Page 3 of Fated In Winter

“And when we find Darren, maybe we’re going to be able to bring him back. He hasn’t killed anyone yet. That counts for something.”

“I don’t know, Nico. I’m worried. There have been so many damn rogues recently.”

I shivered as snow began to fall in earnest, and I looked out into the distance at the dark clouds. “We should head back in. Storm’s coming. We shouldn’t be caught up on this mountain ledge.”

“Probably not. Mom would have our hide.” He paused. “As for the rogue situation? You know the Alphas are on it. All of us are. We’re going to figure it out.”

“Maybe. It just seems like something’s pushing more wolves towards that, and I don’t know why.”

“We will figure it out. We always do. But you have us. I promise you.”

I looked at Nico and nodded before the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“What is it?” Nico asked, before his eyes went gold. “Fuck. Darren.”

Darren was a Packmate who had gone rogue four days ago. He had broken through the wards and left his infant daughters in their cribs, having not touched them, but hadn’t alerted anybody else that he was going. That in itself was worrying, considering their mother and Darren’s mate had been out at the time. It had been her first time with her family, just a moment so she could breathe.

And it had been the last time she had seen Darren.

He had turned without cause and nobody knew why. And now he was out hunting for something in the woods. The four Packs that made up this region and its vast territories were on the hunt for him, with no luck.

But it seemed that Darren had turned back.

“You got your phone?” I asked.

Nico shook his head.

“No, because it keeps going off and I wanted time.”

“Fuck. Okay, can you get back down quickly? Alert the others?”

“And leave you with a fucking rogue?”

“I can handle it. I’m an enforcer.”

“And what am I? Chopped liver?”

“You’re a very fucking fast runner who’s going to go get help. And next time, we will listen to our family and not leave without our fucking phones.”

“Deal.”

Nico gave me a gold-eyed look and then sprinted down the side of the mountain. He was fast. And I knew the only reason that he could move so far down a cliffside like he was doing was not just because of his wolf and agility, but because of the magic in his veins. Our mother was an earth witch, after all.

I pushed those thoughts from my mind and focused on the wolf coming at me. I could sense him, feel him along the bonds that told us we were Pack.

I cursed under my breath. I didn’t want to kill Darren, but I also didn’t want to be pushed off the side of the cliff. So I moved forward, distancing myself from the edge, and lowered my body to the ground.

I quickly stripped out of my clothes, knowing being in wolf form would be better for this. I could subdue him easier, mostly because I wouldn’t have to be making so many defensive moves in my human skin. The shift was agony, bliss, and a sweet ending all in once. While others needed minutes in order to shift, to break those bones and alter their body and transform, I didn’t. I needed moments.

I could shift back and forth pretty quickly, but only a few times. Much like any other wolf. And then I got exhausted and needed to sleep for hours while stuffing my face with food so I could replenish my energy.

I let out a slight chuff of pain as I finished the shift, left my clothes by the side of the cliff, and moved forward. I needed to pin Darren down, to knock him out, and hopefully we could turn him back. It didn’t always work, sometimes they were too far gone, but Darren hadn’t killed anyone as far as I knew. It had to be okay.

I hunted, following the sense, noticing not a single animal on the cliff’s edge made a noise.

I kept moving, following Darren’s scent, and twisted as a dark blur came at me. I rolled to the side and tackled Darren in wolf form. He clawed at me, and I pushed him back, spilling his blood slightly. I was faster, bigger, stronger, but I didn’t want to hurt him. I just wanted to subdue him. I refused to kill this man. I did not want those two twins to lose their father, or for Darren’s mate to lose him.

So I would do my best.

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