Page 5 of Wolf Marked

When his alpha wolf spirit pushed harder against Erec’s own wolf, demanding it submit, his animal only bared its teeth. “Erec.” He struggled to keep the challenge from his voice. “And I don’t have a home pack.”

“None?” Boden’s bushy brows knitted together in suspicion. “You’re a rogue then.”

Erec nodded. “When my parents died, Mikel took me in. Jerrick killed the only person who ever cared for me.”

Recognition flashed across Boden’s hardened expression, and the deep lines at the edge of his eyes softened. “Mikel spoke very highly of an Erec who was orphaned young. Called him his son. It broke his heart when he left.”

The familiar burning pain started in his chest, and he swallowed hard, hoping to extinguish it. Astrid stared at him with sympathy in her green eyes, her lips turned down in a weighted frown. He hated that look. He’d seen it so many times before as a boy.

“That’s me,” Erec murmured.

“Mikel was my friend. My ally,” the alpha replied. “He will be missed.”

“Even though we don’t share the same blood, you are my son, Erec. I wouldn’t want anyone else to lead my pack when I’m gone.”Mikel’s words the night before he had run away echoed in his memory.“One day you’ll be able to see the greatness that I see in you.”

He wasn’t Mikel’s son. He was no one, an orphan, and the worst choice for alpha. The old man had put too much faith in him. He didn’t want that responsibility, and his uncertainty and guilt had kept him away.

Mikel might have been wrong about him, but he had loved his people. He gave his life to protect them. If he were still alive, what would he tell Erec now?

Erec didn’t know the answer, but he did know what he had seen during the ambush. Death, devastation, absolute chaos. Blood stained the snow red, while ash floated down from the skies instead of flurries. No one deserved the heartache that came with losing their family. And that meant Jerrick needed to be stopped. He would destroy everything in his path to become the sole alpha of their kind, and the west-side pack had to be his next target.

“You must have a plan to stop these attacks,” Erec blurted as his mind raced. With Boden’s pack numbers, there was a chance to defeat Jerrick. “I think his camp is just north of the valley.” His chest tightened as the bloody memories resurfaced, but he kept going. “I saw his men drag survivors that way during the attack. I want to help whatever way I can.”For Mikel. For his pack.

“Of course he has a plan,” Astrid chimed in, peering up at her father. “There’ll only be more deaths if we don’t do something. Right, Father?”

But Boden was quiet and still. His nostrils flared.

“Right, Father?”

“I need to protect my people.” He sighed. “Facing Jerrick means death. We will gather up our camp and move farther west. Keep moving so that he never knows where we are. Stay steps ahead of him.”

Erec couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Boden the Warrior wanted to flee instead of fight?

Anger twisted in his gut. No one could run from Jerrick, not forever. The monsterwasn’t going to stop until every pack was under his command. Every day, Boden’s people would be waiting, panicked, for the possibility of an ambush, and when it finally did happen, it’d be too late. His pack would be wiped out just like Mikel’s had. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Boden’s face tightened again. “I don’t consider the safety of my pack a joke,” he growled.

“You don’t think he’ll find you?” Erec couldn’t help the rising of his voice. “You’re only prolonging the inevitable. Jerrick will never expect an attack from us. We’ll have the upper hand if we’re smart.”

Boden stepped closer to him. The power of his wolf sparked in the small space between them, warning Erec to stay in his place. “It is my duty to do what’s right for my pack. Any friend of Mikel’s is welcome here, but that means you follow my rules.”

Boden turned around and faced those in his pack who had come out to watch the exchange. “Load up your things. Discard anything you can’t carry. We travel at dawn and will start again farther west.”

Without hesitation, the men, women, and children went back into their tents to gather their belongings for the long journey.

“You can’t,” Astrid cried beside him, her gaze shifting from the homes to her father and back again. Her eyes were wide with shock. “We just got settled here.”

“A small price to pay to keep everyone safe.”

Erec’s fury peaked, and his skin prickled with heat as the power of the shift slingshot through him. He didn’t know whom Mikel had spoken of in his tales, but this couldn’t have been the same man. Boden wasn’t anything but a coward in wolf’s clothing.

“I have heard the stories about you,” he began, turning back to Boden. “The bravery, the power, the cunningness. That was Boden the Warrior. I don’t recall any mentioning of turning away or fleeing when faced with a challenge.”

Boden’s thin lip curled up, and his breath spilled out of his mouth in a steamy cloud against the cold air. “If you want to question my leadership, then leave.” Locking his black eyes with Erec’s, he pointed one meaty finger toward the dark forest and spit his last word.

Glancing once more at Astrid, who was looking at him helplessly, Erec spun and marched into the woods, knowing that if he didn’t go, he’d do something he would later regret.

Chapter Three

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