Page 99 of A Wolf's Heart

“No.” Kage stood straight, using his commanding voice on me. I glared at him. “His flesh continued to burn. It’s not just fur missing, it’s skin, meat that was cooked. The smell aside, he doesn’t look like your dog any longer. They were ordered to cremate him. You will get his ashes back shortly.”

“What? That wasn’t your decision to make!”

“But it is the one I have made. You don’t want the image of Max as he is now to be the last thing ingrained in your mind.” Kage walked towards the exit. “Come, let’s go home.”

I flinched. Home?

“Smooth, asshole,” Rainor said, placing his arm around my shoulders and guiding me away.

It felt wrong, coming here with Max and leaving without him. My arms were empty, there was no presence of him brushing up against my leg, as he often did when he was with me. Something was missing; he was missing.

I vaguely remember the car ride, my eyes taking in the late-night city lights, yet my mind comprehended none of it. I was on autopilot. At some point, I was standing in Kage’s bathroom as the massive tub filled with hot, fragrant water. Kage poured salts and bubbles into it while Rain undressed me. The red dress fell to the ground at my feet.

Rainor helped me into the tub, and I sank into the heat, curling onto my side.

It wasn’t how I had envisioned getting out of that dress after my first date with them. It wasn’t how I had pictured sinking into this massive tub would feel. I was floating and sinking at the same time. As lost as I was without my best buddy, the most random thought came to mind. Within this tub, my knees, breasts, and feet remained under the water all at once, like I had always hoped for in the perfect bath, yet I had never felt so cold and exposed in my entire life.

28

WEYLIN

The fire crew left once ensuring the fire was out. They’d put caution tape around the rubble of the house. Not much was left, but I was waiting for daylight before searching.

I stepped into the woods, taking off my clothes and setting them aside before shifting into my wolf.

I took a few laps around the property and immediately picked up a scent.Ophidian.I growled.

Once Clark spoke of the black smoke, I knew it was them, Kage said through the link.

Our course of action?I asked.

Immediate repercussions. Council will not be involved, Rainor said.This was an attack on our mate.

Will we deliver the message ourselves?I asked, still picking up the different scents. There were two of them. I memorized their scent markers because they would be the first I killed.

Yes. One of us should stay with her at all times, but the message will be sent by the hand of Cridhe.Rainor was speaking now.

He showed me what he was seeing, as if I couldn’t feel her emotional pain through our bond. Lila sat on the floor, leaningagainst one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in Kage’s penthouse. A blanket was wrapped around her, her eyes closed as she pressed her forehead to the glass.

Hold her, I demanded.

She wants space.

Fuck that. I turned and began trotting towards the city when Kage stopped me.

Stay. It will be daybreak soon, and Clark will be out there with his team. See if you can gather any of her belongings that survived the fire, Kage said.

I huffed but understood. I still had a couple hours before sunrise, so I found a spot in the leaves that looked over Lila’s property. I curled into a ball and decided to catch some sleep while I waited.

The momentthe sun touched the ground, the sound of paws woke me. As silent as they were, no man or animal could ever sneak up on me. Their scents told me they were pack, so I shifted and got dressed.

It was a cold morning, the scent of winter in the air, however the frigid air did nothing to cool the fury I felt for my mate.

I was just clipping my belt when I a dozen black wolves surrounded me, some with packs around their necks, rolled up clothes, in case they needed to shift. I knew each by name and began splitting them up.

Clark took a team with him, searching the territory to follow where the Ophidian wolves came from and which direction they left. I kept five behind for myself. Once they shifted and dressed, we began searching through the rubble, looking for belongings that may have made it.

How is she?I asked.

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