Page 14 of The Alpha Wolf Defying Fate

“Sasha,” Ayden called out, my trance breaking as I saw all eyes now on me.

“What?” I asked quickly, hoping that I hadn’t been too obvious in staring at Ayden.

“Those sigils I showed you. We are going to try and write them on each of us. If we walk in a diamond formation, each representing a direction, it should work to keep us from being separated by the forest.” Ayden explained.

I looked over at Rory and Baer and saw them drawing the sigils on each other. I looked back at Ayden and frowned.

“Who’s going to be north?”

He smirked. “Me. You get to be east.”

Before I could object, he grabbed my wrist and began to draw the sigil on my skin. I stared on with annoyance. Annoyance at him for stealing the lead again, and annoyance at myself for enjoying the way he takes charge despite my desire to do so myself.

‘This bond shit is annoying,’I grumbled to my wolf.

‘Speak for yourself.’

Chapter Seven

Ayden

Itookpoint,throughthe forest, my connection to the forest stronger than the others, even if Sasha refused to admit that.

They weren’t able to navigate the same way that I could. They could feel the forest, they might even be able to feel exactly where they are in the forest, but they wouldn’t be able to feel the creatures that live there. They wouldn’t be able to guide our group around to avoid them.

I could.

If the creatures had a pulse and their feet connected with any part of the forest, I would be able to avoid them without an issue.

I followed the webs of roots along the forest floor within my mind, my wolf prancing along their paths as he sniffed the forest through my mind’s eye. There were herds of centaurs hidden among the trees, a hunting party, it appeared. I watched through the link of the forest as they tracked their prey and moved further from the path we walked.

“We’re almost out of the forest,” I told the others.

“You said that before,” Sasha growled.

“Yes, well, when the forest beyond us is still constantly shifting and changing, the distance can vary,” I calmly explained.

“I thought these wards protected us from that,” she continued.

I nodded. “They do. The forest we walk isn’t changing. We aren’t falling off of this path, but beyond the ward’s reach, the forest is moving. It is constantly shifting to try to keep us here. Luckily, the wards negate the shift within it, so the path is always under our feet. So long as we keep up like this, we will make it out of here soon.”

I looked back at her and could see her annoyance at my words. I could also see her eyes ripping away from me as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

A smirk pulled at my lips. I turned back to face forward, then stopped short. A creature as black as night stared back at me with blood-red eyes. I couldn’t pinpoint the creature in the roots. I hadn’t felt it come near us to avoid it.

The creature’s lips twisted into a grin; sharp fangs revealed within the gut dropping expression. I had no words for what I was looking at. I had no idea as to what dangers this creature may pose, but still my blood ran cold.

The others noticed the creature as well, its body multiplying before our eyes with childlike laughter filling the air.

“What is that?” Aurora asked, her eyes wide as she pressed closer to Baer out of fear.

“I have no idea,” I admitted. I pulled on my father’s powers to try and find the tether between myself and the creature, but nothing was there.

I strained my ears to listen for a heartbeat, but all I could hear was the breeze through the trees.

Its shape morphed and shifted more, a near army of clones grinning back at us like we were its favorite meal. I moved instinctively closer to Sasha, my claws growing out as I flexed my hands at my side.

I looked over at Sasha, her eyes widened and glazed over as if she were in a trance. Or as if she were having a vision.

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