Page 4 of Season of the Wolf

Tears mingled with streaks of water and shampoo that washed down my face. My entire body ached with sadness.

What if this was how it’d be from now on—life moving forward without him?

What if I had to exist with this huge hole in my chest?

No one had said it out loud—in front of me, anyway—but I knew they were worried. He should have been awake by now.

Not only were things looking grim for Liam, there was a general sense of doomeverywhere.

News updates had become dark and terrifying. There were sightings of strange animals in northern towns, increasing reports of missing persons. And it wasn’t lost on any of us that those being taken were all able-bodied men between the ages of twenty and thirty. To the outside world, this could have easily been mistaken for a coincidence. But to those of us with knowledge of the supernatural, it was clear these men were taken with a specific purpose in mind.

Someone was building an army.

And there was no question as to who thatsomeonewas.

It was once explained that, in times such as these, when the Sovereign sensed a threat, he’d been known to send his lycans out in droves to turn innocent townspeople into mutts. There was no doubt the coward had something similar underway.

While other towns were dwindling, the population in Seaton Falls had exploded almost overnight, butthatpart was by design. It took the Council little time to realize the wait was nearly up. The war that had been prophesied decades ago was at our door, breathing down our necks, much like the savage at the very heart of this conflict.

Shifters from all over had come here in preparation for what lie ahead. Apartment buildings in our quaint, downtown district were now filled to capacity. To offer further aid, much of the local lycan population even opened their homes to outsiders in need of lodging. Anything to up our numbers and our chances of winning the fight.

In short, we were preparing for the worst, because the worst was upon us.

A lot had changed since the ordeal with the Sovereign. For one, the High Council ordered the construction of that insanely massive wall surrounding our property. On it, large glowing seals and sigils only visible to a supernatural, their magic keeping unwanted visitors out. It served as an added measure of protection, on top of this place now being heavily guarded with lycans and dragons hand-picked by the Council.

I understood why it was necessary, but hated being the cause of all this.

In Baz’s words, no measure was too great when it came to protecting me.

But it wasn’t justmylife that needed protecting. The restorative magic that brought me back was forbidden. And while, for now, Sebastian had likely bought Liam’s story about bringing me back with the aid of thefirstset of Seaton Falls witches, that lie would only hold up as long as he remained unaware that Elise was alive and well. If he laid eyes on her, on Hilda … it wouldn’t take him long to realize he’d been deceived.

After finding me in the woods that fateful day, it was obvious to him that I resided somewhere in the area, and that this was likely where I returned. Since so many of our secrets had been revealed, the Elders weren’t taking any chances. For the foreseeable future, my family and I were on lockdown.

I twisted the knob and my skin chilled a bit as the last of the water swirled down the drain. I couldn’t move. If I did, I might fall apart and I couldn’t afford that right now.

Warm terrycloth enveloped me when I secured a robe around my waist. Stepping into my bedroom, I expected at least a moment of solitude before inevitably having to face Elise. Only, the firm stares coming from two sets of brown eyes locked on mine meant there would be no such break.

Hilda’s expressionless face left me to wonder what thoughts were hidden beneath it. Whereas Elise’s thoughts were painfully transparent.

“Do you have any idea how stupid you were tonight,” Hilda asked, prompting Elise to move toward the door, latching it quietly.

Tension had my chest in a vice, breathing like I’d run a marathon.

“Please, Hilda,” Elise intervened.

“You’re chastisingme?” Hilda snapped, placing a hand to her heart. “This girl’s foolishness nearly got herandDallas killed tonight. And to add to it, we can’t even say for sure she didn’t lure those beasts right to our doorstep.”

I’d seen Hilda upset before, but tonight, she was nearly chuffing steam.

“The guards are checking the area as we speak,” Elise reasoned. “And, based on Dallas’ account, they took care of all the mutts. Checking is merely a precaution.”

Elise was right. The brood assigned to watch over us were airtight. I was only able to escape because I’d watched them for days, kept notes until I had their schedule down, and knew precisely when their shift changed.

I already knew what Hilda was thinking. Knowing the Sovereign had most likely sent men this way to search for Nick and I—or at least me—I shouldn’t have risked it. I understood that we weren’t impossible to find, but she and the clan’s witches certainly made it a million times harder.

I wasn’t concerned about mutts finding us here, butshedidn’t seem convinced even knowing the brigade surrounding the property hadn’t just been selected haphazardly. When the time came, she stepped in to ensure our safety. After discovering one of the Council’s guards had been compromised and leaked information to the Sovereign, it became one-hundred-percent necessary to only employ those who’d been found trustworthy. Each had to endure a rigorous vetting process—Hilda’s version of a supernatural lie detector test. From there, the two dozen she deemed to have the strongest resolve made the cut.

Upset by being quieted, Hilda glared from the seat she’d taken on my bed.

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