Chapter 45: 45: Cheers to That

MAX

“Derek, we’re just a few miles away from base camp. What do you think?” I always make it a point to include Derek in our decisions.

After all, isn’t that why he’s here with me? I’ve noticed he has a natural talent for tracking and navigation.

It’s a surprise to find out that my grandfather, the retired beta of his pack, spent a lot of time with him in the woods. He trained all the wolves in the pack to navigate their way out of the woods, using cues like the growth of moss, animal tracks, and sounds.

It’s quite impressive. Derek lifts his gaze from the sheet where he’s been making calculations.

He’s used the map grid several times to pinpoint our location within feet of where we need to be. We’ve successfully completed two more attacks and reached every required checkpoint.

“If we hurry, we can make it by nightfall. That puts us two days ahead of schedule.”

“Then let’s get moving,” I reply. We pack up our gear and start walking in the direction indicated by the map.

A part of this challenge is to see if we can make it without shifting into our wolf forms even once. We’ve managed to do that, but it has come at a cost.

We aren’t making as good time as we would have in our wolf forms, and hunting for food is more difficult. We even ate rattlesnake the previous night.

It wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t terrible either, and it gave us the protein we needed. We’ve run out of beef jerky.

“Isn’t it strange that we haven’t encountered anyone else this whole time?” Derek asks.

I shrug. “Maybe. Or maybe they dropped us off in completely different areas and we’re all approaching from different directions.”

“That’s possible. I’m just glad we’re going to finish early. I’ve been meaning to thank you but didn’t know how to say it. You’ve really helped me and didn’t make me feel like a total loser. I know you didn’t want to be stuck with me,” Derek says, sounding almost nervous.

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad. You’ve done well. I could have been stuck with Michael,” I say, winking at him.

We both laugh. “Are you planning to go home during our break? Or do they want you to participate in challenges during that time?” Derek asks.

“I’m going home, but not for as long as the rest of you. I’ll return to the next training ground a month before everyone else. I think Alpha Frank will be there too. What about you?”

“I need to work on some things with my father. I’m turning twenty-one next week, so I want to see if my mate is in our pack,” Derek admits.

“I wouldn’t make that a priority. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to find my mate too. But you might have a mate who hasn’t turned twenty-one yet, or you could end up in the same situation as Alpha Frank,” I point out.

Alpha Frank is struggling with being away from his mate, especially since they were newly bonded. Bianca had been sent to Frank’s pack in Canada and flew to see him whenever it was feasible and we had days off.

In a way, it had worked out for the best. Bianca had a lot to learn about being a luna, and this gave the current luna plenty of opportunities to teach her.

It also gave Bianca time to improve her English and get to know the pack members. “Good point,” Derek mutters.

“We need to turn east here. There should be a small canyon with a creek at the bottom. Hopefully it’s not too deep and we can fill our canteens. I’m out of water.”

I stop and turn to look at him. “How long have you been out of water and why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugs. “Since last night. I thought we’d find some today. I studied the map all day yesterday to be sure.”

I take off my pack and pull out the extra canteen I’d stashed in there. I have two full canteens because I’ve been rationing my water.

“Here.” I hand him the canteen and put my pack back on. I start walking again, muttering under my breath about communication and rations.

Derek jogs up to me. “You don’t have to give me your water. I’ll be fine.” He tries to give me the canteen back, but I push his arm away.

I’m not going to carry him if he gets dehydrated. “No. Drink it, but slowly. You need to stay hydrated and we need to get out of this desert. We’re just an hour away from our freedom.”

I glance at Derek, who nods before taking a sip of water and putting the canteen in his cargo pocket. We walk the rest of the way in silence, stopping every fifteen minutes to check the map and continue.

This gives me plenty of time to get lost in my thoughts. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes not.

I find myself wondering what’s happening at home. I’ve only spoken to my father three times since I left, and my mother once.

That was when she’d grabbed the phone from my dad to tell me she loved me and to be safe, before handing it back. I miss my family, but most of the time I’m too busy to think about it.

This whole experience has been mentally and physically exhausting. I think about Melanie, my closest family member.

I wonder how she’s doing and how her studies are going. She’d be finishing her classes soon and starting her summer break.

She was supposed to apply to med school and an internship, but I have no idea what had happened with that. I realize just how out of the loop I am.

“Have you called home?” I ask Derek out of the blue.

“Yeah, why?” He responds as if it wasn’t a big deal, and I glance at him. Maybe he isn’t as close to his family.

“I was just thinking about how I have no idea what’s going on at home,” I admit.

Derek just shrugs. “Does it really matter? My dad runs everything anyway and Elijah is too busy to stop what he’s doing to give me an update. I’m not the alpha yet, so my place is here.”

He has a point, I suppose, although I’ve always been more involved in my pack. Maybe that’s why Derek needed so much guidance; his father hadn’t been doing much of that over the past few years.

“Don’t you have a sister?” I ask, suddenly curious about his relationship with his little sister.

“I do. She’s a pain in the ass. She always wants to be the center of attention, and I feel sorry for the poor guy she ends up mated to. Our mother has turned her into a princess,” he chuckles.

“She wears a princess ball gown to every one of her birthday parties, and she’s seventeen.” I look over at Derek, who is shaking his head in disbelief.

I can’t help but chuckle along with him. “I can’t really understand. Neither Selene nor my other sister would ever act like that. Selene, in particular, would rather wrestle you in the mud than put on a princess dress.”

“You’re lucky,” Derek says. Suddenly, I halt, lifting my hand to signal him to stop. I’m certain I’ve heard voices that aren’t ours.

I need a moment to listen. “Can you hear that?” I ask in a hushed tone. “We must be near.”

Derek nods in agreement and we begin to jog slowly toward the location we’ve identified as the base camp.

In less than ten minutes, we break through the thick vegetation and into a small camp. A few tents are scattered around, and all our instructors are gathered around a table, engaged in conversation.

“Glad you alphas could make it,” someone shouts, triggering a wave of laughter. Then, two of them rise and approach us.

“Alpha Max, I expected you,” one of them says, shaking my hand with a laugh. “Alpha Derek, you made it too. Come, join us. Have some food and a drink. We’ll drive you back to the pack house in a few hours. We’ve been monitoring everyone and it doesn’t seem like anyone else will be arriving tonight.”

We’re guided to the table and our packs are removed and tossed aside. Despite our alpha status, they still treat us with the respect our titles demand.

The gammas have done a commendable job training us in our tactics without crossing any lines. I value that, and I intend to let the king know how well they’ve performed.

A plate of sizzling steak is placed in front of me. Compared to the snake dinner from last night, this feels like a gourmet meal from a five-star restaurant.

A cold pitcher of water is set on the table, along with two frosty beers. I’ve never been a big fan of beer, but the past five days have somehow ignited a newfound liking for it.

I raise my glass toward Derek, who returns the gesture. “Here’s to surviving this and getting out of the desert. May we never find ourselves in one again.”

“I’ll toast to that,” Derek replies. The gammas around the table laugh at our banter, and we all dig into the feast laid out before us.

Now, I can finally get in touch with my family, with the added bonus of two free days. This situation couldn’t have ended any better.