Breaking the mate bond seemed impossible, but I had to keep trying. We'd find a way—somehow.
By sunset, everyone was packed up and ready to go. It was amazing how quickly the Ophiuchus pack could get everything together and ready to leave. But they'd all had a lot of practice moving around in the last few months. They practically had it down to a science by now.
“It'll take about a full day of nonstop driving,” Stella told me as we helped load the bags into our car. Stella, Kaden, Larkin, and I were all in one van, along with Harper, Mira, and Aiden in the back with a couple more bags taking up the eighth seat. I shoved my bag into the tight space and looked at her.
“We have enough people to take short shifts,” I said.
Stella hummed in agreement and then narrowed her eyes at the arrangement. “Do you think we need to leave a space for seeing out of the back?”
“I don't think we can,” I said and sighed. “I guess we'll have to hope for the best.”
Kaden and Clayton dragged an unconscious Jordan between them toward one of the vans that had been converted into a makeshift prison cell. After the failed spell, I'd watched Kaden sink his teeth into Jordan's shoulder once more. He seemed to be enjoying the whole process a bit too much, but I understood it completely. Even now, Jordan's limbs were bound and two guards were accompanying him. Kaden wasn't taking any chances. Jordan was going to be our prisoner until we were done with him. Escape wasn't an option.
I rubbed at my stomach, where the mate bond still sat. It had faded, like someone had put layers of wool blankets between Jordan and me, which made it easier to ignore now. If I was focused on something else, it was almost as if it wasn't there at all.
We got on the road, and I stopped thinking about Jordan at all as I talked with Stella and Larkin while Kaden took the first shift at the wheel. We only stopped for gas and food, and we were in Toronto by sunset the next day.
Stella nudged me awake as we entered the city limits, and I stared out of the window, mouth open wide at the sight of the huge city. There were so many buildings of all different shapes and sizes, with millions of people all going about their daily business. The thought of coexisting among so many different humans was amazing to me. I'd never spent much time in big cities, and now we'd be here for the foreseeable future. It was also hard for me to imagine shifters living so close to humans too. I'd never heard of it being done, but if anyone was capable of it, it was the peace-keeping Libra pack.
When we arrived at the hotel that the Libra pack alpha owned, we all piled out of the van, and I looked up at the huge, shining building. “This is where we're staying?”
From the looks on everyone else's faces, they'd been expecting something rustic, like what we were used to. This looked like a five-star hotel, and I doubted I'd ever stay somewhere as nice again in my life.
Another car pulled up and Ethan got out and adjusted his suit, looking impeccable once more. He was smiling as he approached us. “Welcome,” he said, and Kaden dipped his head.
"Is this where we'll be staying?" Kaden asked, his voice skeptical.
“Yes, this is it. I own a lot of hotels in Toronto and other parts of Ontario. This one is finishing up renovations, so it hasn't officially reopened yet. There's tons of space available for your use, so feel free to spread out.”
“What do you do when you need to be a wolf?” Kaden asked. The dry tone in his voice seemed to be completely lost on Ethan.
“High Park is nearby for short nightly runs, although we always need to be cautious of humans spotting us, of course. For full moons, we have a large portion of the Algonquin Provincial Park reserved for our use. It's just a three-hour drive away.” He paused and grinned. “Sometimes humans go on wolf howling expeditions there to listen to us."
I frowned. That sounded… odd, to say the least. “You let humans join you?”
"Not exactly. They get a presentation about wolves, and then they go a little into the forest to howl at us. They think real wolves are howling back at them, but it's actually just us. They're never any the wiser, and we get to entertain the tourists and teach them a bit about wolves along the way. They're quite popular too—last time we had over a thousand people attend.”
"That many?" I asked, surprised. I supposed it was a good way to teach humans about wolves, and the Libra pack was all about keeping the peace—even between different species, it seemed.
"We've worked hard to try to change humans' perception of wolves," Ethan said with a slow grin. "Now let's get inside, I'm sure you're all exhausted after the journey. I know I am."
We followed Ethan into the hotel, while the Ophiuchus pack members from the other vans trickled in after us through the sliding double doors. The lobby was just as nice as I imagined it to be, with white marble floors and huge chandeliers, along with a small fountain in the entry. Ethan stopped at the front desk and spoke to a woman there, who nodded and then directed everyone to line up so she could pass out room assignments.
Ethan brought us an envelope personally with our keys inside. "I saved the penthouse for you two, I hope it's to your liking.”
Kaden accepted it with a nod. “Thank you, I'm sure it will be more than comfortable.”
“The conference rooms are also available to you for meetings of any kind, and you can even order room service. Basically, you have the whole run of the hotel for now. My staff will help with anything you require."
"That's most generous of you," I said.
"What about a place for the Leo alpha?” Kaden asked.
“I have just the place," Ethan said. "He'll never be able to escape.”
“Perfect,” Kaden said.
I smiled at Ethan. “Thank you again for taking us in. We all really appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Ethan said as if the Libra pack hadn't been on the fence about allying with us only days ago.
I just hoped this alliance could last—and that coming here had been a good idea.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kaden and I grabbed our bags and then rode the elevator up to the top floor, which turned out to be entirely the penthouse. It was just as lavish as the lobby, and the furniture was modern, minimalist, and clearly expensive. The couch alone probably cost more than I'd ever made in my years of working put together.
I walked to the huge window and peered out. The city of Toronto stretched out in the distance, glimmering lights switching on as the sun fell behind the horizon. The park was as close as Ethan had said, a spot of darkness between the city lights. But when Kaden stepped up beside me, he didn't look pleased.
“What is it?” I asked.
He bared his teeth a little as he looked outside. "I'd rather be in the forest. I don't think we can trust these city wolves. It's not natural for us to be among humans like this.”
“Well, I'm excited to explore the city,” I said and made my way over to the huge couch. I knew there would be an adjustment period, but I hoped Kaden could settle in here, along with the rest of the pack. The Libras had been the only pack who'd offered to let us stay with them, so we couldn't exactly afford to be picky about it.