Page 70 of The Alpha Wolf Defying Fate

I nodded and let my gaze fall to the flat road that led to both of the castles. Exactly the same, just like the structures they led to. And completely bare of any trace of the witch we had been following.

I let out a breath. “We got this far with limited sign of which way to go. This is just a little bump in the path.”

“Actually, it’s a fork,” Sasha said. “And it’s the first one we encountered this entire time we’ve been traveling. Aside from the paths in the cities, the road to this point has been straight and singular. Now we have two paths that lead to what seems to be the exact same place but a different direction. We don’t even have Minerva’s footprints to follow to know which way to go.”

I looked at the paths ahead, the setting sun’s rays disappearing into the shadow of the castles. When I looked back at the others, I could see their discouragement at the plight we now faced.

I forced my lips into a smile. “Well, we’ve all got a different unique talent for magic. I’m sure together we can find our way. We just need to get some rest and face this decision in the morning at first light.”

Everyone looked at one another, then back at me with shrugs and nods. The girls turned together to walk back along the path that Baer and Aurora had taken to get here. I could hear Aurora mention a complete house that she and Baer had passed by that seemed promising to take shelter in for the night.

Baer walked beside me, both of us slowing our pace to put the women just out of earshot.

“I think I understand what you were meaning earlier,” he said, his voice low.

I looked at him and raised a brow in question.

He shook his head. “Something doesn’t feel right here. The moment we stepped foot into this city I’ve had a bad feeling deep in my gut. I can’t shake the feeling that something big is about to happen, and I don’t think it has much to do with the split path back there.”

I nodded, my gaze shifting to the shadows that seemed to follow Sasha as she walked ahead of us.

“Yeah, I don’t know if we’ll be getting much rest tonight. I’ll take the first watch, but I wouldn’t count on that giving you any rest. I don’t think that either of us will be able to sleep soundly tonight.”

“You think we’ll be attacked by some more of those monsters here?” Baer asked.

My eyes stayed locked on the shadows as they grew darker with the disappearing sun.

“We certainly are overdue.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sasha

We managed to enter the house that miraculously survived the devastating force of nature that destroyed the whole town. I couldn’t believe the luck we had to have found it still standing, warm bread and a jar of honey still warm on the table as if this building alone had been frozen in time.

It wasn’t odd, really, given how the other two cities had looked. As if they had a shield of some kind wrapped around them to keep the history they held from fading away completely. It was dark inside, the little bit of light left from the fading sun filtering through the windows to the west of the building. Just enough for us to make out where the fireplace was and the perfect pile of firewood beside it.

“We’ll light that later,” Rory said as she found a candle on the mantle. “For now, this can serve as enough light to get settled in.”

She flicked her finger over the wick to light it, the scent of her magic like lemonade on a hot summer day. A taste of home there and gone in a matter of minutes. I smiled as she looked over at me, her eyes reflecting the same emotions I felt.

This entire trip we hadn’t felt a moment to relax. The times we’d used our magic; it was to protect ourselves, which gave little time to smell the scent of it and enjoy the moment. Yet, the moment we entered this building, I could feel my body relaxing. Just enough for me to really appreciate the little things.

“How is it that this is the only building that the forest has not overtaken?” Ayden asked, his eyes tracking every shadow in every corner.

His shoulders were tense still, clearly unaffected by the relaxing effect of this home. He’d been on edge for days now. His head always turned to the sky or the trees, as if at any moment something would appear.

In truth, I had felt that same anxiety. My body tensed with fear at the smallest of movements. But those anxieties were miles away now. Nothing has ever felt so safe as this house did.

I smiled at him and tilted my head. My hand reached out to his, and I lightly hooked my fingers through his.

“Maybe this building was important to the city, so they protected it. It feels like it was important, doesn’t it?”

He looked back at me, the frown on his face creasing his forehead. His eyes shifted to Baer, and I glanced at my cousin’s mate to find him with the same expression on his face as Ayden. The image of them both was too much to bear, and a giggle fell from my lips.

“Why are you two so serious? Come on, relax. You don’t see Rory and me worrying like you two are, do you?”

I looked back at my cousin, who smiled back at me as she held the candle up around the room.

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