A murmur went through the shifters next, but none of them looked unhappy about their new mission, and I was awed by Kaden’s ability to command a pack at such a young age. He had the presence of someone much older, and no one seemed to mind following his orders at all.
Harper wrapped an arm around Mira's shoulders. "We'll make sure our new friend gets home safely, and gladly take out any Leos we find on the way. Don't even worry about it."
"Thank you," Mira said, giving the other woman a small smile, and then turning her warm gaze on Kaden too.
He nodded in return. "Jack will be leading you. He's arranged some plane tickets since this mission requires some haste and driving to Alaska would take too long. We’ll meet you with the rest of the pack once we've finished our mission.”
"We?" I asked.
He turned his gaze on me. "You and I are going to the Cancer pack lands."
“What?” I blinked at him. “Just the two of us?”
“We don’t know if the remaining Cancers are holed up and waiting to shoot anyone who enters the pack lands, or if the Leos have overrun them and now control that area. They could have dozens of fighters there, for all we know. A stealth mission is our best bet. You and I can use our Moon Touched gifts to get in and out undetected. Once we know what the situation is, we can go from there."
I nodded slowly, unable to argue with his plan. Kaden's invisibility combined with my teleportation would make us the ultimate spies and scouts. Assuming we could get along long enough to get the job done. I had a feeling the tension between us would only get worse when it was just the two of us in the car.
Kaden said a few more words to the pack, laying out the logistical details of their trip, and then the others headed back to their cars and vans. They'd be driving to the airport in Spokane, leaving the vehicles behind there, and taking a flight to Anchorage. Harper gave me a quick hug and promised to take good care of Mira. Dane gave me a short nod since he never spoke as far as I could tell, and Jack gave me a wink.
He clamped Kaden on the shoulder. "Good luck, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"You would do everything," Kaden muttered.
"Exactly." Jack grinned one last time before giving a wave and heading off with the others.
I turned to Mira, who hung back like she was hesitant to go with them. I wrapped her in a hug. "You're going to be okay. They'll take care of you, and help your pack too if they can." I was certain of it after Kaden had called her a friend of the pack. Since he didn't know Mira all that well, I could only assume he did it because of her connection with me, and I was grateful.
She hugged me tight like she was afraid to let me go. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too,” I said into her shoulder. I hated that we would be split up again. I wanted all of us to be able to stay together and not have to deal with the Leo pack, but I knew that wasn't possible. We weren't kids in the Cancer pack anymore, playing on the beach near our houses. We'd both moved on, joined other packs, and Mira had a mate to rescue. And me? I had a grumpy alpha to deal with.
"I have a phone now, so we can keep in touch," I said. "Oh, I have an idea! Let's get a selfie before you go."
Mira giggled as I pulled her close, and we smiled wide for the camera like we were on vacation and not running for our lives. It wasn't the same as having a real camera, but at least I could have a picture of us in my phone. After I’d taken a few pictures—just in case one of us was blinking in any of them—I frowned down at the little screen, trying to see if they’d turned out okay. The cheap phone's camera was a piece of crap, but it was all I had.
“Did you ever get a new camera?” Mira asked. "After yours was broken?"
“No,” I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice. “I haven’t had the chance to get a new one.” Or had the means to do so, for that matter. It wasn’t like Kaden had ever paid me a salary during my time with the Ophiuchus. I doubted I'd have been allowed a camera anyway, just like I hadn't been allowed a phone. The Ophiuchus pack had rightfully been wary of anything that might reveal the location of their village.
Mira tilted her head at me, her dark brows furrowing with concern. “I’m sorry, that’s such a shame. I know how much photography means to you.”
“I have other things to worry about right now." I caught sight of the others waiting for Mira and knew our time was up. "Here, put your number in my phone.”