As soon as we’re both inside, she bolts the front door and pulls all the shutters down firmly.
I go up to my room and put my coat away, taking out the book, and putting it on my nightstand… right beside the charm. If I’d been wearing it, maybe none of this would be happening. Or would someone else be the wolf tithe?
The days are short at this time of year, and dusk is already falling over the land. My gaze shifts to the tiny window. Outside, the wind rises, rattling the frame and sending the scent of fresh pine whistling through the cracks. Not only pine—underneath it is a darker, more elusive scent. For a heartbeat, I swear I hear his purr, just as it was when I sheltered beneath the tree.
A distant howl brings a quickening to my heartbeat.
I’m standing in the forest.
Slivers of moonlight pierce the bare branches. My feet are bare, but I feel no cold. The air vibrates with a low, rumbling purr and carries the scent of pine needles, fresh moss, soil—and forbidden musk.
He is there.
The black wolf approaches between the trees, lethal and silent, his coat shimmering, his breath making a cloud in the frosty air.
He circles me, paws almost silent, until he is once more before me, blue eyes bright against his midnight coat.
Mine.
Heat blooms along my throat where he licked. It is like I can feel him touching me there again.
Throb.
The heat travels lower, reaching my nipples, making them peak.
Throb.
It moves lower still, settling deep in my core.
Throb.
I ache inside my pussy, a terrible emptiness that demands to be filled.
Throb.
Two more shapes emerge, indistinct—little more than impressions.
Ours.
“Dinner is ready!” Mistress Nina calls.
The forest dissolves, and I am once more in my room, breath labored and heart hammering in my chest.
“I’m coming,” I call. Subconsciously, my fingers go to my throat.
I still. It feels different. I go to the small vanity and pick up the hand mirror… and gasp.
Three thin blue lines mark my skin like a tattoo or a birthmark. They closely resemble the claw marks on my door.
I put the mirror down with a clatter.
There is no escaping this.
This is real.
They are coming…
Chapter Five
