Page 19 of Wolf Marked

The hardness of Erec’s full erection still pressed against Astrid’s inner thigh, but this time, after that mind-blowing kiss, he didn’t pull away. The deep blue of his eyes hypnotized her; they held a primal power as his gaze roamed her face, a hunger she’d never seen before but somehow craved. A man had never looked at her the way Erec did, like he would go through fire to be with her. As if he couldn’t take another breath without having all of her. Right now. Right this second.

She heard the tear of fabric, and when Astrid looked down, she was standing naked in front of him. But for some reason, the cold didn’t touch her. She was blissfully warm, hot even. Her insides were humming with anticipation. A voice in the back of her mind said this wasn’t right; it hadn’t happened this way. A dream. Maybe this was a dream. But she was enjoying the moment so much, she shushed the nagging thoughts. Even if this wasn’t real, she wanted to enjoy it for as long as she could.

But as the awareness of the dream bounced around in her subconscious, the woods began to melt away around her, and the image of Erec grew fuzzy.

Memories floated back to her, too—her back against the rough bark of the pomple tree, Erec’s hands all over her, and the remorse on his face as he walked away. So that meant everything else had been in her head?

Astrid shifted through the haziness. She recalled entering the small, dark cave and waiting for Erec to come to her. She needed to talk to him about what had happened. Tell him that she didn’t regret it. If anything, she wanted to continue where they’d left off, but sitting in the darkness on the pile of animal hides and warm quilts, exhaustion snuck up on her. The last thing she remembered was laying her head down and…

Her eyelids flew open as realization slapped her awake. She’d fallen asleep.

She shot up in the makeshift bed, and her heart plummeted. Erec, Kalle, Bec, Darek, Gunnar, the survivors—how long had she been sleeping? Was it nightfall? Her headwhirled, but she leaped to her feet, stumbling from the quilts still tangled around her body. She ripped them away and searched the cave’s small space. A pile of blackened branches, scattered fish bones, and a heap of clothes in the far corner, but no Erec. The whistling wind was the only sound.

Panic sent her pulse into a frenzy. She grabbed her spear and rushed toward the cave’s entrance on shaky legs. Her wolf whined. The return of her animal was usually comforting, but having her now made her breath catch. It meant the day was over.

Outside, pitch blackness greeted her. Her vision sharpened against the dark, and her gaze swept the camp. Only three tents stood near the cliff’s base. The weapons were gone. She didn’t see anyone wandering about.

No! No! No!

They couldn’t have left without her! They wouldn’t! Astrid sprinted over to the first tent and ripped back the flap. Besides two rustled blankets, it was empty. Her stomach twisted.

She dashed to the next one and did the same. Empty, too. And the last tent was exactly the same.

She cursed. They’d left her.

Fury spun inside Astrid with as much power as a hurricane. How could Erec do this to her? She thought he was different. He’d almost convinced her of it. Was their moment in the woods just a way to get her to trust him more, so then he could leave her behind? Her inner wolf reared up, fangs bared. She’d seen shock and anger on Erec’s face when Filip had said she could come along on this trip. He didn’t want her here. Or in any other way.

Astrid growled. She was an idiot.

Sniffing the air, she caught the musky scent of male. It was faint and slowly dissipating, telling her the group must have left at least an hour ago. Left hersafe and protectedsleeping back at base camp. She gripped her spear tightly. What did he expect her to do? Sit in the cave cross-legged, like a good girl, and wait for them to return?

No way.

She was going to stomp over to where the prisoners were, where she knew Erec and the other men were, and scream at him until she was out of breath. Maybe even give him a good knock on the head with the blunt end of her spear.

She took one step forward before her common sense kicked in. She couldn’t do either of those things. As much as she wanted to prove that she was a valuable member of thepack and could rescue the survivors, showing up unexpectedly could jeopardize their mission. It would put them in danger. The risk was too great. Her anger would have to wait. They would come back, and once they did, that’s when she’d raise hell.

Astrid glanced up at the night sky. Even with the dense clouds hovering around the moon, Vallor still shined bright, pointing the way north. She thought about her parents, about her father, who might be talking to it, trapped in another delusion, and her mother, whom she missed terribly. But, surprisingly, the sorrow trickling into her chest only fed the anger whirling through her. Being protected by others had brought her nothing but hurt. She’d rather get thrown into trouble and fight her way out on her own. Those scars were earned. It wasn’t the same as the pain that came from lies and tricks.

Another guttural growl vibrated up her throat.As soon as he comes back, I’m going to kill him.

A loud snort came from behind the trees, just in front of her, and she froze.

Her first thought was that it was Erec or one of the others, but her wolf slammed against her human barrier, sensing danger. Fear flooded her, and she held out her spear as her feet moved her backward.

The crunching of paws against snow sounded to her right, snapping her attention that way. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck. Two pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the shadows only steps ahead of her. Every time they blinked, the blackness swallowed them up and she would lose sight of them. Until they shined again somewhere else, a little closer.

The scent of wet fur, dirt, and strong musk filled her nose. Wolf smell. A piercing howl rang from above her. Its fluctuating tones told her there was a hunt starting, and something told her she was the prey. Astrid’s gaze flew to the top of the cliff, where she’d found Erec standing the night before. Now a massive brown wolf crouched, its eyes reflecting the moonlight as it licked its lips.

Two in front of her and one above her. And they were surrounding her.

The only chance she had was if she changed. The prickling twinge started at the base of her spine, building for the shift, but even the animal inside her knew there was no time. The beasts had been sizing her up and closing in. If she changed, she’d be completely vulnerable in those few seconds. They’d kill her.

Her wolf snarled in warning.

Run.

Erec and the four men waited and waited. They had watched the prisoners, who were still bound by chains and sitting slumped in the cage, from the concealment of the bushes for over an hour now. There had been no shift in the shadows across the clearing, no new scents on the breeze, nothing to indicate a change in their surroundings.

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