Chapter 143

Shawna POV

We hiked up to my old packhouse, the night quiet and cool. We came across two sets of wolves on patrol. They looked at us, sniffed the air, then howled. They were alerting the next set of patrols that we were coming up the mountainside. I'd have loved to run up in our wolf form, but we needed the items we had shoved into our packs, so we endured the two-hour hike. About thirty minutes outside where the gate to the pack house was, I stopped to drink from my canteen. "Are you okay?" Michael asked, sidling up beside me and pulling out his own flask.

"Yes, just thinking," I replied.

"Care to share?" he whispered into the night. It was dark, the moon hidden behind clouds and the tall trees around us.

"Just thinking that I'm glad I don't have to do this all the time anymore. It will be nice to be home and see my family, but this hiking in human form is awful. I don't know why humans like it so much." Michael chuckled beside me.

"It can be fun," he said softly. "Under the right circumstances." He reached over and undid my pack, pullilng it from my back and setting it on the ground. "Why don't you sit and we can have a quick snack."

He didn't need to tell me twice. I dropped down and sat on my pack, legs kicked out in front of me. I watched as Michael pulled his pack off and dug around for some jerky and nuts. "How much farther?" he asked.

"I think we are close, maybe thirty minutes. It won't be long and we will see the trail lights," I told him.

"Trail lights?" he asked before tearing into a chunk of jerky.

"Yes," I nodded. "They have solar lights in the trees. Usually you can see them as you get closer. The trail lights are located along the trail the last five minutes of walking. It's how we always knew we were almost home," I tell him. "I would think that hasn't changed. They should still be there."

"Now that you've met my cousin, and....."I paused looking for the right word, "Malik. You have seen how most of these men look, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," he said with a shrug. "They just look like mountain warriors in need of a hair cut," he laughed. "Why are you so worried?"

"They are less than civilized Michael," I said pointedly. I popped some nuts into my mouth and waited for his reply.

"I'm not so worried about that. I've been all over the world my love, I've seen worse. Stop trying to make me dislike your pack because of how they live. It's going to be fine." He offered me another piece of jerky, but I declined.

"We should get going," I told him. "I'm ready to shower and go to bed."

"Oh do they have running water?" he asked jokingly.

"Of course they do," I said. "They just lack any ideals about looking like civilized people. Many of them have no manners either, like Malik," I stated as I stood and raised my pack from the ground.

"About him," Michael said. "Is he going to be a problem? Should I watch my back with that one? He didn't seem to keen on the idea that you have a mate."

"He won't bother you. He's not stupid, he's just always been a hot head and has always thought he should get his way. He liked me since we were kids, and I always snubbed him. Mostly because he was so rude and forceful," I said. "After what I've been through, the last thing I want is to be around anyone who acts like him. I have no problem making that known if need be. Trust me though, Jarod will take care of it if I ask."

"I don't need anyone else to take care of it Shawna. I can talk to him just fine. Maybe he needs to be taught a thing or two about manners," Michael stepped up beside me and took my hand. "Lead the way."

"Just let it go Michael. We are only here a few days, and then we will be on our way. I doubt I'd even come back here again. If my parents want to see me or our future children, they will come to see us. At least my mother will," I assured him. I didn't want to run into trouble while we were here. I had always had admirers among the pack. Malik wasn't the only one. I'd had boyfriends too, and who know what the last one had been up to the past two years. With any luck, he was mated by now and over his infatuation with me. Unfortunately, because of the way the pack lived, alot of the women didn't make an effort with thier looks. I always had, and maybe that was something I shouldn't have been doing. Maybe it's why I was kidnapped to begin with. I shook the thoughts from my head and kept marching forward, Michael at my side.

We finally came upon the trail lights and I breathed a sigh of relief. A few minutes later we were nearly to the gate. It hung open, two sentries posted just outside it and my mother and father hovering just inside, pacing. "Mother!" I hollered. She stopped and turned to stare at me as I walked through the gate with Michael at my side. The sentries gave us a quick look, but didn't stop us. They had been expecting us. I dropped Michael's hand and ran to my mother, throwing my arms around her. She hugged me so tight I thought she might crush my ribs.

"My baby," she cried into my hair. "You're here." I could hear from behind us, my father greeting Michael, thanking him for bringing me. Then I felt my fathers arms come around me from behind. He was a big man and even with my backpack, he was able to wrap me and my mother in his arms. After a few minutes, they finally let go. My mother held me at arms length looking me over. "You look good. Let's get inside so we can talk."

I looked over my shoulder at Michael. He stood next to my father, smiling. They walked quietly behind us as my mother held my hand, leading us to their home, one of the cottages that dotted the hillside behind the main pack house. "You have to tell me everything," my mother said. "I want to know what's been going on, we get so little information up here. The Alpha said there was another execution, do you know about that?"

"Yes mother," I replied softly. "I was there." She stopped in her tracks, right outside the front door.

"What do you mean you were there?" she said quietly, her voice sounding scared.

"I saw the Alpha be executed. I....I wanted to be there," I finally admitted.

"Why?" she gasped. "How horrible."

"Claudia," my father said from behind us. "Leave the girl be, she's been through a lot. Let's get them inside."