And all I could think about was that look Ryker had given me. One full of pain and betrayal. If something happened to him tonight, I couldn’t stand the thought of that being the last exchange between us.
Granted, he’d probably look at me like that once I bargained my way free of the Alpha pack. But at least that one I would have earned instead of taking the blame for whatever Bastian had insinuated.
I shouldn’t have stayed in his bed last night. Sleeping more soundly than I had in weeks didn’t make up for the fact that Bastian was a manipulative asshole with a penchant for cruelty.
The three of us stood there in our standoff for several tense seconds. Cade was slightly to my left and Bastian to my right. We were on the third floor. Even if I got away from them now, I’d never make it down the stairs.
But the entrance to Cade’s study was right in front of me, and the full moon was rising just beyond the broken-down wall.
My instincts screamed at me a second before Bastian moved. He was fast, normally faster than me, but I was really pissed off.
“Fuck!” he snarled as my axe sliced into his thigh.
I dove forward, still gripping both axes and barely managing to avoid Cade’s grab before sprinting into the room. A distant howl sounded just as I reached the wall, and the pain in my chest became almost frantic.
Every lycan understood the meaning behind howls. It was instinctual for us.
That was a hunting howl. But Ryker wasn’t the hunter. He was the one being hunted.
“Stop!” Cade ordered.
I didn’t.
My feet pushed off the ground, and my body twisted to face the castle as I plummeted straight down. I slammed my axes into the stone, slowing my descent. Fifteen feet from the ground, I dismissed them and pushed off the wall. My body tore, the wolf spilling forth, shredding my clothes, and I hit the ground on all fours.
All Velesians felt stronger and more alive at night, but it was on nights when the full moon reigned that we felt it the most. I poured every inch of that extra power into my legs as I raced towards the area Ryker’s howl had originated.
To where that knot in my heart was yanking me.
Glowing eyes blinked at me from the trees, and vines slithered along the ground like serpents. Something with dark red scales lunged at me from where it’d been lying in wait, nestled amongst a tangle of roots. Bone-white fangs flashed in the moonlight. I shied left, barely slowing down, and kept running.
Another howl echoed through the forest.
I altered my course slightly.
Only after half a mile did I drop to a jog before halting altogether.
The monsters that’d been snarling at me from the branches had stopped. And nothing had tried to ambush me in the last few minutes. That usually meant there was something big and nasty around, keeping all the lower-ranking beasts away.
Please don’t be Strigoi, I mentally pleaded. My last encounter with them was still fresh in my mind, and I really didn’t want a repeat.
I tried to quell my growing panic. Ryker hadn’t howled again, and the tenuous connection between us was practically vibrating. He wasn’t far. I couldn’t pinpoint his location exactly, but I just knew he was close. And still alive.
There were only two ways to completely break mating bonds—both potential and fully accepted ones: everyone involved had to reject the bond, or death could sever it.
Someday very soon, Ryker and I would be rejecting ours. It would hurt, but at least we’d both be alive. But in order for that to happen, I needed to find his stupid ass and get him back behind the wards of the stronghold. Which meant I didn’t have time to stand here, waiting for whatever monster was lurking in the dark to come out and say hello.
Lowering my head, I let a deep growl rumble from my throat and took a step forward. Nothing happened. I took another step. Then another. The fourth time I raised my paw, I went completely still. I couldn’t sense anything, but I knew with every part of my soul there was something here.
And it was watching me.
Staying as still as possible, I scanned the area around me. The trees were thick in this part of the forest, their branches full of needle-like leaves that blocked out most of the moonlight. My night vision was good, but I still needed some light to work with. I peered into the pools of darkness around the trees.
Come out, come out, beastie.
Leaves rustled, and my ears twitched as I picked up faint clicking sounds.
Shit. There was only one creature in Lunaria that made that noise, and they didn’t usually come this far north. I was really having the shittiest luck lately with monsters. On the plus side, I got my wish. Even the Strigoi avoided the kùsu.
