Page 28 of Fated Wolf's Destiny

Dorothy and Gus exchange a look, one I can’t quite read.

“Bella, please be careful. Arthur wouldn’t have wanted you to risk your safety,” Dorothy says, her voice carrying a note of warning.

I nod, even though her words don’t make me feel any safer.

After they leave, Lucas wanders back in, his expression unusually serious. The easy charm he had earlier is gone, replaced by something more guarded.

“Promise me you’ll stay out of the woods,” he says abruptly.

I frown, crossing my arms. “What, you, too? Your brother seems to be something of a broken record on that subject. I’m not afraid of a few trees.”

“It’s not the trees,” Lucas says, stepping closer, his voice dropping. “It’s what’s in them. You’ve already read enough of Arthur’s notes to know something’s off, Bella. The Crimson Claw seems to be making inroads into our region as well as our territory and maybe even Shadow Hollow.”

“What about them?”

Lucas nods. “We’re not absolutely sure, but we believe they have been enhanced by or created in a lab, but we’re not sure by whom or why. What we do know is they are dangerous, and you’re putting yourself right in the middle of it.”

“Arthur wasn’t afraid,” I counter, meeting his gaze.

“Arthur’s dead,” Lucas snaps, his frustration bleeding through.

His words hit like a slap, but I don’t back down. “That’s exactly why I have to do this,” I say, my voice firm. “He was investigating something he felt was worth risking everything for. And if he thought it was worth it, then so do I.”

Lucas shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” I reply, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at my lips. “Lately by your brother.”

Lucas laughs. “Well, he may be an overbearing asshole, but he has this annoying habit of usually being right.” He shakes his head, but I see something that might pass for respect in his eyes as he steps back. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course,” I say, even though we both know it isn’t necessarily true.

As the door closes behind him, I head back into my lab and turn back to the microscope, the unusual chemical compound still weighing heavily on my mind. The clinic feels quieter now, the pressure from the day lingering in the air.

I flip through Arthur’s notes again, my fingers brushing over his sketches and scribbled observations. The pieces are starting to form a picture, but it’s incomplete, blurred at the edges.

Mutants. Illegal hunting. Experimental chemicals. None of it makes sense on its own, but together...

My resolve hardens as I close the notebook and set it aside. Whatever Arthur was chasing, whatever cost him his life—I won’t stop until I uncover the truth, even if it means putting myself in danger to do it.

CHAPTER 10

RYDER

The council chamber is colder tonight, the stone walls seeming to press in tighter than usual. The lanterns above cast flickering shadows that dance across the Elders’ faces, making their expressions harder to read—but I know what they’re thinking, and I don’t care. I’ve been trying to appease them, to keep peace within the pack, but I’m done with that shit. The Elders are about to find out there is only one power within the pack, and it isn’t them.

Elder Marlow leans forward in his chair, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. His graying hair is slicked back, every strand in place, as if his control over his appearance reflects his control over everything else. “You’re losing focus, Ryder,” he says, his tone sharp and cutting. “Your priorities should lie with the pack, not an outsider.”

“I haven’t lost focus,” I snarl. “Bella isn’t a threat.”

“She could be,” Elder Tannis interjects, her icy blue eyes narrowing on me.

“So could all of you. You’re old, you’re weak, and if someone waterboarded you, I’m pretty damn sure you’d tell them whatever it is they want to know.”

Elder Marlow stands. “How dare you…”

“Sit down,” I order. The two chamber guards turn toward me, and I allow an alpha wave to roll off of me and remind both them and the Elders just who it is that’s in charge. Both stop and return to their original positions.

Elder Tannis tries to soften her approach. “Every question she asks, every step she takes closer to the truth, risks exposing us all. How long before she finds something she can’t ignore? Or worse, someone else does?”

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