Page 42 of The Wolf's Mate

“Rip wanted Thorne to join us today, and, well, I didn’t fight him on that.” She almost looks apologetic, but not quite.

“Good thing I like the both of you.” I smile, and she loops her arm through mine.

“Ready to go?” I nod, and Tallie leads us outside, Thorne and Grass following closely behind us.

The moment we are out the door, I’m miserable. The frigid air nips at my skin, making my face sting. “Are your winters normally like this?”

“Oh, no,” Tallie assures, and I let out a sigh of relief until she says, “They are much worse.”

“Wonderful. Can’t fucking wait,” I say, deadpan.

“What was the weather like where you came from?” Thorne asks from behind us. He’s busy making sure Grass doesn’t get lost in the snow, which I’m thankful for.

“Warm, mostly. Grym Hollow doesn’t really have extreme weather. Our winter is chilly, but nowhere near this. I’ve never seen snow in real life until I came here,” I admit.

“Really?” Tallie asks incredulously. “You probably know this by now, but shifters run hot. So snow is the best time for us.” She then goes on a spiel about snow and why the shifters love it so much.

Admittedly, I tune her out. Not because I’m not interested in what she has to say, but the whistling wind keeps distracting me. “Ugh, how do you deal with this?” I interrupt her. “The wind is so loud.”

Tallie looks back at Thorne, confusion etched across her brows. “The wind? No, it’s not. It’s quiet out here today.”

I scoff. “Very funny. How can you not hear it? It’s like a loud bell in my ear that won’t go away.” I don’t notice that they stop walking until I look back. Now it’s my turn to be confused. “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering my question, Tallie asks one of her own, “What does the wind sound like?”

Both she and Thorne are looking at me like I sprouted another head. I don’t know what game they’re playing, but I’ll bite. “It sounds like a low whistle mixed with a soft howl. I’m not sure if that makes sense.”

“What direction do you hear it coming from?” Tallie asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess where the wind is blowing from? So, this way.” I point to the left of me, and they share another knowing glance at each other.

Now it’s pissing me off.

Before I can say anything, Tallie says, “No, Hettie. The wind is coming from the east. You just pointed south.”

“O…kay? And?” I’m clearly missing something. “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking, or are we just going to continue to play the ‘Let’s Confuse Hettie’ game?”

“I’ll tell you, but first, can you lead us in the direction you hear the sound?” Tallie lets go of Thorne’s hand to move closer to me. “I know this makes little sense, but just trust me.”

Tallie has never given me a reason not to trust her, so I nod. I’m not sure what she’s getting at, but clearly she thinks it’s important enough to follow through.

I tune out everyone else around me and listen to my surroundings. The faint crunch of snow from eager feet. Soft chatter carrying from town. Then, finally, the low whistle starts again. Fainter than before, but my body moves of its own accord.

Tallie says something behind me, and Grass barks once, but I’m already walking away from them. I’m a slave to my body as it pulls me farther and farther away from them.

“Hettie!” Tallie calls, but I’m unable to reply. Unable to do anything but follow the sound that holds me prisoner.

Snow crunches behind me, so I know they aren’t far behind. None of them stop me, and I’m not sure if they could. Invisible hands wrap around me and refuse to let go. The sensation is almost painful, but each step closer to the mysterious sound eases that tightness coiling in my body.

A tree branch scratches my cheek as I pass through a densely wooded part of the forest. The snow isn’t as thick here since the trees provide a semblance of coverage. Doesn’t make it any less cold though, and I pull my coat tighter around me. The whistling is getting louder, but I’m not sure how far into the woods I’ll have to go. Thorne is here with me, so I know I’m not defenseless if Michael is scouting this place, but it still fills me with unease.

I wind my way through trees until the whistling turns into a low hum. Like someone is leaning over and purring in my ear. My body shivers and not from the cold. All at once, the sounds stop, and I’m left in front of what looks like a bear’s den.

Fuck, I hope no damn bears live here.

“The sound stopped here.” I gesture to the small cave in front of me. “How far away did we travel from town?”

“Not that far. Maybe a mile. We shouldn’t stay here long, though.” Thorne approaches the opening of the cave. “Luna, stay back with Tallie. I’m going to check this out. I’ve never seen it before,” he admits, scratching his head.

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