Page 57 of Wolf Marked

Or maybe this was all part of Jerrick’s plan, and he wasn’t through with the west-side pack yet.

A chill raced down her spine at the thought. She scanned the area. Thanks to Erec’s advice, their warriors had been able to keep Jerrick’s army confined to the small space in front of the entrance. None of his men had gotten past to the actual camp. Still, bodies littered the ground around her. The heavy scents of blood and death clung to the breeze, making Astrid nauseous.

From the looks of it, most of the casualties were Jerrick’s men. There were only a few faces that she recognized from the training sessions, and she forced herself to look away as sorrow stirred.

“Get off me! I’ll kill you, you bastards!”

Astrid’s gaze whipped toward the angry shouts, and there she found two of Jerrick’s men clutching Erec by the arms and hauling him toward the passageway.

Erec!

He kicked the ground, trying to dig his heels in, and tugged against their hold. He was able to land a punch in one’s stomach but couldn’t wrench himself free from the other’s tight grip. When the first man regained his composure, he clocked Erec hard in the temple with the back of his blade.

Erec’s head fell forward. Astrid sensed his mind drift away through the pack bond, and it frightened her. Heart pounding, she sprinted across the clearing, spear in hand. But they were already too far from her, and a second later, the men and Erec disappeared through the crystal entrance.

She was about to rush after them, but fingers wrapped around her upper arm, drawing her to a halt. Glancing up, she saw Henrick. He was back in his human form, his beard soaked with blood. Red-stained teeth flashed when he spoke.

“It’s too dangerous to go after him,” he said, his voice gruff. “It may be another attempt to draw us out.”

Astrid didn’t care. Jerrick’s men had Erec. She couldn’t let them just take him. Whoknew what that monster alpha would do to him once he got his claws on him.

She tried to shake off Henrick’s hold, but his grip firmed on her, hard enough to bruise.

“What if they hurt him?” she sputtered. A terrible ache gripped her chest as the next words left her mouth. “What if they…kill him?”

“They won’t,” he assured her. “He’s the only captor they took. That means Jerrick wants him for some reason. He needs him. I should know.”

She peered up at him. His expression was as hard and certain as his words. He was speaking from experience, trying to comfort her that way, but she couldn’t shake her growing anxiety. Their pack may have won this battle, but her brother was severely hurt and now Erec had been taken hostage.

Astrid’s gut twisted. Erec was the one person who could save her from the Blue Moon, her only chance, and now he was gone.

She had to rescue him before the Blue Moon rose, or they both were good as dead.

And she loved him.

The moment the words sprung up in her mind, her entire body uncoiled and relaxed. The same heated power she’d felt during her and Erec’s time together in the woods wrapped around her again. It weaved throughout every fiber of her being, causing goose bumps to rise. Filip had been right when he said when she finally knew it, she wouldknowit. And she did. Absolutely. With her heart and soul. She loved Erec. He was her mate.

And now he was gone, possibly forever. In an instant, horror, panic, and grief replaced every other feeling, all roiling inside and making her ill. Knees suddenly weak, she collapsed into the snow. Her stomach heaved and hot bile rose, scorching her throat.

Jerrick could kill him. He could torture him.

She gagged and coughed as her insides seized again in protest, bringing up more acid. If only she had told Erec she loved him sooner.

Now that Jerrick had him and the Blue Moon was inching closer, she might never get that chance.

Chapter Eighteen

Nausea rolled through Astrid’s stomach. As did regret and fear. The emotions were too strong through the bond as people began to carry away the dead and treat the wounded. Her brother’s pain was still a constant throbbing in her side that made breathing difficult, even with the distance between them. That stabbing sensation layered with her pack’s anguish and her own worry for Erec was causing her stomach to roil and threaten to heave something up.

There were no emotions from Erec that she could feel, and that only concerned her more. Was he dead already? Or was his unconsciousness only muting their pack connection?

The morning air was thick with the scent of blood and the feelings of despair and apprehension. It hung like a fog around Svanna Rock, dense and oppressive. Astrid couldn’t help glancing up at the sky, too, half expecting to see another flock of arrows headed their way. No arrows appeared again, but that didn’t stop her from checking every once in a while.

She had to see Filip. Her brother was strong—even stronger now that he was alpha—but she had seen the special knife Jerrick’s minion had used. It had been designed to render the victim immobile. Cause extensive blood loss. But Mila wasn’t new to treating injuries, even severe ones. She’d catered to many of her father’s and Filip’s battle wounds and even some of Astrid’s bumps and scrapes. If anyone would be able to stitch her brother up, it was his mate.

He’s going to be fine. But there was a nagging uncertainty in the back of her mind. She had to see Filip and confirm it for herself. He would know what to do about Erec, too.

Astrid strode over to the center of the camp where Filip and Mila’s tent was. A group of men had already reinforced the canvas sides and ceiling with tree branches, just in caseof another aerial attack, and were moving on to her tent next. A good idea, considering many of the arrows had pierced the fabric. She would have to patch the holes to prevent rain or snow from getting inside, but that was a task for another time.

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