Page 8 of Wolf Marked

“We’re too far from the valley and Mikel’s camp.” It could be a wandering pack or more rogues, like him.

Or it could be someone else. An enemy.

Erec’s wolf forced his feet to take a step back. The sensation of danger crawled up his spine. During his nine Blue Moons on his own, his instincts had never steered him wrong, and he wasn’t about to question them now. “Either way, it isn’t any of our concern. Let’s go back.”

Another trembling wail shot through the forest. Astrid grew rigid beside him and twirled her spear as if she was ready for a fight.

“Astrid…” he warned.

“You can stay here and be afraid all you want. I’m going over there.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

“It could be someone who needs our help, Erec,” she said harshly. “Like you did.”

Erec grunted and rolled his eyes skyward. He couldn’t argue with that, now, could he?With only a few weeks until their final Blue Moon, he understood living with a bit of recklessness, but he certainly didn’t want to die any sooner than that. Especially because some stranger wanted to jump first and ask questions later.

But she could be right. It could be someone hurt or in need of their help. Just the possibility made it hard for him to ignore. Maybe they could check it out from a safe distance.

“All right.” He sighed. “We’ll go. But we need to stay together.”

They began to jog side by side, but as the cries became louder and more frequent, Astrid’s pace sped up to a full sprint. Damn, she was fast. The distance between them was growing by the second.

As Erec struggled to keep up, the bitter wind slapped against his face, stinging his cheeks, and the tip of his nose prickled. In front of him, Astrid’s red hair danced free of her hood as she rushed through the woods. He sped up, leaping over mounds of white fluff and dodging low-hanging branches.

He needed to stop her or at least slow her down. She was heading into an unknown situation that could be dangerous. He understood her fear of not reaching the victim in time, but they needed to be smart about this. As the space closed between them, Erec gritted his teeth and reached out his hand.

Just a few more inches. The fur of her coat hovered below his fingertips, just out of reach.

At that exact moment, the distinct scents of man and wolf filled his nostrils, telling Erec there wasn’t only one person beyond the trees but many. And Astrid was heading right for them.

He leaped forward, grabbing her around the waist. His momentum threw them both forward, and they tumbled into the snow together. Her spear landed somewhere in the brush.

“Are you out of your mind?” Erec gushed in between short breaths. Astrid glared at him as he pushed himself off her. His temples pounded. “What if it’s a trap set up by Jerrick?”

She sat up and shook her head, causing clumps of snow to fall. “And what if it’s not?”

Erec opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly, the murmurs of nearby voices drifted from the other side of the brush. He froze, and terror flashed across Astrid’s face.

His stomach twisted into a tight ball. That definitely didn’t sound like just a baby.

They stayed completely still for a few breaths as the whispers continued, followed by another shrill wail. Erec strained to hear the hushed conversation in between the wails.

“Can’t you quiet him some? They’re going to come back.” The rushed words belonged to a man.

“I’m sorry!” a woman replied, her voice shaking as if she’d been crying herself. She shushed, but the volume of the baby’s screams didn’t ease.

Slowly, Astrid moved onto her knees, shifting closer to the bushes separating them from the noises, and peeked over the top.

Was she brave or just foolish?

“You’re going to be seen.” Erec snatched her by the arm and tugged her back down. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to stay alive as long as I can. No need to speed up the process.”

She glared at him. “Now you sound like my brother.” She jerked herself out of his grasp.

“Your brother’s a smart man.”

Astrid said nothing for a few seconds, her expression hard. Then, she turned to him with a fierce determination sparking in her eyes. “There’s a cage just up there. It’s filled with people. Men and women. One’s holding a baby, and they look scared.”

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