Beep snorts, but I'm too happy. It wasn't a perfect shift, but things feel like they're clicking into place. And as we trot through the underbrush, Beep sniffing everything, trying not to act too excited by what we just accomplished, a strange tug yanks in my belly.
It's like that pull that drew me north—it happens again, and then a hefty yank makes me stumble. The wolves following mestumble, too. Well, they don't stumble—more like skip a step. Significantly more graceful than us. They recover quickly, let out a chuff, and both turn to me, offering big, sharp wolfy grins.
The tug dissipates slowly, outward, through my limbs, then into the air.
That was weird.
Don't you feel it?Beep asks.
Feel what?
Beep snorts and begins trotting again, like nothing happened, as do the wolves beside me.
You accepted the clan, she explains.
No I didn't?
Maybe not consciously. But you did. You trusted these two alphas to protect you, even after biting you. You and I found a little peace. We're fitting in. It all culminated. Now you are Silent Peak.
I think about that while the wolves snap their teeth playfully and give chase. Beep scents a creek nearby, and though it's not the direction we're supposed to go, she trails off, and the other two follow. We hear wolves howling in the distance. It echoes through the trees, so many shifters joining in on the chorus.
They can all feel you now,Beep says.
What does it mean?I ask in awe as the howls send shivers down my spine and warm my soul.
Nothing, really. It isn't like a pack, or a mate-bond. They are just welcoming us to the clan. You won't be able to feel them, they have no control over us. But an omega has officially joined Silent Peak, which means the peace and prosperity we bring is theirs. They will do anything to protect us. Relax. It's a good thing.
I laugh to myself, and at the absurdity that is my life.Relax, she says.
So, I do.
We hit the stream. Beep laps up water, and the other two over-grown enforcers play like children. We made a lot of progress today, and I'm going to enjoy this.
But then the sulfur scent is back, and this time, it slams into me. Beep stumbles, then shakes her snout, and sneezes.
Pungent, electric, caustic—as if it's rising from the water itself.
Beep's nostrils flare, and the two wolves beside me stiffen. In a heartbeat, I'm flanked between them.
Their playful energy evaporates—their dominance floods out of them like a warning bell, making my knees shake. Low, guttural growls remind me how violent these predators really are. The chase through the woods was nothing compared to this.
Something flickers in the trees. Magic thickens the air, choking me. The enforcers explode into action. Eli launches forward in a blur, while the gray wolf crashes against me, spinning to guard my back. Eli's howl splits through the air, up into the sky—an ear-deafening sound.
The magic surges, creeping tendrils wrapping around my legs and arms, an invisible coil threatening to pull me across the stream. A shadowy form ducks through the trees, the figure of a man, his arms reaching out toward me, beckoning me closer.
Beep takes a deep inhale, then sneezes. She tries to shake it out of our nose, but one step, then another, pulls us into the water. The magic spills down my throat, into my ears and eyes, paralyzing my limbs. Disoriented, we stumble into the creek, her paws splashing.
Teeth flash, clamping down on my leg, making Beep yelp, but it breaks the spell.
The gray wolf that smells of spearmint releases me, then shifts. In seconds, his gray fur shakes off into smooth, dark tawny skin. Before I can even register the naked man toweringabove me, he reaches down, hauls me up into his arms, then takes off in a sprint.
Chapter 28: Orion
Pacing the woods, I look down at the time on my phone. She should be here by now. We're an hour's walk through the trail, but she should be running. It's been ninety minutes.
Grayson isn't answering his phone.
So, I pace. Inching further into the woods.
