Page 73 of The Wolf King's Mate

“While he was here, he caught a wolf’s scent.”

I leaned toward him. It was against every werewolf law for a wolf to live outside Crimson River, and highly unsafe on top of it.

“A female wolf’s. He was looking for her scent in the forest when he found you. He thought you were her, at first. We assume she was on vacation here or something.”

“Well, I’ve never been here before.”

“As soon as he got close to you, he could tell you weren’t her,” Enzo agreed. “She smelled like ink and coffee. You’re all chocolate and pine trees, without the perfume hiding you.”

“Chocolate and pine trees?” My nose wrinkled.

I smelled like a tree to him, and helikedit?

Enzo made a noise of agreement. “Fucking delicious.”

“Wait, so there’s another female wolf out there?” I asked, realizing quickly what that meant. Not just for me, but for her.

“Yup. Hunter’s been fixated on her scent ever since he caught it. He’s run every inch of our forests since then and hasn’t caught another whiff, but we didn’t consider that she could be hiding her scent. He’s started running in the forest again since, looking for smells strong enough to conceal hers, and researching anyone as tall as you are that lives with a pack.”

Holy crap.

I wasn’t alone.

There was another woman like me out there.

Another woman with a wolf. Maybe more than one.

As quick as the excitement hit, dread followed.

Another woman living in hiding.

Another woman being hunted by one of the Savage brothers.

“Whoever and wherever she is, he should leave her alone,” I said.

“That’s not possible, Princess. I didn’t believe him the first time he told me he couldn’t stop looking for her, but now I get it. If I had caught your scent in the forest and you slipped away from me, my wolf wouldn’t rest until you were in my arms. I don’t know whether or not fate is involved, but my wolf chose you the first moment I smelled you. There’s no going back from there. Not for me, and not for Hunter.”

I stared out the window, not replying.

He didn’t want to hear that I still thought Hunter should leave her be.

“Heat alone puts her in danger,” Enzo said. “You don’t trust our pack, but you’ve been safe with us, haven’t you? The same can’t be said for a female wolf on her own, whether in Crimson River or in Greenview. If the wrong man had been out for a run and stumbled upon Silas’s shack at any point during your heat, you could’ve been hurt. You could’ve been taken from me before I ever met you. What if Hunter’s female doesn’t have a Silas or a Fletcher to help her?”

“Werewolves are always born in multiples.”

“What if her siblings are all sisters? What if there are a few of these women out there, hiding?”

There could definitely be situations worse than mine, and I could admit that. Even if I didn’t want to.

“I see your point,” I finally said. “My life could’ve been worse.”

“I’m not saying things were easy for you, Princess, but there’s no way to guarantee that this woman isn’t living through hell. You still think we’re the bad guys, but we haven’t really done anything but protect you. Eventually, you’ll see that.” He cleared his throat. That conversation was over. “Now, you owe me an answer.”

There wasn’t any way I could convince him his information wasn’t juicy enough.

It was.

I doubted that anyone else in their entire pack other than Clay knew what he’d just told me.

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