Page 10 of Claimed

“I’ve started a list of questions for her. Some of them can be yes or no, so she doesn’t need to shift to answer.”

I stroke her side, wondering why she fell asleep. “Do you think shifting tires her out?” I ask.

He pauses, lowering his phone as he looks at her. “I’m not sure. It could be a lot of things contributing to her fatigue. She could still be recovering from regenerating, plus her body having to acknowledge five new mate bonds all at once, then to sit here close to us while revealing her worst secrets… I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

“I’m going to find the people who did that to her and rip them to shreds,” Bain seethes from my side as he stares at Cherry, his jaw grinding back and forth.

“When are we leaving?” I ask Maddox. It’s been days since Kane was killed, and I’m dying to get out of this place.

“Tomorrow,” he says, as he glances at each of us. “Though part of me hates the idea of uprooting her when she’s finally starting to shift.”

“Maybe the change in environment will be conducive to her shifting,” Gage suggests.

“Or we could be putting her in more danger,” Maddox says with a frown. “Starfall Haven is for supernaturals, not just wolf shifters. We don’t know that just because it’s inaccessible to humans doesn’t mean the people who live there aren’t dangerous.”

“What’s the alternative? Stay here?” Chase asks, glancing between them.

“We could just find somewhere secluded to live until Cherry is more stable,” I suggest.

“But Starfall Haven is the only place we have hope of finding answers,” Gage explains.

“You’re right,” Maddox agrees with a nod. “The plan stays the same. We head to South Carolina and assess as we go. If it feels unsafe, we leave. Simple as that.”

Everyone nods in agreement, and the room goes silent as we sip our whiskey, each lost in our own thoughts. Mine stray to what she told us of her past. Her entire family was slaughtered in front of her. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. If I ever lost Chase, it would wreck me.

But part of her story starts to nag at the back of my mind, and it takes me a minute to figure out why.

“Hey, guys?” I ask, looking around to make sure I have their attention. “Why do you think they killed her family and not her?”

I see them all frown in thought, and Chase is the first one to answer. “Maybe they only needed one wolf to experiment on?”

“Wouldn’t they want as many as possible, though?” I ask.

“Maybe they didn’t have enough manpower to capture all five of them and take them back to the facility,” Maddox suggests.

“Maybe…” Gage says, looking deep in thought.

“You have a theory?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” he says as he stares down at her in my lap. “But I do suspect there was a reason she was chosen over her family.”

“Maybe her red fur?” I ask as I run my fingers through it. “Maybe that was unique to her family, and it stood out to them.”

“Maybe she was weaker than her family and easier to capture.”

Bain growls at Chase’s suggestion. “My mate is not weak.”

“Dude!” Chase says with a chuckle, throwing his hands up in surrender. “If she was the youngest, and only fourteen, it makes sense. Of course, I’m not saying she’s weak now. She’s the strongest wolf I know, going through what she did.”

That calms Bain enough to stop his growling.

“Has everyone finished packing?” Maddox asks, changing the subject.

“Everything except what I need to get ready in the morning,” Chase answers.

“Same,” I add.

“I’ll go finish now,” Bain says, pushing to his feet.