Page 63 of The Wolf and the Chimera
The wolves chuckled, but I sobered. Power thrummed in the air and buzzed against my skin. When a warm hand clasped my shoulder, I jolted.
“Easy,” Ryder said. His gaze drifted to the waterfall and back to me. “So, where exactly is Circe’s Island?”
Water splashed, and Kieran and the other wolves stood at our sides.
“And, who’s Circe?” Melanie asked.
“I’ve heard that name before,” Bo said.
“She’s an ancient being who was exiled by the gods to her own dimension,” I answered.
Though the others shared cautious looks, Bo nodded.
“Some say she was the first witch,” he said.
“Many don’t know of her.” I studied the quiet, behemoth werewolf. “Part of her punishment was the erasure of her existence from the history books.”
Bo shrugged and smiled softly. “You’re not the only one who likes to sneak around the Sovereign’s library.”
“How do your parents know an exiled, ancient witch?” Melanie asked.
“Yeah,” Kieran added, “and should we really be knocking on her door?”
I sighed and gritted my teeth.
“I don’t know how they’re connected to her,” I admitted. “I only know that she promised them and myself a safe haven. Like many things, the situation’s details were kept from me.”
I stared into Ryder’s brilliant, amber gaze.
“You don’t have to come with me,” I said. “I know how foolish it sounds, but I can’t walk away. I just can’t.”
Ryder growled, and his eyes glittered with power that settled on my skin like a warm touch. Kieran and the other wolves squirmed in discomfort, but Ryder paid them no mind. He clasped my face with gentle hands and pressed a kiss onto my forehead.
“Where you go,” he repeated, “I go.”
“We’re coming too,” Kieran said.
I started, but the wolves’ faces were lined with grim determination.
“Ripples are dangerous,” I argued. “This whole idea is dangerous! I don’t know what exactly we will be walking into. I can’t ask you to follow us—”
“You didn’t ask,” Bo interjected and crossed his burly arms. “Doesn’t mean we’re not coming with you.”
Panic welled in my chest. Risking Ryder’s life was frightening enough—I couldn’t risk their lives too.
“No,” Ryder ordered. “Not only are we going to some mystical island across dimensions, but you three can’t risk the wrath of the Sovereign. I doubt he would permit this little excursion.”
“Which is why we have to follow you,” Melanie argued. “We have to do everything in our power to stop you from leaving, which will get us sucked into the ripple in the process.”
“Exactly,” Kieran agreed.
Ryder fumbled for a response, and I shook my head. “It’s too dangerous—”
“You’re my brother’s mate,” Kieran said. Emotion pooled in his forest green eyes, “which makes you and your family pack—pack sticks together. We’re going with you.”
My throat clogged, and tears burned my eyes.
Was this what it was like? Having friends? Having a pack?
