Page 39 of Wolf Marked

“Astrid? My daughter?” Boden grunted and pointed a meaty finger at Claus. “You keep her name out of your mouth and tell us where Jerrick is.”

Claus’s gaze stayed trained on Erec. Studying him. Testing him. “The alpha’s daughter…” He drew in a long, deep breath and closed his eyes, as if he was recalling her scent. “Hmm… Howdelicious.”

Erec growled and leaped forward, but Filip’s hand was quick on his chest to hold him back.

“He’s trying to get a rise out of you, Erec.” But Filip’s calm voice wasn’t enough to tame the whirlwind building inside Erec. Filip may have been right, but the predatory gleam in Claus’s eye whenever he purred Astrid’s name was all it took to slingshot Erec’s anger forward. He knew what Claus wanted with her; he knew what he was insinuating. There wasn’t a chance he was going to let this monster so much as lay a finger on her. Over his dead body. Erec’s wolf may have been lost to him during the day, but he was no weakling in his human form. He’d rip him apart limb from limb if he had to.

“She seems delicate. Soft. Like a flower.” A wicked grin formed on Claus’s face. “I can change that.”

Erec lunged forward again, but this time, Filip didn’t attempt to stop him. Erec’s fist met Claus’s nose hard enough to throw him and the chair back on its rear legs. The simultaneous crunch confirmed bones were broken. When Kalle and Beck shoved Claus upright, Erec seized his shoulder in a deadly grip.

“Tell us what Jerrick’s next step is,” Erec demanded. “Now!”

Blood flowed from Claus’s nostrils like a waterfall, but he smiled through it. His laughter rang out, piercing.

Erec’s patience was about to snap. He reached into his boot and yanked out his knife.

“Erec…” Filip’s warning came from behind him.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill him.” Erec’s gaze fell to Claus’s legs. Someone had given him pants to cover his nakedness from the change, but a dark stain marked the fabric where Astrid’s spear had punctured his thigh muscle. With how deep the injury had been, there was no way it was fully healed. Just then, an idea struck. “But he’s going to tell us what we want to know.”

“Oh, will I?” Claus’s brows rose in mock interest.

Erec plunged the blade straight into the wound and gave it a hard twist. Claus wailed in pain, jerking against the rope restraints and thrashing.

Erec’s nails bit into Claus’s shoulder to hold him still as he stared directly into his eyes. He’d waited too long for this—too long to taste any sort of revenge for Mikel’s death. Or for what had happened to Astrid in the woods. This filthy mutt was going to pay.

“Unless you want to lose complete use of your leg—” Erec gripped the knife’s handle, ready to turn it again, “—I suggest you tell us where Jerrick is and what his next step is.”

Claus fought more, throwing his massive frame side to side. The chair whined under the weight.

Another spin of the dagger had Claus howling.

Claus’s gaze whipped around the tent, his eyes wide with terror. Real terror. Erec could smell his fear leeching from his pores. “I don’t know where Jerrick is!” he gasped. “H-He had me scouting the forest for any wanderers. Rogues.” His voice broke, and he sucked in air through his teeth. “Anyone else he can recruit.”

“He’s lying,” Boden shouted.

“I don’t think he is,” Filip replied.

“Of course he knows where Jerrick is,” Boden said. “He doesn’t want to give up his alpha.”

Claus shook his head vigorously. “It’s true! He was searching for your p-pack. He was following your trail to your camp west of the river.”

“What about the prisoners? Why did he leave them in the forest?” Erec asked. His fingers stayed wrapped around the knife’s handle.

The tendons in Claus’s neck bulged through his skin as he held in the pain. “They were the ones who refused to join in his mission.”

“And what mission is that?”

“T-Take out all packs to form one. Become the sole alpha. Rule over all of the land,” Claus replied.

“So, it’s true…” Filip whispered. Worry washed over his face.

“Jerrick will be happy to see you’re still alive,” Claus said, glancing up at Erec. “He’s been looking for you.”

Erec stiffened. He let go of the blade. “What? Looking for me?”

Claus nodded.

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