Page 76 of Wolf's Reckoning
“It’ll be a welcome change,” I said and saw Killian’s fake outrage, but I left him, tapping my back pocket because adruid was waiting for me, and while I wasn’t rushing, I sure as shit wasn’t getting on their bad side. Not yet.
Brand, Cody, and Axel are on their way,I told him.They’ll need somewhere to stay while they’re here.
Already found something, he told me smugly.
The druid waited in their tent, where the walls were covered with old glyphs and the air smelled of crushed herbs and smoldering ash. They sat like they’d been there forever, cross-legged before the flame bowl in the center of the room, smoke curling around them like it answered only to their breath.
“AlphaWolfe,” they greeted me without looking up. “You arrived with blood on your boots, temper in your veins. Now you sit with bone on your shoulders. Do you understand the weight you’ve taken?”
I stepped forward, ignoring the seating cushion across from them. I stood. I wanted them to look up. “Better than most,” I said. “You’ve got questions for me?”
“No,” the druid replied, lifting their gaze. “You already know the answers—and you’re hoping I’ll say them first.”
Clever bastard.
They reached for the fire bowl, fingers hovering over the smoke, drawing symbols I couldn’t read. “Rowen is the daughter of this pack. You’ve taken her in bond. Claimed a place that was never yours by birth.”
“No one is more surprised than me,” I said dryly. “You were there when it happened.”
The druid gave a small, knowing smile. “You came here because you think the Hollow will bleed. You haven’t even seen it wounded.”
“I’ve seen enough.”
“You’ve seen enough to know the pack is fractured. Split down the spine between old ways and survival. Your presence is a blade in both directions.”
“I’m not here to please everyone,” I said flatly. “Being popular isn’t my goal.”
“No,” they murmured. “You’re here for something else.”
They finally gestured to the seat across from them. I didn’t take it. “Rowen will need more than bloodlines and fire to survive what’s coming,” the druid said. “She will need you to be more than the wolf with the sharpest bite.”
“She doesn’t need me at all,” I said, eyes narrowing. “What she needed was for everyone outside of this pack to stop seeing her as something more than a birthing canal. I give her that.”
“Ah,” the druid said, sitting back, looking strangely satisfied. “And what doyouneed fromher, Alpha?”
I didn’t answer. Because that question had more claws than thorns. Instead, I turned toward the smoke bowl, watching the curl of ash rise and scatter. “What I need is Blueridge Hollow prepared,” I told them, “for whatever’s coming next.”
The druid gave a low hum. Approval? Warning? I didn’t care.
They reached for a clay jar at their side and tossed a pinch of dark powder into the flames. The smoke flared green, then gold. The scent was sharp and ancient. It clung to my tongue.
“You’ve lit the hearth,” they said. “Now keep it burning. Or everything you’ve claimed will turn to cinder.”
I stared at the flame. “I don’t plan to burn,” I said. “Iwillconsume if I need.” I held their stare. “Remember that,and next time, call me for more than riddles and light shows. I’m busy.”
I walked out, not waiting for permission to leave, because I had no time for their crap and vague warnings.
The druid was a powerful figure, but they didn’t run a pack. They didn’tbuilda pack. I would make something real here—with claw, strategy, and a pack who knew where their loyalty belonged.
With me.
Chapter 19
Rowen
I hadn’t meantto go looking for him.
Honestly, I’d meant to avoid him entirely. Let the silence stretch long enough for both of us to forget the truce after the wedding and the fact that I’d kept to my rooms for almost two days.
