Page 63 of The Wolf's Bullied Bride

“What’s going on?” Kai asked, taking a step forward.

I swallowed hard. “The Gleason’s have Cora. They’re here in town, but they’re demanding that I go.”

Concern immediately moved through them, and a mutual understanding filled the room.

“Do you know where?”

I nodded. “In the woods near where Cora was attacked the first time.”

“All right, then. What are we waiting for?” Finn asked, seemingly ready to spring into action.

“As much as I want to, we can’t just run ahead. They’ve had time to plan and prepare themselves, and they’re likely armed to the teeth. Besides, they want me. If I can somehow get Cora out of there, then I’ll face them myself,” I said, sure of the fact that I had to get her as far away from them as possible.

“And we’ll be your backup then,” Kai returned with a nod. “If anything goes wrong, we’ll be waiting.”

“Exactly who are we dealing with?” Finn asked, brows furrowed.

“While The Triplets are just humans, they have the means to do some damage. They’re relentless, and when they set their minds to something, they always follow through with it. They’ll have weapons, and if they feel threatened, they will use them.”

“Humans, huh? That means they won’t have heightened senses to detect us from within the trees. That’ll give us the upper hand,” he added, seeming satisfied with those odds.

“They might be human, but don’t underestimate them.”

“We’ll let you take the lead then,” Kai said, sounding sure of his decision. “We’ll round us as many people as we can, and we’ll follow you.”

While a brief wave of uncertainty moved through me, I pushed it aside. I had to have faith that we would be successful. That my constant attempts to leave The Triplets behind me were about to come to an end.

“Don’t worry,” Finn said, putting a supporting hand on my shoulder before he headed for the door. “We’ll get her back.”

Nodding, I didn’t want them to see how worried I was. I wanted them to know I was serious, and I would do anything to make sure she was okay.

As Finn and Kai pulled the pack together, I headed in the direction of the cemetery. I let my senses lead me as I picked up their scents, along with Cora’s. They weren’t lying about having her, as I suspected.

The moon only provided so much light as I trekked through the woods, senses that while they were some distance behind, spread out through the trees, they weren’t far. At a moment’s notice, they would be there.

While focusing on anything other than Cora was difficult, I didn’t forget my appreciation for their help. Being in the pack left me with a feeling of hope in my chest, and I was glad I had them for support.

But as I went on my own, I could only think about how I had left her alone in the first place. I never should’ve stormed out. I should’ve stayed behind and listened to what she had to say.

I had been more concerned about how she had endangered me, and I didn’t stop to consider how I should’ve protected her.

In the moment she needed me the most, I wasn’t even there. I was too preoccupied by my thoughts to even think about how the Gleason’s were likely already plotting how they’d get to her.

In hindsight, it was easy to feel like I didn’t do enough, but in that moment, I needed to concentrate on getting her back.

Chapter 27 - Cora

The cold breeze nipped at my skin, rushing me back to the present with a forceful shiver. Opening my eyes, it took a moment for me to adjust to the low light, but the scent of pine and the quiet shake of needles gave me enough clues to let me know I was outside.

That familiar sensation in the air told me exactly where I was. I had been around town long enough to register the distinct feeling of every inch of the forest.

Feeling cold, rough bark digging into my skin, I went to pull away, but the attempt was short-lived.

It didn’t take me long to feel the tight binding around my wrists or to notice I was pinned to a tree.

Dread surrounded me, and every fiber of my being told me to run. Run as fast as you can.

But I couldn’t. I couldn’t wield my magic, not when they were pinned, and my energy was drained.

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