When it comes to Lila and Astrid, I’m not playing games.
Jack studies me for a beat, and the humor in his expression fades into something more serious. “You really mean it, don’t you? The bond and the claim.”
“Yes, I do,” I tell him, throat tightening. “As I said, it isn’t some random thing.”
His brows lift slightly. “Even after everything before?”
Something in me aches as I swallow, and the memories flicker in my mind. I can see my younger self so clearly in all of my stupidity, haunted by the way Lila had looked at me, and how she confirmed my own suspicions that day, how I refused to acknowledge that connection because it contradicted every plan I had for myself, and since she had been forbidden fruit from the very beginning.
But maybe that made her even more tempting to me, and forced the bond to bring us back together.
“I made my decision. The ceremony has been done, and I’m not breaking the bond.”
With some of his understanding creeping in, Jack nods. “Then you should be ready for whatever comes next.”
“… Which means?”
“Even if the others eventually accept Lila, that doesn’t mean Wraith Peak will stop until they get what they want,” he says, tone grave.
I sit with that fact, well aware that he’s right. I have more than one issue to contend with, and above all else, I have to keep Lila safe. I just can’t keep her stashed away to accomplish it.
We both pause, letting whatever else we wanted to say die on our tongues as the wind shifts again.
An unfamiliar scent hits me all over again. It’s all wrong.
It sure as hell isn’t one of mine.
“Do you smell that?” Jack asks, glancing at me with controlled alarm.
Breathing in slow, there’s no mistaking it. It isn’t local. I’d know if it was.
And they’re not alone.
“We’ve got movement,” Luke says, voice carrying through the trees. He glances back to where Zane is concealed deeper in the woods. He signals something, then Luke adds, “Two… maybe three.”
My lethal instincts sharpen at once, aligning with one singular objective.
Protect and eliminate any threats to my pack or to my mate.
“You think it’s them?” Jack asks, moving with me carefully through the space to draw closer.
“It has to be,” I murmur, keeping my eyes peeled for any movement that doesn’t belong to us. “No other packs have any reason to move through the area without warning. I’d be informed as soon as possible if that were the case.”
He nods, going quiet again to not bring us any attention.
If they are infiltrating, then they’ll be watching for us, and if we can gain some sort of upper hand over them, then it would be worth it.
My pulse thrums from the cold, honed readiness I’ve mastered over the years.
Beneath it, something else stirs. That thread… the whisper of our connection at a distance tugs deep in my chest.
Lila.
I pull back, brushing against that invisible cord in silent question. In return, I feel a subtle reaction. It’s nothing big, just a light nudge confirming that she’s okay.
There’s no panic, and no spike of fear, and it’s enough to soothe me out of rampaging.
Still, my stomach is in knots. When anyone is somewhere they shouldn’t be around here, I know it, and it’s my job to handle it.
