Page 1 of Wolf Marked

Chapter One

Astrid’s deer-hide boots sank deep into the snow, making the distance between her and her brother, Filip, widen even more.

“Will you slow down a little? My legs aren’t as long as yours,” she called. Although she understood the importance of getting back before their father returned from hunting and found her gone again, she couldn’t hurdle over the high snowdrifts like him.

Filip pressed on at the same pace.

“Keep up, or go back home.” He glanced at her with one of his thick, black brows arched. “I told you we had to make this quick if you wanted to come. If we’re not back in time, Father will tan both our hides.”

Father had already threatened to tie her to her tent post if she ever disobeyed and left again, but she could only stay cooped up in camp for so long before her skin began to itch. This excursion would be quick. She and Filip were safe together. All they had to do was walk the couple of miles, speak to the neighboring pack’s alpha, and go home. Father would never know she’d even left. Simple.

An icy gust of wind squeezed through the naked trees, tossing up Astrid’s auburn locks about her face. Last night’s storm had left at least a foot of soft white fluff, and the wetness dampened her trousers, shoes, and wool socks with every labored step. The tip of her nose prickled, and she rubbed her lips together to give them warmth. If only she could turn into her wolf form at will. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about the biting cold or her muscles exhausting so quickly. She and Filip could reach Mikel’s territory on the east side within minutes. But the moon still controlled her shifting. She could only change at night.

They reached the riverbank. Astrid peered at its shiny, iced-over surface, about fifty paces wide. Underneath, the current raced.

Her heart skipped with fear. If she fell in, the current could take her away. She might as well suck in gulps of water to drown herself. It would be nothing compared to thetorturous freezing temperatures against the winter air if she did manage to make it out alive.

She shivered and pulled her fox-fur coat’s hood higher over her head and tighter around her shoulders.

“We have to cross here.” Filip tapped his foot against the first boulder in the water, making sure it was stable. He shot her a sideways glance, a warning lingering behind his brown eyes. She could sense his hesitance through the invisible link they shared with all members of their pack. It was a bond that made them a family, allowed them to know each other in a deeper, more intimate way. And now, her brother’s worry washed over her like an icy touch. It drew out her own fear.

There was at least half her height between her and the first stone, while the others after it were of different shapes and sizes, all slicked over with ice. Astrid bit the inside of her cheek, jitters overtaking her belly. She’d come this far already. There was no way she could give up now.

“Here, I’ll help you.” He reached one long leg across to the first stone. Perched in a split across the water, he held out his open palm to her. “Take my hand, and I’ll pull you across.”

“I got it.” Her frantic heartbeat said differently.

Peering down at the swirling blue ribbon-like marks on her freckled wrists, weaving in and out of her fingers, she scolded herself for her nervousness. It was only holding her back. She didn’t have time for hesitation. Or doubt. She had less than a month before her twenty-fifth Blue Moon. Time was not on her side anymore.

Her chest constricted as realization sank in, but she tried to push down her rising fears.Come on, Astrid. You were the one who insisted Filip bring you.

Astrid drew in a deep breath, mustering up the nerve, and waved Filip’s outstretched hand away.

“Ash, no—”

She jumped onto the first rock. As she landed, her body rocked sideways and she struggled to get a solid footing. Filip was there suddenly, grabbing her by the arm and steadying her.

“You got it, hmm?” Filip’s warm breath came out in white puffs with every word. “You have to be careful, Ash. One misstep. That’s all it takes.”

“I’m fine,” she protested between gasps. Her heart was hammering in her chest, butshe didn’t let that fear show on her face. “I just lost my balance. I would have gotten it eventually.”

He didn’t argue, only extended his hand to her again. This time, she didn’t hesitate to take it. Better safe than frozen.

With his help, she hopped onto the next rock and the next, nearly all the way across. Filip didn’t say a word, and for that, she was thankful. Allowing him to help her was hurting her pride enough.

Filip wasn’t as protective as their father, but Astrid was beginning to notice a change in his behavior, too. Little things. An offered hand here. A little extra food at dinner there. Agreeing with Father whenever he refused to let her leave the pack on her own. She knew he meant well, but those moments irked her. She was still fully capable of doing things on her own.

One more stone to go before they reached the other side. She leaped for it a little too eagerly. But when her boot touched the boulder’s smooth surface, it slipped, sending her toppling over. The river rushed up to meet her. She yelped, waiting for the crash and the flood of arctic water, but in the next second, her brother’s firm hand was on her elbow, pulling her up safely back on the rock with him.

For a moment, she stood there, muscles rigid and chest heaving as she tried to make her lungs work again.

“I should have never let you come,” Filip huffed more to himself than to her. A few drifting snowflakes clung to his cropped black hair. “This was a mistake.”

It took Astrid a second to regain herself, but once she did, anger snapped through every nerve ending, replacing all her unease. She twisted out of his grasp. “I’ve done more dangerous things before. Most of them while with you.”

She and her brother used to sprint to the end of the winding river, where it fell off the side of the earth, and watch crowds of birds circle the strange abandoned dwellings carved out of the rock across the ravine. That’s what she wanted again. To be treated like everyone else.

Filip glanced away, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. His lips pulled down in a deep frown, wrinkles appearing around his eyes. Only three years separated them, but he looked so much like their father then, with his flat nose, square jaw, and worn expression, that her stomach knotted with sorrow. And a bit of fear, too. They both knew what was to come if she didn’t find her mate; speaking it aloud only made it more real, more painful.

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