Page 60 of Wolf Marked

He held up his free hand to show the bandages wrapped around his palm and in between his fingers. “It wasn’t easy.” He laughed, hard and loud, his shoulders bouncing from the effort. “But it was worth it. The arrow can cut through almost anything.”

Henrick thrust the spear toward her. “Use it well,” he said. Sorrow crept into his tone. “Jerrick took my Aggie from me. Don’t let him take Erec from you.”

Aggie… His mate.

When her blue-marked fingers wrapped around the wood, she smiled. It was surprisingly light in her hand and fit in her grasp perfectly. With a flick of her wrist, she gave it a quick spin, and the weapon became only a blur of air.

She pulled the spear close to her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered, still amazed.

With a weapon like this, she could strike faster and be more nimble with her attacks. If she ran into trouble during the scouting trip, she could defend herself, maybe even rescue Erec if the possibility arose.

If there was a way she could rescue Erec without being spotted, why shouldn’t she take that chance?

Henrick leaned in close, his expression taut with determination as if he knew where her thoughts were heading. “Now go get your mate,” he grunted. “Bring him home.”

Erec woke with a start and with the awareness of danger. He sat up quickly but groaned when pain in his head rushed forward, blurring his vision. He rubbed a throbbing temple and blinked through the pain. Steel bars stared back at him.

He was in a cage. One similar to what Henrick and the other captives had been locked in.

Panic slithered down his spine, coiling around him, and at the same time, the need to escape clawed at his insides. Erec scrambled to his feet, but the sharp punch of pain in his ribs and across his shoulders brought him to his knees again. He’d been lucky he hadn’t been left with more serious wounds during the fight, but the few blows he had endured and the open flesh on his back from the stone’s sharpness still resonated. Not to mention the pounding headache he had from being knocked unconscious. Again.

A growl vibrated in his throat. Damn heathens kept getting the slip on him and using that coward move.

So where was he now? He scanned his surroundings. Through his fuzzy vision, he couldn’t see much other than a few shadowy figures moving in the distance. No tents or cabins. Just trees. When he inhaled, a mixture of terrible odors assaulted his nose—urine, rotting meat, old blood, and sweat. Not even the scent of a burning fire touched the air.

That was strange. He had to be in Jerrick’s camp. The bastards who’d grabbed him must have taken him back to their pack. But then, where were all the normal smells that came with a campsite? Cooking food and smoky fires? And the sounds… Erec listened intently for anything that may hint to where he had been taken. The murmur of whispered voices carried on the breeze, but not loud enough for him to distinguish any words. He cursed.

Just like Jerrick had done with his other captives, he must have Erec far enough away to not gather any helpful information but close enough to keep a watchful eye on.

Erec glanced around the cage and found the familiar massive metal lock around the bars. There was no way he was going to be able to pry it open. He was going to need something heavy, like an axe or mallet. A quick glance around his prison confirmed he wasn’t that lucky. The cage was empty except for him. And that meant he was stuck forhowever long Jerrick wanted him here.

What about Astrid and the Blue Moon? If he didn’t get out of here in time, then they both would die.

He had to escape. It wasn’t just about his life anymore. It was about hers.

The crunch of approaching footsteps made his breath freeze in his lungs. Not just one set, either. Multiple, and all heading in his direction. Erec climbed to his feet, ignoring the pain slicing through his skull and the throbbing in his muscles. His gaze focused on the moving shadows ahead.

Jerrick was the first to materialize. Just like in Erec’s nightmares, strings of greasy black hair fell in front of equally black eyes. There was a deep-rooted madness in that dark gaze that was decades old. It spoke of years of ruthlessness, of clawing for power and bloodlust. He wasn’t as tall or as massive as Boden, but his oppressive, overall threatening essence made him appear larger than he really was. And all the more dangerous. He wore a thick coat of slate-gray fur—wolf fur—and ice ran down Erec’s spine. He didn’t even want to think about whose back Jerrick had skinned to make it.

Jerrick’s lips twisted into a pleased smirk, and that was all it took to make Erec’s anger surge. He launched himself at the bars, snarling fiercely, but the insane alpha only laughed, flashing a mouthful of sharp teeth. His laughter was just as menacing and earsplitting as Erec remembered. He clenched his jaw as the harsh sound ricocheted through him.

Another figure appeared behind Jerrick, and Erec was surprised to see that it was a woman. In contrast to his dark looks, her hair was as gold as the sun and pin straight. Her face was round and suggested a kind demeanor, but there was a haunted weight to her eyes that said she had been through a lot in her life. And if she was Jerrick’s mate, which Erec was assuming, that wasn’t doubtful.

A twinge of familiarity struck Erec when their gazes met, and he didn’t know why. He’d never seen this woman before in his life, yet the closer she walked toward him and the cage, the more his pulse thundered. Recognition flickered in her stare, too. She knew him. But how?

There were others behind Jerrick and the woman—Erec could smell their wet fur and other musky scents. They stayed cloaked in the shadows of the trees, watching. Waiting.

Unease crept over Erec’s skin.

“I have to admit, you are a slippery one to get a hold of, Erec.” Jerrick’s voice was as smooth and oily as his hair, but it grated on Erec’s nerves.

“How do you know my name?” he barked back with venom. “And why have you been looking for me?”

His sudden grin was chilling, but he didn’t answer either question right away. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember?” Erec glanced at the woman, but her stoic expression revealed nothing. Where did he know her from? The awareness that she was a part of his past irritated him. “What are you talking about?”

Jerrick and the woman exchanged looks. No words were said, but something seemed to pass between them.

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