Page 4 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

Sicario Hood was the goal. Drag him out and claim my place as heir.

Hood only emerged for two things: when he was sent to assassinate a Red, or when someone of high power was in danger.

He had been a glorified bodyguard a few times in recent history. Once for a stuck-up brat of a mage, though the mage was the only known Empath of our century. How an Empath could be a brat… The kid berated a maid for brushing his hair wrong. That was before Hood came on the scene. We were sent to make the kid pee his pants in fear and keep him straddling the line of truce between Reds and mages; instead, we ran off with our tails tucked because of Hood.

But the kid’s character didn’t entirely leave even Hood unscathed. The kid leapt on Hood’s back and clung to him like an overgrown spiderfish while screaming in Hood’s ear. There was a grimace of those perfectly straight teeth and that strong jawline beneath the black hood he was known for. With a werewolf's sense of hearing, that had to be excruciating. The kid reached a level of shrill even my youngest niece would be hard-pressed to meet.

By then, the red of our cloaks had blended back into the underbrush with the help of a spell that took them from red to amottled brown and green, almost as though they were covered in mold.

I shook off the memories, trying to dampen the humor as the moon traveled higher in the sky. I sat in my little cubby in the tree, careful not to show any teeth even as I smiled. No teeth and stillness—two vital rules of the hunt. Werewolves saw the slightest movement, and white showing up in the dead of night would give me away just as bad as if I waved my hand or yelled. My body didn’t shiver at the cool breeze coming from the Dragon Mountains. In the middle of summer, the weather couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be hot enough to melt metal or cold enough to freeze toes. Maybe it was because we were only ten miles from the ocean.

A pure black werewolf sniffed around a tree ten feet from the one I sat in. The wall was right beneath me, and a few times, I lost sight of the werewolf as he searched the perimeter.

A lighter, brown-and-white mottled werewolf with a black-tipped tail snuck up behind him. I watched as she leapt from a bush, but the male dodged and she face-planted into the dirt. She growled low in her throat as high-pitched sneezes accompanied the low growls. The male chuffed, which I took as laughter as he continued sniffing. They continued this cat-and-mouse game, the werewolf continuously evading the she-wolf with a patience I would never expect from blood-hungry animals.

I had watched werewolves before, but that was mostly in battle or during a hunt. Those didn’t wag their tails like puppies and they didn’t show this level of… play.

It reminded me of my younger siblings, specifically Jacob with his niece, Jess. Jacob was only thirteen, but he had the patience of our father while Jess inherited the spiciness of her mother. Jess continuously prodded her uncle, but she hardlyever got a rise from Jacob. Which made her pester him all the more.

The two werewolves were out of sight when the bell in the library sounded out twelve massive rings. The werewolves below gathered round the house, their paws clicking against rock and thudding against dirt. They gathered and then a resounding howl ripped through the yard as they tipped their heads back and released their voices at the full moon high overhead. That was the haunting melody that plagued my nightmares from times past, the yips and growls interposed over memory. But here in this place, these howls were just a song. A song of life and love and misery and hatred and joy and sorrow.

I felt theneedsof this pack deep in my soul, as if their voices gave a direct link to my Gift.

One needed a raw steak as his blood was running low after a recent battle. Another was pining after a girl but needed to grow up.

The light-colored werewolf who’d pestered the black werewolf… I sucked in a breath. She sang a song of great need, though her voice didn’t say it. Her howl was bright and contained traces of humor and cheer. Her body, however, screamed something else entirely. Her heart was crying. It was having a hard time pumping blood, something about a place that was nearly blocked from pumping in or out.

But… I thought werewolves didn’t get sick? Their healing abilities should keep them from sickness, right?

This one’s need pushed against my soul like the scraping of a blade against tender skin.

She was not my responsibility. If she died, it was just one less blood-thirsty werewolf to kill my siblings and family and tribe.

The black werewolf caught my eye. He was near the back of the pack, his song not quite as loud as the rest. A pure-white werewolf came over and nudged his neck, encouraging him tojoin. When he shook his head with a tiny growl, she bowed her head to him, showing him her neck. The white werewolf, Lady Niveous, was the daughter of the current ruling Alpha Princess of Mongolia. She was one of four prince and princess rulers who governed their perspective races under the human king who presided over all in Mongolia.

My lips stretched in a broad grin. So my contact was correct. The son of the current ruling Alpha Princess was here; only he could gain a submission from Lady Niveous. I nearly cackled in glee.

If I were caught, the consequences would be dire. But the prince would bring Hood running. He might bring the entire kingdom running, but that was a chance I’d have to take.

Ran, change of plans,I said to my bond.

A low growl came into my mind.Could you, just once, make things simple, Two-Legs?she replied, irritation zinging from the bond connecting our souls.

My lips creased in a smile.Come quickly. This is about to get fun.

Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are two very different things.

Despite her grumbling, I felt her coming closer.

Showtime.

CHAPTER 2

Unicorn

ALIA

My wolfsbane pipe locked on my target who was moving away from the other werewolves. His dark eyes shot up to meet mine just as I took a breath. His nostrils flared.

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