Page 16 of Wolf Marked

“I suppose you could use it to your advantage. An extra layer of protection,” Erec went on.

The grin on her brother’s face widened. “Exactly.”

“Seems like Boden still has some of his wits,” Erec said. “But with the way he is and with the pack traveling so far, it may be best if I go to the prisoners on my own.”

“Absolutely not!” Astrid planted her hands on her hips. “I’m going, too.”

“And what about your father? The first thing he’s going to do is check to make sure you’re with the group.”

“There’s no way you can break all those prisoners free without attracting attention. What about Jerrick’s guards?” she said.

“You heard Henrick. They come by every half hour. I have time. And besides, I’ll have my wolf then.” He turned to Filip. “I’ll make my move after nightfall.”

“I don’t think you should do this alone, Erec,” he replied firmly. “I’d go, but then no one will be directing the pack during our journey. Father can’t manage it on his own. I can takefour men away from the trip to help you. You’ll have to lead them in this.”

“Me? I can’t.” Erec’s eyes widened. “I work alone. I can’t be in charge of other people.”

“You know these woods,” Filip said. “Right?”

“Well, yes. I’ve traveled through them most of my life, but—”

“You know what to expect with Jerrick better than any of us.” Filip pushed off the tree and drew closer to Astrid. “And Ash trusts you. So, I do, too.”

That made her smile. When she gazed at Filip again, with his chin lifted and his wide shoulders squared, she realized something had changed in him. Maybe it was due to their father’s health, but Filip seemed more confident. More reasonable and disciplined. Like a leader.

“When it’s done, I’ll give you three days to meet us at Svanna Rock. Three. If the sun sets on the third day and you haven’t returned, I’ll be sending a group to find you,” he said.

“And I’ll be going with Erec, too,” Astrid chimed in, making sure they didn’t forget that she was going to be part of this. Her mind was made up.

“Ash, this isn’t another one of your moonlight runs against Father’s wishes. Don’t you remember what came of Mikel’s pack? Jerrick won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“He’s right, Astrid. Jerrick kills for fun. It’s a game to him,” Erec added.

“And? You’re telling me things I already know,” she said. Why was it that she always had to defend herself? “I’m the only one besides Erec who knows where the prisoners are. That woman gave me her child. They trust me. I need to help them.”

Filip’s weighted gaze shifted between her and Erec.

Astrid thrust her hands out in front of her. The swirling blue marks appeared glossy wrapped around her fingers, which were shriveled from the cold. “No more protecting me, remember? Three weeks for the curse to take over. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to protect me from it.”

The instant the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Fear churned in her stomach at the thought of dying so soon. No, no, no. She couldn’t think about it now. Like she had done so many times before, she forced the harsh truth of it away for another day.

Filip sighed. “It’s going to be hard, but I’ll convince Father.”

Erec’s eyes widened. “What? You’re going to let her go?”

“She’s right…” he whispered, uncertainty lingering in his eyes. “I can’t shield her fromeverything. As much as I wish I could.”

Astrid spun around, elated she had finally gotten through to her brother, but the flicker of joy quickly diminished once she saw the troubled expression on Erec’s face. The muscles in his neck bulged, and his jaw clamped shut, as if he was trying to swallow his words back. Was that worry she saw hiding in his stare? Fear?

But it didn’t make sense. “You really don’t want me to come?” she asked, confused. “Why? We’re in the samesituation.” With the curse, of course. Not wanting to say it again out loud, she settled for waving her marked hands. Why would he care what she did with the rest of her time?

“Yes, but there’s no need to speed up the process, either,” Erec said shortly. She was about to argue some more, but he pushed past her and trudged toward the campsite, grumbling to himself the entire way.

“We leave the same time the pack does,” he grunted over his shoulder, not meeting her eye. “Be ready.”

Chapter Six

“We’ll make camp up here,” Erec said, searching the place he had called home these last few months. Like he expected, it was barren. “Keep close to the cliff’s base. It’ll block us from the wind.”

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