Page 46 of Wolf Marked

She never wanted to be cold again.

Even after washing any remaining traces of Astrid off his skin, Erec couldn’t get rid of thememory of what she felt like under his fingertips or how she tasted on his tongue. Those were things he’d always carry with him, even if he was wrong and he ended up not surviving the Blue Moon. Somehow, the memories he had with her would stay with him in the afterlife, too.

He hadn’t understood what had come over him last night. Watching Astrid dance by the firelight with the orange and gold glow of the flames flickering across her skin proved to be a powerful and mesmerizing spell, one he couldn’t shake. The way her hips swayed and her body rocked called to him, and it wasn’t long before he lost himself. But he was glad he had because finally giving in to that unexplainable magic between them was freeing. It was like being able to breathe fresh air again after years of drowning—at first a sting that was sweet but temporary, then soon a bliss he couldn’t deny or get enough of.

He was in love. He had realized it the moment he and Astrid had come together the first time while on her bed. At that moment, his heart was no longer his, and as the night wore on and he took her again and again, his feelings only seemed to strengthen. He couldn’t get enough of her, and if it wasn’t for the exhaustion that seized them both, he would have continued taking her until the Blue Moon rose in the sky.

Astrid had to be the one meant for him—his mate. Any lingering doubt dissipated, leaving only certainty. She was the one his wolf howled for and his soul called for.

And that meant they were saved.

But the hesitance dulling Astrid’s green eyes as they dressed and readied to leave the tent suggested her feelings didn’t mirror his own. Even after their night together, she still wasn’t sure about them, and that worried him. How could he be so certain about what was between them, but she wasn’t? What did that mean for the curse? If one of them wasn’t convinced about their love, would their twenty-fifth Blue Moon take their lives?

That was a scary thought.

Erec watched Astrid tug on her boots. Should he tell her how he felt? Maybe then he could understand what was holding her back. But when he opened his mouth, no sound emerged.

He cursed his cowardice. Was he really still scared of being rejected?

Drawing in a deep breath, he tried again. “Astrid…”

She stood, her boots finally tied on her feet. Tilting her head to the side, she regarded him with a tender smile. “We should probably see what Filip plans to do next, since Claus is dead. Maybe there’s a way we can help.”

He swallowed his words, pushing them into the pit of his stomach. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to tell her.

Instead, Erec held the tent flap open and let her walk through first. The frigid winter air bit at his nose, cheeks, and ears like a dozen little pinpricks. Even with the bonfire alight close by, the wind whipped around them so fiercely, the heat couldn’t touch his skin. He adjusted the fur cape across his shoulders, thankful his wound was healing quicker than expected. If another fight with Jerrick was in the future, he would need to be at peak strength.

He believed the nightmare Astrid had awoken him from had been nothing more than the work of his wild imagination, but still, it had left a twisting in his gut after opening his eyes. He couldn’t remember the details besides what he had told Astrid—just a few flashes of faces along with the strong metallic scent of blood—but that didn’t ease the nagging sensation of the dream being intended as something more. Like a warning.

Erec followed Astrid around the campfire until they found Filip talking with two men Erec didn’t know. He looked up, seeing them, and whispered one last thing to the two before sending them off. Filip’s alpha spirit was stronger than the last time he’d been this close to him. Since Boden had given up his title, Filip’s aura pulsed around him like a heartbeat.

“There you two are,” he said. Although they had washed the scent of sex off their skin, the suspicious look Filip gave them hinted that he knew what had kept them so late. Embarrassment colored Astrid’s freckled cheeks, but her brother grinned. At least Erec didn’t have to worry about a protective brother not approving a relationship between them. Then again, at this point, he was probably just glad there was a chance of his sister surviving the Blue Moon.

“I have a surprise for you, Ash,” he said.

“A surprise?” She perked up at that. “Should I be scared?”

Filip laughed. “No, I think you’ll like this one.” He beckoned them to follow. Erec stayed behind the brother and sister as they walked, watching the two of them banter and chuckle at jokes he didn’t know. It must have been nice to have a sibling, someone to share with. It was something he would never know for himself.

Erec tuned out their conversation as they strode past shelters of all shapes and sizes, as well as racks of salted meats, clothing lines, and fire pits and headed toward the very back of Svanna Rock. He had checked out this area yesterday, having been assigned one of the dwellings here. Then, only a few tents besides his own had been set up in thispart of the clearing. Now, there was a crowd of about fifty men and women standing in the middle of the vast stretch, staring at the three of them as they approached.

What is this about?

Erec’s ears caught the last few words exchanged between Filip and Astrid.

“A messenger has been sent. We should hear back in a couple of days,” Filip said.

“Good,” she replied. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

A messenger… Erec guessed that meant Filip had sent someone to another pack in hopes of finding support in their upcoming battle with Jerrick’s army. But the issue was that all of the surrounding packs had already been taken over by Jerrick, at least from Erec’s knowledge. Even Rohan’s in the north had been wiped out months ago. Filip could have been sending a messenger to Finnigan’s or Linus’s packs, since they were so far up the northeast point and there was a better chance Jerrick hadn’t reached them yet, but still, their numbers were small. Not to mention that by the time his messenger returned from visiting either of them, the Blue Moon would have passed. Erec doubted Jerrick would wait that long before attempting an ambush.

Right when Erec was about to ask for Filip to explain further, Astrid let out a high-pitched squeal of delight, stealing his question away.

“Is this…? Are we…?” she gasped.

That’s when Erec caught sight of the deadly weapons in every man and woman’s hands, along with the several large canvas targets lining the stone wall. Racks of spears sat off to the side, and beside it was a table covered in arrows and various axes and swords. The empty strip of snowy land had been transformed into a training field.

“You’re allowing women to join, too?” Astrid asked, her voice an excited shrill.

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