Page 1 of Kin of the Wolf

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The ivory caserested on a bed of fir and pine needles, glowing a soft silver under the moonlight trickling down through the evergreens. Carved into its lid, a wolf with its jaws parted, rows of fangs prominent, warned me not to get too close. But why did Iwantto get close?

As I slowly circled the case, damp needles poking at my paw pads, I tried to remember why this had been so important when I’d been in my human form. For some reason, I’d rested the magical artifact here and willed myself to remember to examine it once I became the wolf.

In this form, my senses were keen, and I could see the contours of the case perfectly while smelling the musty scent of its centuries-old ivory. More attuned to magic, I also felt the power radiating from the item. From it and, even more so, from whatever lay within it. An item even more magical and powerful than the case protecting it.

But no great answers came to me. I didn’t know what these items did or why they were important. More, I longed to hunt. In my lupine form, the moon called to me, willing me to leave thistiny woodland hemmed in by human dwellings and the noisy vehicle trail beyond the trees. I wanted to run until I reached the forested foothills and the mountains, where I might take down a deer or elk.

So great was the pull that I almost abandoned the case, but I remembered it had value to me in my other form, so I stayed. That didn’t keep irritation from ruffling my fur, and when a mouse skittered under the needles nearby, I pounced, snapping it up. Such unsatisfactory prey neither tasted good nor fulfilled my need to hunt. I gnashed on it more out of frustration than desire for the pathetic meal.

With its tail dangling from my jaws, I paused, sensing that I wasn’t alone. I turned, peering into the shadows between the trees, and gulped down the rest of the mouse so my fangs would be free if I needed to defend myself.

But this was not an enemy approaching.

A large salt-and-pepper wolf padded into view, heading toward me without fear or wariness. He emanated power, a far more feral and alive kind of power than that of the case, and the moonlight gleamed on his lush fur. I recognized him, a lone wolf who was not from my pack but who’d traveled from a far territory and had helped me on more than one occasion. More than once, we had almost mated.

Duncan was his name in human form, I recalled. And… Drakon. When he’d been called that, I couldn’t remember, but I knew it to be true.

When our eyes met, his jaws parted, tongue lolling out, and he bounded forward like a pup rather than a mature male. He lowered on his forelimbs in a playful bow of invitation.

Though we could not speak as humans did, I knew what he wanted. It was an invitation to hunt, to frolic, and to mate.

None of those things sounded unappealing. Again, I desired to abandon the silly human object on the ground.

Duncan pointed his snout toward the east, the unpopulated hunting lands, as if to lead me away, but then his head snapped about. He lifted it into the air, nostrils flaring. He’d caught the scent of something, something dangerous.

As he stood, hackles raised and tail stiff, I also detected it. Another wolf—no,severalwolves—approached. I sensed their magical auras before I caught their scents. They were familiar but not friendly. Of the pack but not aligned. My cousins.

A dark-gray wolf, a light-gray wolf with a black-tipped tail, and a brown, gray, and white wolf padded side-by-side out of the woods. Their heads were up, their eyes aloof. They looked at Duncan, at me, and at the glowing case.

The eyes of the dark-gray wolf—Augustus—filled with avarice when they locked onto the artifact. He crouched, as if he meant to rush forward and snatch it out from under me.

I growled, prepared to defend it, even from my own pack.Especiallyfrom my own pack.

The light-gray wolf bumped a shoulder against Augustus and pointed his snout at Duncan.

Duncan was watching them as closely as I, and he loped over to stand beside me, facing my cousins. He also growled, his message clear. He would defend me.

The three wolves eyed us like they might have a powerful moose with deadly antlers. They were weighing the odds. Though they outnumbered us, we were stronger, and they knew it.

Again, Augustus’s brown eyes fastened on the box, and I knew what he was thinking. That he might send the other wolves to fight us while he sneaked in like a weasel and stole it. His allies might be maimed or even die to our fangs, but he would have his prize. Why he wanted the silly human thing, I had no idea, but he wouldnotget the best of me.

Growling again, I placed my paw on the case and glared athim. Magical energy sizzled against my flesh, both warning and promise of untapped power, but I didn’t remove my paw.

Eyes slitted, Augustus looked from Duncan to me and back.

Duncan let his tongue loll out again, a sign of amusement and confidence. He knew we would win if they attacked.

Augustus growled, as much frustration as belligerence. His glare at me was one of loathing. We might be relatives, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to kill me. If Duncan had not been there, he would have attacked. I had no doubt.

Instead, Augustus sat back on his haunches and howled. Sending a message to someone? To more cousins? More allies?

I grimaced at the thought. As strong as Duncan and I were, we could only handle so many at once.

Ultimately, Augustus turned, the two other wolves following, and they loped out of the woods. I lowered my paw, relieved when the painful energy the case had spat at it stopped.

Duncan glanced at the artifact, but his gaze locked onto mine, and then he pointed his snout east again. My cousins were gone. Could we go hunt now?

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