I snapped my jaws in anger as I plunged deeper into the forest. June’s scent was still strong, and I followed it, trying to put my irritation at myself to the back of my mind.
When I came to a deep decline, her scent faded a bit. Slowing, I pulled to a stop to look around, my tongue lolling from my jaws as I caught my breath. That was when I caught the new scent. My heart shuddered, and if I’d been in my human form, gooseflesh would have risen across my body. Instead, my hackles rose. The Red Maw? Here? This close to Hidden Grove? Why would they venture this close? Then the bigger, more pressing question rushed into my mind.
Had they come across June?
No. God, no.
I sprinted down the hill, heedless of danger. I rushed forward, nearly tripping two or three times, but I got to the bottom unharmed. There were footprints everywhere. Wolf prints, and two sets of human prints. One set of the human prints was small—June’s—the others a larger man’s boots.
Dear God.
The Red Maw had been a thorn in my side for over a decade. The all-male pack was made up of men who’d been kickedout of their respective packs for one awful reason or another. They were aggressive and had been expanding in recent years, adding members and moving into other parts of the area. I’d assumed my legend was enough to keep them from encroaching on my territory, but obviously I’d been mistaken. Many of the men in the Red Maw pack were capable of terrible things that would make anyone’s blood run cold. I’d seen it with my own eyes. Women and men killed or worse before I could find and rescue them. They lived in the more remote and wild areas of the Shadow Forest and would love nothing more than to take Hidden Grove from me. They were one of the main reasons Rainier and I went on so many scouting runs.
Moving even faster, I followed the path and the scent. Soon, the sounds of howling reached my ears, distant but growing closer with each second. I hoped I wasn’t too late. I wouldneverforgive myself. I’d rather die than live with that kind of guilt.
When I finally found them, I rounded the corner of a boulder. June stood on the bank of the half-frozen creek, six wolves surrounding her in a semicircle. One of the wolves shifted into a lanky, red-haired man. He took a step toward June, grabbing at his belt buckle.
“Make it easy, sweetheart,” he said. “It won’t have to hurt.”
June picked up a fallen branch and swung it at the man, catching him in the shoulder. He twisted, fell to his hands and knees, and looked up, spotting me for the first time. His face went pale, eyes wide, and his mouth opened to scream out a warning to the others, but he was too slow.
Bolting forward, I leaped through the air, jaws wide, descending upon him before he even had time to shift back. My teeth sank deep into his throat, tearing away his life with one savage twist of my head. The coppery tang of blood on my tongue sickened me, but it sent a thrill of excitement through my inner wolf.
The other wolves leapt upon me, biting, snarling, and snapping their teeth to avenge their fallen comrade. My rage and superior size helped me throw off the first two, sending them tumbling into a yelping pile. Even as a third bit into my hind quarters, I latched my teeth onto the back leg of a fourth, thrashing back and forth. There was a satisfying crunch between my teeth as the bone broke, and I slammed his head into a jagged rock. He fell aside, lifeless eyes staring at the snow-covered trees above.
I turned and sank my teeth into the muzzle of the wolf who was biting my back side, flexing my powerful jaw muscles. He released my leg, yelping as he tried to back away, but I bit down hard until I felt thecrackof his skull shattering beneath my teeth. He let out a strangled cry and fell, writhing in death throes as I turned to the others.
The remaining wolves glanced around, gave one last menacing growl and bolted. Breathing heavily, I turned, finding June sitting on a stone by the creek, hugging her knees, looking bewildered and relieved. Shifting back, I took a hesitant step forward.
“June, I’m sorry about earlier. I really am,” I said, hoping she could hear the sorrow in my voice. “Are you okay?”
“Whowerethose guys?” she asked, her breath stuttering out of her.
I sighed and pointed to the north. “A rival pack. The Red Maw. They live somewhere in that direction. I never go near their land, and they never intrude on my territory. Well, they never have before. They’re dangerous, though. An entire pack made up of angry men who, from what I’ve gathered, were all banished from their packs. These are men who’ve killed before and won’t be afraid to kill again. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you,” I added, kneeling before her. “I never should have yelled at you like that.”
She waved me away. “It’s fine. Ididbreak into your house. That’s more than enough reason to flip out on someone.”
“That’s not an excuse. Not evenslightly. You didn’t deserve that. I was…I don’t know…startled that you were there.”
Lifting her eyes to mine, she gave me a quizzical look. “Who is that woman? The one in the painting?”
How could I lie to her now, after everything that had happened? I took a breath and decided to give her the briefest of explanations, not wanting to dive too deep.
“She was my mate,” I said. “Averylong time ago. She’s been gone over a century. The painting means a lot to me.”
All the color drained from her face, and shame swept through me.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I never should have intruded on something so private.”
I held a hand up. “Let’s…uh…let’s both stop apologizing, okay? We’ll chalk it up to both of us doing dumb stuff and move on. Deal?”
For the briefest moment, I thought she might argue, but thankfully, she nodded and gave me a wan smile.
“Thanks for saving me from those psychos,” she said.
“I enjoy removing trash from the world. I’m sorry you had to see it, though. I think we should get out of here.”
“Okay.” She rose on shaky legs, and I wrapped my arm around her waist to steady her. “Do you think the Red Maw might ever attack Hidden Grove?”
