Page 36 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

The brush rustled. Thea emerged from her hiding spot, peering at the edge of the ravine, eyes wide. She glanced from me back to the crevice.

“Is it over with?” she asked.

I leaned back over, watching the brush below, waiting for the telltale rustle of leaves or a shuffling sound as he pulled himself to his feet. The only thing I could hear was the soft twitter of birdsong.

“It’s over,” I said. I walked over to her, my hand going unconsciously to her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Just weird. You know.” She gestured at the ravine. “I mean… he’s dead.”

“Yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath. “That’s not something you ever get used to. But it was necessary.”

She nodded. “What happens now?” she asked. “Do you really think they’ll stop just because Damien’s dead?”

I chewed my lip, deliberating. The truth was, I wasn’t sure. “Sometimes killing the head means everyone else scatters,” I said. “It depends on how well-organized they are, and if there’s someone strong enough to take charge. But the important thing is that they’ll be distracted for a few days. We’ll be able to get you to Brixton. Then I can meet up with the other Silver Wolves and come up with a plan.”

She nodded. “Let’s get going, then.”

I shifted, and she clambered onto my back. Neither of us mentioned that once we got back to Brixton, we’d most likely put all our focus on breaking the bond.

I tried not to think about how the idea of losing that connection to Thea grated at me. No, the sooner we broke the bond, the better.

Shaking my head as I made sure she was situated, I charged through the woods, heading back home and whatever lay in store for us next.

***

We reached the outskirts of Brixton as dusk began to settle over the town. I didn’t breathe easy, however, until Jameson’s mansion, the de facto base of Silver Wolves operations, came into view as we sped up the mountain. All thelights in the house were on, and I could see figures shifting in the windows.

Thea slid off my back, her hand lingering there for a moment before I dipped back into the woods to shift and don my clothes. When I got back out, Thea was still waiting.

“Are you ready?” I asked. When she nodded, I hesitated, then added, “About the other evening—”

She raised an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. “What? You thought I was going to tell Astrid what happened? No. I think it’s better if we keep all that to ourselves.”

“Great.” I fell silent, wanting to tell her something else but unsure what exactly that might be. Why did all of this bother me so much? Part of me didn’t want to keep it a secret, and even though we’d agreed to keep our relationship to that one night, the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea. It chafed in a way I couldn’t fully understand.

But I could figure that out later. Without another word, the two of us walked up to the house.

The door flew open seconds after the first knock, revealing a frazzled Astrid on the other side.

“Oh my god, Thea!” Astrid barreled into her sister, wrapping her in a bear hug and holding her tight. “Thank god you’re okay. Are you hurt? What happened?”

“Astrid, I’m fine,” Thea said, though she let her sister continue to hug her. “Seriously.”

“Come on in.” Astrid practically dragged Thea into the house. I followed a couple steps behind, nodding to Rand and the others as we walked into the living room.

Astrid took several minutes looking over Thea, snarling at the injury on her arm and worrying over every little scraperegardless of its size. Once Astrid reassured herself that her kid sister was okay, she rounded on me, her eyes flashing with anger.

“You—” she snarled. Rand put a hand on her shoulder, only barely softening her anger.

“Astrid…” Thea warned. “It’s not his fault.”

Astrid glowered at me but gave a curt nod, looking back at Thea. “I guess I should thank you for saving Thea,” she muttered, more than a little grudgingly.

I nodded. “We’ll figure out the claiming bond, I promise. I’ll do some research, and—”

Mark cleared his throat. “Actually, you might not have to,” he said. “I’ve got a lead on how to break it. I’m not positive yet, but I think I’m on the right track.”

I blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously?” I asked, and Mark nodded.

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