens with his playful comment. “By behaving and not dying. Can I get you anything? Water? Something to eat?”

“I’m a bit cold. Lie with me?” He extends his hand to me.

I don’t know if he’s serious about being cold or just using it as an excuse, but I won’t deny him such an easy request.

I ease myself down beside him and tuck my body against his, taking care not to touch my hand near the wound slicing across his torso. He rolls his shoulder, shifting slightly to meet my gaze. “What did I miss? Where is everyone?”

“They’re getting a few things taken care of to help us for tomorrow.” I try not to think about the hunt Dante mentioned. He didn’t get into detail, but I know shit will be going down tomorrow night.

“Did you guys get the boat?” he asks, reminding me of the reason he and the others had been in the forest in the first place.

I puff a breath of air through my lips and frown. “Not yet. But we will. We had nowhere to hide it, and Evan didn’t think you could handle heading to sea in your condition.”

His brows lower on his forehead. “Ah, fuck. You guys gave up on escaping because of me?”

“Not exactly.” He doesn’t know about Dustin, and I’m not exactly sure if I should tell him. “I don’t want you blaming yourself either. It just wasn’t possible. Not yet at least.”

“Why don’t you sound so sure?” Jeff runs his fingers along my arm.

I roll to my side and face him. Linking my fingers through his, I hold his hands close to my chest. He already looks better.

Color returns to his handsome face and he no longer appears as if he’s on the verge of death. Being able to lie here with him, clutching his hands and gazing into his eyes fills me with relief. It helps suppress the fear constantly rolling inside me, tangling up with my soul.

“Because I’m not. Things are changing here. I don’t know what to expect. Dante says that something has shifted within the packs and their rules no longer stand and the laws agreed upon by the alphas are being challenged. There’s hostility. We’re caught up in the middle of it.” I lean forward and rest my head to his, wanting to just blur the world with him as my focus.

“This is all so unbelievable. You know I still can’t accept that this island is full of werewolves. What is so great about me that they think I’m a good candidate to be one of them? I’m not exactly talented. I could barely keep a job. I was a damn beach-bum half the time. I have no motivation to do anything except be in the water and live my life without ties. Just me and my van.” It’s funny how easily I can imagine him living that lifestyle.

“I was squatting in a vacant house,” I admit, whispering the words so close that my lips graze his. “I made money by being...I had a... let’s call him my sugar daddy.” This is the first time I’ve said the words out loud. My chest tightens, and I expect Jeff to pull away from me. I expect him to frown against my mouth and tell me that my former lifestyle is something he wants nothing to do with. Maybe he’ll change his mind about me.

He surprises me with a chuckle. “A sugar daddy, huh? How do I get one of those?”

A smile crosses my lips at his teasing. “The internet. I was desperate and apparently, it’s a thing... Robert was tolerable at first—smart, likable, okay-looking, and we had a pretty good arrangement. But then things became... difficult. We had different expectations.” I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking about him and how my life went from blah to crazy.

It started out casual with Robert. He was a businessman and single, just looking for companionship and someone to have on his arm for events. Sex wasn’t part of our arrangement at first, but then I became more comfortable. He gave me more and more until I thought I’d be set. I was working toward getting my real estate license and had planned to do something more, which he didn’t want. He wanted me to depend on him. And then his friends found out. Some of them offered me much more money for a moment of my time and I couldn’t refuse. It pissed Robert off. I was his girl. His piece of ass. He thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted with me.