Page 1 of Wolf Touched

CHAPTER ONE

My heart squeezed, and fear clawed inside my chest. I stood under the partially covered moon in the woods right outside the women’s apartments at Evergreen Elite University. My wolf howled in my head as she inched forward, wanting to be released.

The question I’d asked Octavia, the blonde-haired woman standing before me, hung thickly between us.

A question so simple but one she struggled to answer.

Are you my biological mother?

Silence blanketed the air. We were only feet apart, but with emotions strangling me, the distance felt like miles.

My blood jolted, and I could easily read her emotions, with one being the most dominant.

Fear.

“It’s complicated.” She licked her lips, and her brown eyes widened as she took in the mountainous outskirts of Portland, Oregon, surrounding us. “And I don’t have time to explain, not after the earthquake you caused. The nearby coven members will know where you are.”

Raffe wrapped an arm around my waist, anchoring meto him. Our fated-mate bond buzzed to life, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. His ice-blue eyes narrowed, and his jaw was set.

I’d never be alone again. There was no question that Raffe would always be at my side.

“It’s a yes or no answer, but this woman has a point,” he sneered, his disgust swirling so heavy within him that I shivered. “We need to move.”

Here was the thing. Her nonanswer confirmed that, even if she wasn’t my mother, she knew who she was, and she had chosen to leave me alone in this world without any knowledge or guidance about my powers. Going along with someone else’s poor decisions was as bad as making your own. I’d learned that the hard way while being bullied my entire life until I came to EEU and began to learn about myself.

I laughed humorlessly. “You know what? Forget I asked.” I waved a hand, eager to get away from her. “The answer won’t change the past.” I’d wanted answers, but now that they were possibly here, I wasn’t sure they mattered. I now had a pack, friends, and family.

Raffe tugged me behind him and stood between me and Octavia. With his six-and-a-half-foot frame, he easily blocked me, and his rage was so hot that it had to be palpable even to her. “I knew something wasn’t right withyou.” His voice lowered so it sounded more animal than human. Dark fur that matched his hair sprouted along his arms, indicating that his shift was near. “This ends—”

“Wait,” I interjected, placing my hand on his back. With my palm on his bare skin, our fated-mate connection buzzed harder. “She’s not a witch.” I still didn’t understand what that meant. She barely had any power, but the faint traces within her felt exactly like mine.

What do you mean?Raffe’s jaw popped.You said something was wrong, and it was like you couldn’t let go.

“She’s human, but my blood recognizes something inside her,” I said out loud, hoping she would interject and clarify things for me. “It’s like she’s also arcane-born, though I can only feel a faint echo of power. She’s a little more than human.”

“My power was never activated, but I carry the genes.” Octavia rubbed her hands together. “And I’ve never experienced anything like that before. For a moment, I swore my blood jarred.”

I’m approaching,Lucy connected to us.Don’t attack me or anything.

With all the chaos, I didn’t blame her. Between Dave, Josie, Octavia, and King Jovian, I feared we were all about to lose our damn minds. There were too many active threats and strange occurrences going on at one time.

King Jovian had gotten Raffe and me to follow him into the woods for an unpleasant discussion. The last time I’d gone into the woods like that, a coven member had created a barrier to separate me from Raffe and the others, and three Eastern wolf shifters had attacked me. Raffe suspected his dad might be behind the attack.

I’ll get Josie’s clothes while you shift,I said to Lucy as I glanced at Josie. She was sweating even more, her bronze complexion pale from how much blood she’d allowed Dave to drink from her. Even her long, wavy dark hair seemed more limp. We needed to get her inside and fed and hydrated as soon as possible.

Surprisingly, Dave didn’t appear worse off despite drinking wolf blood, which was supposed to be deadly to vampires.

I didn’thesitate, marching past Raffe and nearing Octavia, heading into the woods.

“Hey, where are you going?” Octavia asked, pivoting to block me.

My wolf inched forward and snarled, echoing through my head. “I’m getting my friend’s clothes so we can take her someplace safe.”

“You don’t need to leave.” She shook her head, the warmth in her eyes fading. “Someone could be out there, waiting to attack. You need to stay here with people who’ll protect you.”

Laughter bubbled from deep within my chest. “First off, you have no authority over what I do and don’t do, and second, Josie has lost a lot of blood. We need to stabilize her.”

Raffe’s rage cooled into icy tendrils of concern.Keith, keep an eye out for threats while we get ready to move Josie, and so Dave can recover enough to provide answers before he succumbs to his injuries. Lucy, shift and bring Josie her clothes. I can’t risk Sky leaving my side.

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