Page 28 of Wolf Marked

“You shouldn’t overextend yourself. You’ve been through a lot. I can take the next watch,” Erec told him and glanced over at Claus, who was lounging against a tree and chatting away about nonsense. Blood from his missing ear smeared across the rough bark and dripped down the side of his face. He, though, appeared unfazed by it and continued to talk to Kalle.

Kalle never looked away from Claus, but his annoyance showed in bluish veins that pushed against the skin on his neck.

The oddness of the scene itched at Erec. Something wasn’t right. He had expected more from Claus. A struggle. A fight. Something. The man was acting like his imprisonment was a retreat. There was no fear in him. The only time he’d seen any hint of it was when Bec mentioned Boden’s name. Erec was guessing that Boden’s reputation was the reason Jerrick hadn’t attempted an attack on the west-side pack yet, too. It was the only leverage they had right now, and they had to keep it that way.

Claus’s bizarre behavior nagged at Erec. Where was the bloodthirsty beast that had slammed into him the night of Mikel’s death and had fought him before in the woods?

“I’ll take the next watch,” he repeated. He could use the time to get some answers from Claus.

And what about Astrid?

Damn.There went that plan.

“All I did in that cage was stand around and wait. I can’t do it anymore.” Henrick rubbed his bearded cheek. “I’m not used to doing nothing. Give me something to do or I’ll go mad.”

Erec heaved a sigh. Maybe he should let Henrick take the next watch. Then he’d be able to talk to Astrid about the two of them and possibly beating the curse. He was sure he’d have time to get his answers from Claus later on. “Do you still have that knife I gave you?”

Henrick pulled the blade out from his waistband to show him.

“Good.” He pointed at Kalle, whose face was growing redder by the second, andClaus, who continued to blabber on. “By the looks of it, you’ll either end up killing him or yourself by the end of the night.”

Henrick let out a loud, wheezy laugh and slapped Erec’s shoulder with his calloused hand, like a friend would. Erec tensed, not sure how to respond, but Henrick’s laughter was so exuberant, even as raspy as it was, a smile crept across Erec’s lips.

“You’re a funny one,” Henrick croaked out between chuckles. “Mikel never mentioned your humor.”

Funny? He had been serious.

“But Mikel did mention you were a fighter. Said he’d found you in the middle of the woods alone. You’d managed to keep yourself alive, even as young as you were,” Henrick went on. The cheerfulness dropped from his tone, and his expression turned grave. “I saw you fight Claus in the clearing to save the girl. I thought I knew what Mikel had meant, but I saw it for myself then.”

Erec remained quiet as Henrick’s large hand came back to his shoulder and squeezed it hard. “Thank you for saving us, my friend,” he said and offered Erec a tender smile.

Friend?A soothing warmth trickled into the center of Erec’s chest. Except for Mikel, he had never had a friend before. He’d always been alone.

When Henrick released his shoulder, he stepped back. “Keep the knife close while watching the loon. Got it. Anything else I should know before taking over?”

Erec was still having a hard time finding his words. He stood there for a long moment. “Er—yes,” he got out finally. “Try not to kill him. Or cut out his tongue. We need him for information.”

Henrick let out another hard laugh, his head thrown back and his shoulders bouncing. “There it is again! That humor!” He walked off toward Claus and Kalle before Erec could say anything more.

But I was serious…Erec shook his head.

Then, remembering Astrid and the explanation she deserved from him, he turned around. He grabbed the tent’s flap and lifted it away.

A strip of silver moonlight cut the darkness in half, revealing a lock of red hair. “Astrid?” he whispered. “It’s me…again.”

No answer.

“Look…I wanted to say that I’m sorry and—”

A soft snore came from the shadows. Erec pulled the flap back more, allowing the light to spill into the tent. Astrid was curled on her side under a pile of blankets and furs. She was completely still except for the small movements of her chest, and her eyes were closed.

Asleep. He had missed his opportunity. And just when he had built up enough nerve, too.

Another snore slipped past Astrid’s lips, and he smiled. She was beautiful. Even lost in sleep. He longed to crawl under the blanket and wrap her up in his arms, feel her small body curled against his as she dreamed. But he couldn’t. Not yet, anyway.

It looked like he would have to speak to her in the morning. For now, maybe it was best if he followed Astrid’s lead and caught up on his rest. His shoulder did need to heal. Reluctantly, Erec closed the tent’s opening, spun around, and walked over to his own tent on the opposite side of the campsite.

Asteady snowfall began to tumble from the gray-streaked sky, slowing the group’s pace. The large clumps of white fluff would have annoyed Erec any other time, but now, he prayed for it not to stop. They needed the extra coverage for their tracks and for their scent trail. They didn’t want to lead Jerrick right to Svanna Rock, so a snowstorm was just what they needed.

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