Page 20 of Wolf Marked

Concern whittled away at Erec’s nerves. None of Jerrick’s men had showed up for their rounds, even on the half hour. Had he missed something? Had they been spotted and a trap awaited them? The possibilities ran wild in Erec’s head. Maybe they had just altered their routine. Of course, the one time he thought he was one step ahead of Jerrick, he was only caught off guard again. The question was, what was he going to do now?

He gazed at the men he was leading, all sitting behind him in the snow. Bec, the oldest of the group, ran his finger along the edge of his axe to test its sharpness. Gunnar and Darek were conversing through slight hand gestures, while Kalle was propped against a tree with his eyes closed. Every time Kalle’s head dropped from drowsiness, Erec would get a glimpse of the curse’s blue markings scrolled across the base of his neck, hidden by a mass of blond curls.

Erec thought about the one person missing from their group—Astrid—and how he’d left her in the camp. When he went to check on her in the cave, he found her sleeping on his bed, her lips parted, clothes rumpled, and hair disheveled. It made his job easier. He only hoped her exhaustion was enough to keep her dozing for the entire night. He couldn’t have her showing up in the middle of their rescue attempt. It would ruin the only chance they had. He prayed she was smarter than that.

A rush of freezing wind blew past him. Another deep inhale came up with the same scents he’d grown familiar with in the last hour—blood and stale clothing all mixed with the pungent smell of bodily waste. No new smells tickled his nose.

Much like when he’d left them, everyone in the cage was huddled together for warmth. The shifters who had been chained and were stuck in their wolf forms poked their heads out of burrowed holes in the snow, whimpering. Erec’s patience was wearing thin. He didn’t know how much longer he could sit here doing nothing. Stepping out into the open air would be dangerous, but he couldn’t stand watching the men, women, and wolves suffer any longer. It was time he did something.

Erec gestured for his men to stay low and hidden while he rose to his feet. Hescanned the trees before stepping around the brush and into the open space.

“Erec?” Henrick pressed his face against the steel bars. His beard was matted with dirt and blood. “You came back?”

“I made you a promise.” Erec walked over to the cage, took Henrick’s outstretched hand, and squeezed it hard. “I wouldn’t abandon you.”

A broad smile split Henrick’s cracked lips. “We never doubted you would,” he muttered, his voice strained. “You are Mikel’s son.”

Erec paused as the words threatened to sink in and dig the hole in the center of his chest deeper than it already was. But like he’d done every time Mikel had claimed him as his kin, he ignored it. Blood didn’t mean family to the old alpha, like it did for Erec. It was one of the reasons he had run when Mikel had offered him the east pack. He didn’t deserve such an honor. The title of alpha should go to someone in Mikel’s family next, or at least someone who had been part of the pack for generations. Not a newcomer. Not an orphan. Now that Mikel was dead, thinking about it again only reopened old wounds, rekindled past disappointments and fear, and he couldn’t afford holding on to those right now. He had a job to do and not very long to do it.

He pressed his lips together and let out a soft whistle. Slowly, Darek and Gunnar emerged in their wolf forms from the dense shrubs, one gray wolf with a white underbelly and one fully black but with touches of silver. Bec had a broad axe in his hands, and Kalle carried a large stone hammer when they stepped forward.

“Darek and Gunnar, do a quick sweep of the area then keep an ear and nose out for the guards. Beck and Kalle, get the other wolves free and do it fast.” Erec pulled out the sword Filip had given him from its sheath on his hip and passed it to Kalle, who handed him his mallet in return. Since Erec’s last attempt at prying the cage’s lock open didn’t work, he was going to have to break it open with brute force. And it was going to be noisy. “We want to get this done and avoid a fight, if we can.”

Darek and Gunnar grunted in agreement before crossing opposite ways and disappearing into the shadows. Kalle and Bec moved toward the wolves that were collared and chained.

“You don’t have to worry about the guards,” Henrick said. “We haven’t seen them since you were last here.”

“What?” Why hadn’t they returned? It was part of their routine. Had they discovered he and Astrid had been there before? But if they had, why didn’t they follow them?

Nothing was making sense. In the back of his head, a voice yelled it was all a trap, but if this was another one of Jerrick’s ambushes, then it would have happened by now. There would be blood painting the snow red and wolves jumping at them from all directions. Instead, Erec was standing in the openness, without a single hint of anyone else around. He sniffed the air again, searching for an unfamiliar wolf’s scent, a whiff of a nearby fire—anything to confirm that Jerrick was nearby, but he only came up empty.

“We heard some commotion just before dawn heading west,” Henrick replied. “W-We think they’ve moved.”

“They left you?” Why spend all this time guarding prisoners and keeping them alive if Jerrick was just going to abandon them? What game was he playing?

Henrick nodded, his face full of dread. “Left us to die.”

“And you said they were heading west?” Erec’s pulse galloped. Going west could only mean one thing. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Henrick pointed up, and when Erec peered at the sky, there was Vallor staring down at him. “Definitely west.”

Erec cursed under his breath. If Boden’s pack had stayed where they were, Jerrick could have stormed the camp by dawn. As early as that.

He had to hand it to the alpha. Even with Boden’s mind drifting away, he had made the right decision. Erec should have never questioned him. Hopefully Svanna Rock could keep the west-side pack out of Jerrick’s path long enough for them to build up their own forces.

Erec’s mind jumped to Astrid. He’d convinced himself over and over he had done the right thing by not disturbing her and leaving her behind, yet his nerves leaped at the thought of her being alone with Jerrick’s pack on the move.

You’re overreacting. She’s fine.

With both hands, Erec lifted the mallet over his head, the weight testing his muscles, and focused on the metal lock clamped on the cage’s door. Henrick pushed everyone to the back bars and gave Erec a firm nod. He took a deep breath, bent his elbows, and…

A wolf’s howl echoed through the forest.

Erec stiffened as fear bounced from his fingers to the tips of his toes. His wolf perked up, recognizing the reverberating tune. A howl like that was meant for a chase. A hunt of prey.

Another one, louder this time, and a response, and then one more. All coming from behind them, about a mile south of where they were. His heart stopped.

Astrid.

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