Page 17 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

“I won’t give that order unless it’s necessary,” I promised. “But I need to know you’re going to listen to me. That’s the only chance we’ve got.”

She exhaled, her nostrils flaring, and nodded. “Fine.” She plopped down on the ground, crossing her legs. “I guess we’ll just wait here until then.”

We waited until dusk. We spent most of the time in silence, both of us thinking about what had happened. Thea keptplaying with the leaves on the ground, tearing them into little pieces as she stared into the trees, lost in thought.

Finally, I nudged her. “It’s time.”

She sprang to her feet, whatever idle thought she’d been contemplating scattered to the wind. I could hear her heart beating faster, could smell anxiety tinting the edges of her scent, but she showed no sign of backing down.

“There’s still time to—” I began, but she shot me a glower. I held up my hands in resignation before she could argue further. “All right, all right.”

“Thank you,” she said, but her eyes were still narrowed at me.

Studying her, I shook my head in mild disbelief. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m actually surprised you want to do this,” I said.

She frowned, turning to look at me. “Why wouldn’t I? People are in trouble. I can do something. I can’t just turn my back on them.”

I stared at Thea, wondering if maybe I had misjudged her. “You’d be surprised how few people think that way.”

“In case the fact that I’m an absent wasn’t an indication, I’m not most people,” she said.

I bit back a smirk, though I think she caught the edges of my mouth quirking upward. “That’s a bit of an understatement,” I admitted, and it earned me a small smile from her. Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I realized I’d forgotten something.

“Here.” I pulled out the knife I’d found in the woods and handed it to her. “If we’re going back in, I want you to have some modicum of protection.”

She inhaled and took it gingerly from my hands, as if worried it would vanish like a mirage.

“I found it in the woods,” I said, perhaps unnecessarily. “I recognized it as yours.”

“You… recognized it?” she asked, almost in disbelief.

“Of course. I’ve seen it nearly a hundred times. It was always on your waistband whenever I came over,” I explained. “The handle’s pretty distinct. It’s how I knew something was wrong. I knew you wouldn’t have left it unless something bad had happened.”

She ran her thumb along the handle. “I never thought I’d see it again,” she muttered. “Granted, I didn’t think I’d get out of there, at which point it wouldn’t have mattered.” She hefted the knife in her hand, refamiliarizing herself with it. She looked back up at me, a small smile on her lips. “Thanks. For everything.”

“Thank me by getting out of here alive,” I said, earning me an amused glance as she slipped through the trees, heading toward the large house.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to pick the front door lock. The door opened with barely a creak. Before I could step inside and take the lead, Thea breezed past me, not even waiting for the all-clear. The only reason I didn’t snap at her then and there was because I knew it would give us away. Based on the slight smirk playing across her face as she glanced over her shoulder at me, I was fairly certain she knew exactly what I was thinking and that had been her plan all along. Letting out another frustrated sigh, I stepped in after her.

I followed Thea through the dark hallway, both of us creeping silently. I would have expected Thea—or anyone, really—to be terrified of going back to the place they’d been heldhostage, but she didn’t seem frightened at all. Just… determined. Again, something I hadn’t known about her a few hours ago.

I’d always admired bravery. Thea certainly qualified as a brave person, even if it was marred by the fact that I didn’t like her putting herself in harm’s way like this.

Still, there wasn’t much I could do in enemy territory beyond following her, not to mention she was the one who knew the way here, not me. So I followed after her, staying on high alert, ready to attack anyone who dared get close to her. She wasn’t going to get hurt, not on my watch.

After a moment, she slowed to a halt in front of a door, glancing from side to side as if trying to orient herself and make sure she had the right place. Looking satisfied, she jerked her head at the door. I nodded, pushing past her and unlocking the door in a couple of seconds with my lockpick. When I nudged it open, an ancient wooden staircase greeted me, descending down into the basement.

When we reached the base of the stairs, and I got a look at our surroundings, I knew exactly why Thea had been so determined to rescue the other girls.

“Fuck,” I muttered, scanning the room. She was right. There were over a dozen women in cages. Some were pressed against the backs of them. Others had approached their cage doors, trying to get a glimpse of the newcomer.

Thea made to step forward, but my arm shot out as I continued to check the basement, sniffing, ears pricked for any signs of any footsteps as I searched for traps. When I was satisfied we weren’t in any immediate danger, I lowered my arm.

“Right,” I said to Thea. “Let’s work quickly. Get everyone out of their cages. When they’re all out, we leave as a group, all right?”

Thea nodded.

I hesitated. “There’s a chance these locks are shifter-proof.”

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