Page 36 of Wolf Marked

But she didn’t move an inch. Her expression stayed as hard as stone.

His stomach somersaulted. He couldn’t let her do this. “Astrid…it’s all right. I’ll go,” he whispered. Not knowing what else to do, he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go.”

She remained completely still with her narrowed gaze locked on her father.

The tense moments dragged by.

Finally, Boden’s axe lowered, and the wrinkles around his mouth deepened as he frowned. Then, he uttered the words Erec never thought he would ever hear from him. “Get them settled with the others.”

Boden’s heated glare drifted back to Erec, and he let out a threatening growl. “All of them.” The alpha walked away before anyone could say another word.

Erec stood there, stunned into silence. Had that really just happened? Pain sliced through his chest, and he realized he had been holding his breath throughout the entire thing. He drew in as much frigid air as his lungs could hold, but he still couldn’t manage to do anything but blink, mouth agape.

It wasn’t exactly the “welcome home” he had always dreamed of, but compared to the catastrophe he had expected, he’d take it.

Chapter Twelve

Only when Boden disappeared from view did Astrid’s spear lower, but the tension in her muscles didn’t ease. She had stood against the alpha and won. That was unheard of in itself, but what baffled Erec the most was that she had been willing to pick him over her father, over her pack, and over everything she had ever known. How could someone who had everything he’d ever wanted be willing to abandon it all so easily?

The intensity of what happened hung in the air like thick smoke around them, leaving everyone, including Erec, disoriented and confused. He’d heard rumors about wolf shifters sharing a special bond with pack members but had never experienced it for himself. Until now. Somehow, he could sense the survivors’ discomfort; their collective panic vibrated across his skin, making goose bumps rise. Even the excitement of several children who were chasing one another on the other side of Svanna Rock buzzed through him, along with the joy of their parents as they watched them from their half-risen tents. It was as if they were a part of him. All of them—every single one. Every heart, every mind, every wolf—their essences pulsated through Erec all at once. It made him dizzy, but at the same time, the clamor soothed him. He didn’t understand why, but knowing he had so many people around him, connected to him, brought him a sense of protection. Safety.

It was the strangest sensation Erec had ever experienced. He had never gone through anything like this during his short time in Mikel’s pack. Why was that? Mikel had been like a father to him. Erec should have felt welcomed there. It was one of the reasons he couldn’t accept Mikel’s offer to be alpha. That and his own fear.

Erec glanced at Astrid, wondering if his sudden acceptance had anything to do with her. Had he established the west-side pack as his own because Astrid was here?

“Come on.” Astrid beckoned the group forward with a wave of her hand. Her spear came back to her side, but her lips remained pressed in a grim line. “Let’s get you all settled in.” She started toward a cluster of unfinished cabins at the edge of the rock’s face.

The survivors fell in behind her, walking in silence. Exhaustion reflected on every face as they passed Erec. So did uncertainty and—was that a hint of relief? Anticipation, too? He could certainly sense it, like a tickle down his spine. Then he spotted Stefan’s mother. She hovered toward the back of the crowd, a heavy blanket draped over her shoulders. Despite the purple tint to her lips, they were spread in a big grin. She met Erec’s gaze and mouthed a word of thanks as she shuffled on.

Erec’s chest swelled. After making the ultimate sacrifice to protect her baby, mother and son were about to be reunited again. It was then that Erec realized Astrid had done the right thing. Stefan’s mother, along with every single one of Jerrick’s captives, had been through a great deal of pain and heartache. They deserved this.

Still, there were many questions Erec wanted to ask. He understood standing up to Boden for the survivors, but Astrid had threatened an alpha with a weapon. For him.

Even with her being Boden’s daughter, that type of extreme defiance called for immediate ejection from the pack. Even death. She was lucky Boden gave in and didn’t punish her.

“Astrid, wait!” He sprinted to the front of the group, weaving in between the men, women, and wolves until he reached her side. “What was that all about?”

Astrid’s attention remained straight ahead, her expression focused. “What?”

“You know what,” Erec said. “That. With Boden. No one stands up to an alpha like that.”

Still, she didn’t look at him. “You have,” she replied.

True.He had confronted Boden the very first time he had met him. And again just before. Cursing himself for being such a terrible influence, he wiped a hand over his face. “Well, yes, but I didn’t have a pack then. I had nothing to lose. Do you have any idea what could have happened?”

“Of course I do.”

The indifference in her tone only spiked his worry. “You could have been kicked out of the pack, Astrid,” he went on. “You could have become a rogue and lost everything.”

“I know.”

“I admit my anger got the best of me, but maybe we could have offered Boden some kind of deal to make the survivors pack. Maybe he would have listened to that.”

She didn’t answer.

“You should have never taken such a risk. Not for me.”

She halted, drawing everyone else to a stop. When she turned to Erec, the same severity flashed in her eyes as when she had challenged her father. “You deserve a place to call home as much as these people do.”

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