Page 66 of Wolf Marked

The night of the ambush, Jerrick had taken his real father away, and now he wastrying to destroy the only place Erec had ever felt he belonged. His place was with the west-side pack, with Astrid.

Mikel had been right. It didn’t take blood to be kin. Astrid, Filip, Mila, Henrick, and all the others—they were his family. And he’d be damned if he let Jerrick take them from him, too.

“No.” Erec’s growl was ferocious, more wolf than man when it rumbled past his lips. “We were never a family. And we never will be.”

Another tear cascaded down Eva’s round cheek. “Erec—”

He threw the blanket at her. It hit the cage bars and landed in a heap on the floor. The wind smacked against his exposed skin instantly, causing it to tingle. Erec wanted nothing she had to offer him. Not even the warmth that could save his life from the winter storm.

“Please, Erec. If you would just listen to me—”

“You need to leave,” he cut her off. The rage snapping inside him was sharp and fast.

Eva’s shoulders fell, but when she didn’t move away, Erec let out a vicious snarl, and she jumped back.

“Leave! Like you did all those years ago! Leave!”

Her glassy blue eyes reflected the pain his words had caused her. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked as more tears fell.

Sympathy tugged at him, but he kept it off his face. One part of him said Eva didn’t deserve any kind of leniency, especially from him, but the other part was a little sorry for her. It was obvious Jerrick held all the power, even in their relationship. How could she even have a voice with him around?

Still, he watched her leave without stopping her. There were too many things nagging at him to let his anger go completely. She should have fought harder for him. He was her son, after all. She could have done something more to keep him. How could someone just let their son go?

Erec cursed and walked over to the edge of the cage. He picked up the crumpled blanket and slung it over his shoulders. It reeked of her sweet and sour scent but was incredibly warm.

Wrapping it tighter around himself, he sighed, wondering why the sky spirits had cursed him with such a poisoned bloodline.

Chapter Twenty-One

“But the Blue Moon is tomorrow night,” Filip said, looking at Astrid with his thick brows pinched at the center. “That only gives us hours to…”

Although she could feel her brother’s fear leeching through the pack bond, not a hint of it shone on his pale face. Still lying in bed, he appeared to be calm, more pensive than panicked, but his horror at the news of Jerrick’s plans vibrated against her aura, making her insides shake.

“I know…” Her voice quivered, too. “We don’t have much time.”

Really,shedidn’t have much time. A sense of urgency ricocheted through her as the realization sank in. She couldn’t ignore what was going to happen to her any longer. It was already morning, and only one more night separated her from the rise of the Blue Moon. If she didn’t get to Erec before nightfall tomorrow, that would be the end of them both. Her pack needed to act and act now.

I should have never left him in that cage.The spear Henrick had made for her had done a good job slicing through the lock. Maybe she could sneak back after dark and…

She started to lift herself off the bedside and onto her feet as her plan formed.

“I know what you’re thinking, Ash, and you can’t do it.”

His warning stopped her mid-action. “What?”

When she glanced at her brother, he was staring at her with the same severity she’d seen so many times before from their father. Filip’s injuries had left him looking decades older than he was, and because of it, the similarities between him and their father were more outstanding than ever before.

“You know what I mean,” he said, his tone still holding an edge of threat despite its weakness. “You said it yourself. There were too many of Jerrick’s men and most of them aren’t bound to the curse. They live out their lives as wolves more than humans. They’re dangerous. Pure animals. You, Bec, and Kalle were lucky you got out this time.”

She sat back on the edge of the bed and put her face in her hands, knowing deep down he was right. “Every second I’m not with him feels…wrong.” Her palms muffled her voice, but she didn’t move them away, afraid her brother might see the tears gathering in her eyes. “Like I’m not trying enough and I’m running out of time. I can’t…I can’t just leave him there.”

There was silence for a long moment, but then Filip’s fingers wrapped around hers and gently removed them away from her face. His touch was still cold, alarmingly so, and when she looked down at their linked hands, she noticed lines of blue veins peeking through his translucent skin. They matched the curse’s ribbon-like marks weaved around her own.

“Just because I won’t let you barge in there doesn’t mean you’re abandoning him.” Filip’s brown eyes warmed, and he gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ll get him out of there in time. You have my word.”

She could sense his determination above all other feelings. Even over his pain, which was still a constant, agonizing throb in Astrid’s side. He was going to make sure she and Erec were reunited and both of them were saved from the curse. Even hurt, he’d figure out a way. He wouldn’t let her down; he never had and never would. She could trust his promise.

“We just need to figure out what our next step will be,” he said. “We may not be able to out-muscle Jerrick, but we can outsmart him.”

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