Page 72 of Wolf Bound

Her pitch-black eyes stare at me when I enter the room, her curly hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun today, instead of flowing down her back like I’ve seen it in the past.

“Esme,” I address the witch who sits at the kitchen table. “Thank you for this.”

“It wasn’t a problem, my dear.” She reaches for my hands and gathers them between her own. “I’m sorry this is what it’s come to.”

“When Remington and I visited your shop last month, you told me I was going to have to make a painful decision, but I would know it’s the right choice to make.” I narrow my eyes at her. “You also told me two people were coming for me, one light and one dark, one good, one evil. That was obviously Ryker and Nicolai. Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know I was going to have to leave Ryker?”

Esme sighs, and her dark eyes look down. “I have the gift of sight and sometimes, the things I see are painful and heartbreaking. But I can’t interfere with fate.”

“You knew this was going to happen the whole time?” I pull my hands out of her grasp. “You could have done something to stop it!”

“No, I couldn’t have. I’ve seen many different versions of your life, Grey Thorne, and every time you end up right here—sacrificing yourself for the people you love. For the man you love.” She shakes her head. “I saw this very scene the first time your parents introduced me to you. You were only three, and even as an innocent toddler, I saw the darkness that would intertwine itself into your life.”

“What about after? What do you see after today?” I want to know what else my future holds, what kind of pain and sorrow I’m going to experience from Nicolai’s hands.

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “I’ve never been able to see past today. I’ve tried on many occasions, but every time the only thing I see is you leaving today. After that, it is just white—pure white.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I need to calm down—I need to be strong. “Did you bring what I asked you to bring?”

“Yes, I’ve got it right here.” She pulls a syringe out of her brightly patterned bag and hands it to me. “This has the same effects silver has on wolf shifters, but it will be much more powerful. It will make him unable to shift, and the paralytic I added will make it impossible to move.”

“Will he still be able to breathe?” I don’t want to cut his oxygen off, I just want to make it impossible for him to attack Nicolai or chase after us. The whole reason I’m doing this is to make sure Ryker stays alive. Nicolai warned me if Ryker still ends up attacking him, he’d have his enforcers dismember him and make me watch.

“It won’t affect his cardiovascular or respiratory systems,” she assures me.

“Okay.” I stare down at the syringe in my hand and feel tears build up in my eyes. I clear my throat and wipe them from my face. “This is really happening.”

“I’m afraid so.” Esme stands and gathers me in her arms. “I don’t need my gift of sight to know this isn’t the last time we’ll see each other.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I always am.”

33

Ryker

We arrive at the clearing before Nicolai and his men. I’m actually a little shocked by this. I figured they would have been here waiting for us. A couple other pack members met us here, adding to our numbers. The rules of a pack challenge are that only the two wolves fight, their pack members or allies are not allowed to fight each other before, during, or after the challenge. Once one of the challengers dies, the other wolves are to kneel to the victor. It’s to show acceptance of the fight, a promise of sorts that they won’t debate the results. And even though they shouldn’t end up fighting, it’s safer that more pack members are here.

We stand together on one side of the clearing watching the stars and moon disappear.

“Shouldn’t they be here by now?” Ransom asks as he bounces on his toes. We’re all feeling the anxiety of the situation and are all a little twitchy. I’ve been cracking my knuckles nonstop for the last twenty minutes.

“They should be here soon,” I tell him. We agreed on sunrise, and the light is just starting to peek over the tall pine trees.

“Do you think Remington is okay?” Ransom questions the group.

“She better be. Nicolai said he wouldn’t touch her,” I say. He had also said he would save all his touching for Pru, but I’m choosing not to think about what will happen if he gets his hands on her.

“Wait, stop talking!” Mom interjects. “I hear something.”

We all shut up and listen to our surroundings. The sound starts out low, but as it moves closer, the whirling sound gets louder. “Is that a…?” I trail off.

“It’s a helicopter,” Dad confirms with a nod.

A couple seconds later, a black helicopter comes into view. We have to put our hands over our faces, the strong wind making us all duck down and cover our eyes because the powerful spinning blades kick up all sorts of debris. In my head, I’ve tried to go through all the possibilities and scenarios of how today was going to play out, but not once did I factor in a helicopter.

The sound of large SUVs approaching draws our attention from the helicopter. Three black cars speed into the clearing, and ten or so men pile out of them. Their engines stay running, and the drivers stay put. It appears they’re planning for a fast getaway, and that concerns me.

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