Page 62 of Oath of Revenge

He marked seven spots around the camp drawing. “These are where the guards normally roam. They’re evenly spaced and make clockwise circles. Then there’s the outer perimeter watch in a wider circle here, going in the opposite direction. I’ll have to sneak past both of them.”

She bit her lip, her stomach flipping from nerves. That was a decent technique that she needed to share with Knox when she got back to Vidrland.

If she got back. She might not survive the night. Her skin crawled being this close to the Growlers’ camp. All her instincts were screaming at her to run away. Well, the deer and rabbit sides of her anyway.

Part of her wanted to march straight into camp and demand they help break her curses. But that wasn’t the only reason she was here. She had to help Wulfric first and trust he knew what he was doing.

She hated that feeling of helplessness, of needing to rely on him. She ground her teeth together and nodded.

“Alright, so you need to find a guard and talk to them. Find out what’s been going on the past few days. Don’t go through the guard circles into camp. That’s too dangerous. Just do a reconnaissance mission tonight, alright?”

He beamed at her and nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

The way he looked at her made her swell with pride, but she tamped it down.

She nodded, and her other dagger flashed in the shadows. “Great, let’s go then.”

He frowned and shook his head. “No, I need to find the guard alone. They’ll smell you from a mile off.”

“But what about the glocken berry bond? If you go too far, we’ll both be weak and sick.” She did not want to feel that nausea anymore.

He shifted to his knees and cupped her face with one hand, the dagger hanging loosely from his other at his side.

“We should be able to skirt the edge of the bond and keep you downwind so they don’t smell you. Don’t worry, bunny. We’ll both be alright.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he leaned forward and kissed her softly. It didn’t feel like goodbye, but she was more nervous than she’d been since her first mission as a Hunter. She’d woken up with this feeling of dread that had lingered in her mind all day. Something was going to happen. She could feel it in her soul. That same warning that had put her on alert the night Knox had broken her and the rest out of the dungeon. The same feeling that she got on missions, that had warned her of her parents’ deaths…

He pulled back and smiled reassuringly. “Come on, let’s circle around to get downwind. Then I’ll head to the first set of guards and do some talking.”

He stood and offered his hand. She took it, frowning in surprise. He was such a gentleman, and it still surprised her. He handed her dagger back, and she felt more at ease with it in her hand. “Right, talk. You sure you don’t want me to come and watch your back?”

He grinned and hefted the bags. “Nah, it’ll be better this way. We don’t want to hurt them, after all.”

He took a step then turned back to her with a frown. “You won’t hurt them either, right?”

She sniffed and twirled a dagger. “Only if they give me a reason to hurt them,” she said, her lips pressed into a thin line.

He sighed and shook his head, but the grin on his lips betrayed his true feelings. “Gods know I love how fierce you are and how you can handle yourself, but don’t forget that they’re my family, the only one I’ve had for ten long years. Come on,” he said, taking her hand in his once more.

He was proud of her, Hunter skills and all. She blinked, feeling a knot loosen in her stomach. It had been a while since someone had been proud of her like that. Not since her dad had taken her on Ranger missions. They walked away from the river and deeper into the forest, their feet silent.

Eventually, he took the bags off his back and slipped his shirt off, shoving it inside. The pants and boots followed, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

She hadn’t asked him about shifting, but then he knelt on the ground and lifted a small bush. He pulled out a canvas bag, and her eyebrows rose.

Silently, he pulled on loose brown pants. The way the sound carried in the stillness, they were probably canvas or leather. It was too dark to tell.

When he secured the pants with the drawstring and stood barefoot and shirtless, he grinned and leaned in.

His intoxicating scent enveloped her like a comforting hug before his lips met hers. The kiss felt giddy, and she knew he was looking forward to the hunt. Even if it was only hunting information, she had to trust him to come back to her.

He wouldn’t leave her alone in the middle of the Feral Forest with her enemies all around. Not with how adamant he was about protecting his mate. He leaned back, his bright teeth flashing with a grin before he saluted.

Knees bent, Wulfric held his finger to his lips in the universal gesture to be quiet. His eyes glowed in the darkness.

“Wait here,” he mouthed before slipping around a tree on silent feet, walking silently toward the southeast.

Scarlet left their bags at the base of the tree and pulled her daggers out. She trusted him to come back, but she wasn’t going to be caught defenseless just in case something happened.

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