Page 22 of Wolf Marked

Jumping to her feet, a jarring pain raced up her wounded leg, taking her breath away. She locked her knee to prevent herself from collapsing. She gritted her teeth.

Her gaze whipped across the forest, and she met eyes with the brown wolf. It paced back and forth, grunting but not moving closer. Standing about six and a half feet long from shoulders to hindquarters, it was one of the largest creatures she’d ever seen. With its shaggy fur and massive head, it reminded Astrid more of a lion than a wolf shifter.

She stole a glance at the other two wolves. One lay still in the snow, crimson pooling from the gash up its stomach, while the smaller gray one was already climbing to its feet, lapping the blood dripping from its nose.

When she looked back at the monster wolf, it was slowly moving closer to her, head low. At the corner of her eye, she noticed the gray wolf creeping her way, too.

Astrid took a wobbly step back. Her gaze jumped between both wolves as they closed in. She thrust her spear out, swiping it back and forth, and her heartbeat galloped. Every time the blade crossed its path, the brown monster snapped its jaws, trying to catch it. More annoyed than afraid. Drool dripped from its mouth as it growled and took another step toward her.

Astrid’s back smacked against a tree, and she froze. They had backed her into a corner.

In the next instant, the gray wolf pounced. She whirled her spear and struck him hard on the top of the head. Spinning it again, she swiped out its legs just as the massive wolf jumped, pinning her against the trunk. It captured the staff between its teeth. The wood splintered as it chomped down, and hot saliva sprayed across her cheeks and hands. Foul breath filled her nose. She gagged but held her arms firm as the wolf’s powerful jowls snapped just inches away from her face.

Movement stirred on her right, then came the crashing of the undergrowth. Seconds later, a large shape shot through the brush and collided with the monster, knocking it off her. Astrid gasped as she watched wheat-gold fur tumble with brown. Vicious snarls ripped through the silent night. Teeth flashed and claws swiped through the air. Her heart vibrated in her chest, and her inner wolf shot up.

Erec.

She didn’t need much to know it was him. Even in this form, she could sense it. The animal inside her could sense it, too, like there was a connection between them she couldn’t understand. As bizarre as it was, Astrid didn’t have time to dwell on it. She remembered the gray wolf she’d only managed to knock down again, and when she turned, she saw its bushy tail disappearing into the forest.Coward.But at least it was one less shifter for them to worry about.

Erec didn’t match the brown wolf in bulk. He was quick enough to dodge most of its bites and lunges, but the sharp scent of blood was thick in the air. The two untangled themselves long enough to catch their breath. It was then that Astrid noticed the chunk of flesh missing from Erec’s shoulder. Her heart plummeted. Past the layers of flesh and shredded muscle, white bone gleamed.

Icy dread filled her. If Erec died… No, she refused to think like that. She shoved those thoughts far, far away.

The brown wolf pounced again, but Erec managed to maneuver enough and chomp down on its front leg. It let out a howl terrifying enough to raise the hair on Astrid’s arms. They rolled together again, jaws snapping and blood spraying across the white snow.

Without another thought, Astrid gripped her damaged spear tightly, pulled her elbow back, aiming, and hurled the weapon toward the two brawling wolves. It glided through the air at a blurring speed.

She held her breath.

The shaggy brown monster reared up on its hind legs, wailed, and then crumpled. The spear bounced from its hip, the blade tip embedded deep in the muscle. It wasn’t until then that Astrid noticed blood also oozing from a gaping hole on top of the wolf’s head, where its ear used to be. Her stomach lurched. Had Erec really done that?

Groaning, the wolf tried to push himself up, only to fall back down in a heap. It didn’t move again, but continued to show its teeth and growl.

Erec backed away. Skin rippled around his snout, face, and down his spine. Bones realigned and muscles shrank and grew. Legs elongated. Blond fur receded and his torso stretched. It wasn’t long before the Erec she knew stood before her, on two legs again, naked. He turned around and hurried toward her, his eyes wide with concern.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice gruff. His chest heaved with every labored breath. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Your leg. I saw blood. Which one bit you?” He glanced over at the brown wolf and mumbled something that sounded alot like “I’ll kill him,” but before Erec could take a step in its direction, Astrid snatched his arm to stop him.

She held him firmly. “I’m fine.” But as the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream began to calm, the biting pain in her calf returned. She sucked in a sharp breath, leaned most of her weight on her right leg, and forced the pain away from her face.

Her eyes fell onto the cavernous gash on his shoulder, and she winced. How could he be worried about her with a wound like that? But Erec seemed unfazed by it. Instead, anger twisted his features. “I should have gotten here sooner.”

He shouldn’t have left me at camp alone.She tried to rekindle that same fury she had before, but for some reason, she couldn’t reach it again. Not after everything that had just happened. That rage had been completely extinguished. The way he was looking at her, too, wasn’t helping. Those dark, stormy blue eyes searched her face with worry and guilt, and she couldn’t understand why he would feel this way. That didn’t stop her stomach fluttering from his stare, though.

A clamor of voices from behind made them spin around. A crowd of familiar faces, both human and animal, stepped into the moonlight. Erec’s hands fell away from her instantly, and he stepped back. Astrid recognized Gunnar and Darek in their wolf forms. Kalle and Bec stood beside them; one was holding a sword and the other an axe. Then there was the man Erec had been talking to in the cage named Henrick, the woman who had given Astrid the baby, and all the other prisoners.

Bec walked to a figure curled up motionless in a pile of red melted snow. He gave it a light push with his boot, rolling it face up. It was a man. Then Astrid noticed the jagged cut marring his stomach and chest. Bile scalded the back of her throat. The wolf she had fought and sliced with her spear.

“Is he…” she croaked. She had never killed anyone before. She couldn’t see if his chest was moving, but their kind was known to shift back into their human form when their heart stopped beating.

“He’s dead,” Bec said.

Astrid gasped. She hadn’t meant to kill him.

“You had no other choice, Astrid,” Erec said. Henrick tossed him a pair of pants and a coat, which he slipped on quickly. “Who knows what Jerrick’s dogs would have done if they got ahold of you. You did what you had to.”

“Jerrick’s dogs?” She peeked around Erec to see the colossal wolf still lying where ithad fallen from her spear. Its brown narrowed gaze switched between Erec and Bec as it continued to growl. She hadn’t thought it was Jerrick’s men she had been dealing with, but it made sense. She swallowed roughly, realizing she had been in more danger than she’d originally thought.

“There was one more wolf,” Erec said. “Where did it go?”

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