Page 9 of A Reign of Malice
When the transformation is complete, I’m on all fours, the soft pads of my paws pressing into the cool earth. My wolf stretches, shaking out the tensions she’s been holding onto. I expect her to take off toward the forest, to run as far and as fast as she can from the castle and its many burdens.
But she doesn’t.
Instead, she turns back toward our new home, her ears pricked and hackles rising.
I try to guide her away, to urge her toward the trees and the freedom they promise, but my attempts are ignored.
Where the hell are we going?
CHAPTER FIVE
SLOANE
The night air bites through my fur, the twin moons lighting our way across the expansive castle grounds. My wolf’s breath comes in steady puffs, her focus sharp and unrelenting as she drives us forward with an urgency I can’t shake.
What are you doing?I push the question toward her, but she offers no response.
Our paws press firmly into the earth, the cool soil somehow calming me even as my pulse quickens. We move silently through the shadows, skirting the edge of the forest before cutting back toward the castle. Every instinct I have screams that we should be heading away from the imposing structure, not toward it. But my wolf doesn’t hesitate.
What is it? What are you sensing?
Still, she gives me no hints at an answer, but her unease bleeds into me like a cold current. A low growl reverberates in her chest, vibrating through my body as I fight the rising tide of my own tension. I relinquished control willingly, trusting her instincts, but now I wonder if I’ve made a mistake.
Her ears swivel as we round the corner of the castle, its towering walls standing like silent sentinels against the moonlit sky. Shadows pool in the nooks and crannies of the stone, the silver light of the sky barely piercing the dense foliage clinging to its surface.
She barrels toward the wall, her speed unyielding. For a heart-stopping moment, I’m certain she’s about to collide with the hard surface, her momentum too great to stop. My alpha power surges instinctively to the forefront.
Stop!My command echoes in her mind, firm and resolute.
Her muscles seize mid-stride, and the tension in her frame becomes nearly unbearable.
She lifts a paw hesitantly, trembling with restrained energy, but I’ve taken control now.
That’s enough.My voice softens, though my frustration remains. I know you can’t speak to me, but you can at least give me some direction here.
Her response is nothing more than a low whimper, her will pressing against mine as she continues to fight me, her desperation tangible.
Is there something near that wall you need?I ask, forcing patience into my tone.
In over three centuries of living as one, she’s never behaved this way. This urgency, this raw intensity is foreign to us both. Whatever she’s sensing, it’s unlike anything we’ve encountered before.
She dips her head, a small, deliberate nod.
Fine.I ease my hold on her just enough to allow her to move again. Proceed. Carefully.
The growl that rumbles in her chest feels more determined than defiant, and she stalks forward, her movements slow and cautious. Her nose twitches, earsflicking at every sound, her senses tuned to something I can’t yet perceive.
Until I do.
It’s faint at first, but there’s a ripple in the air, subtle yet unmistakable. As we inch closer, it grows stronger, an invisible pulse radiating from the castle wall. This isn’t just power; whatever this force is, it’s alive, humming with an energy that prickles along my skin.
The sensation is suffocating, like standing too close to a storm about to break. My breath catches in my throat as my wolf creeps closer.
We reach the bushes first, thick with ivy and shrubs. To any other eyes, it would seem unremarkable—a patch of overgrowth clinging stubbornly to the stone. But my wolf doesn’t waver. She burrows her snout into the foliage, shaking her head until the leaves part and the wall is exposed.
The energy strengthens.
It thrums against my chest, a low, steady beat that resonates deep within me. My heart races in tandem, the rhythm erratic. Frantic. The air is thick here, weighted with a potency that feels almost conscious, as though the wall itself is watching us.
