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“Look at the grass—the trees. Nothing’s burning. Nothing that touches the fire.”
Holy shit… he’s right.
The grass beneath the flames is just as green and healthy as it was an hour ago. The branches of the trees are the same as well. None of it is affected by the fire.
I turn at the sound of footsteps to find Caelan striding toward us. He comes to a stop beside me. He tenses, squinting at the foliage.
I can fucking see the moment the idea forms in his head.
“Do not,” I snarl, clamping my hands on his shoulders. “Just because the grass and trees aren’t burning doesn’t mean you won't. Can’t you feel how fucking hot it is?”
For a second I think he’s about to say fuck the consequences, but before I’m forced to wrestle him to the ground for the second time tonight, a shout echoes from the far side of HQ.
We all turn, right as a wolven appears from the shadows.
“I thought they were visiting Soren’s father for the night,” Vae frowns.
“I did, too…” My voice trails off as six more wolven in Beast form appear, following the first. I can easily pick out Soren’s white wolf, flanked by two others.
The Pack slows down, coming to a stop in front of us. All except Soren, who shifts mid-step, changing from Beast to man so seamlessly it’s impossible not to feel awed.
The Alpha stalks toward us, wearing a scowl so deep it would scare the shit out of a lesser male. I expect him to stop, but he strides past us, not stopping until he comes to the very edge of the fire.
Maybe we should have stopped him before letting him get that close. Is he going to step through the flames? Try to get to Idril like Caelan?
As if to dissuade him from doing exactly that, the flames flare, soaring higher as if reinforcing their purpose.
Soren stands silently, fists clenched so tight the muscles in his forearms stand out in stark relief. His entire body vibrates, a constant tremor running through his frame.
The silence is eerie. Absolute. Marred only by the crackling of the flames.
Until Soren inhales a deep lungful of air, opens his mouth, and screams Idril’s name.
It’s like the sound’s been wrenched from the depths of his soul. It shreds up his throat and into the night sky, reverberating off the buildings and echoing back to us. The flames soar higher, as if in answer to his summons.
I get the feeling the fire is taunting him.
Taunting all of us.
Soren turns, jaw tight, and anger etched in every line of his expression. His gaze sweeps across the faces gathered in the clearing, not stopping until it lands on Caelan, Vae, and me.
He points one trembling finger toward the fire. A growl vibrates through his chest with all the fury of an Alpha who just lost his Mate to something he’s only now realized he can’t even fight.
His words may seem aimed at our whole Pack, but we all know who they’re meant for.
“What the fuck did you two do?”
Chapter 28
Idril
Ican’t hear anything over the roar of the fire behind me. The moment it sprang up, it took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to run back through it and into Caelan’s arms.
Even now, I want to turn around. I can feel Caelan’s anxiety and fear through the Bond, but Branwen’s words echo through my mind until every step I take feels weighted with purpose.
The forest is quiet and cool. There’s no wind, no birds chirping in the branches. No animals sneaking through the foliage. It’s as though a blanket has been thrown over the trees. The only sounds that reach my ears are my bare feet in the dirt and my own breath puffing past my lips.
So when a large, black shape slips between the trees and onto the path beside me, I nearly scream. Until I realize it’s only Shade, and a relieved breath rushes out of me.
