Page 36 of The Alpha Dire Wolf
I shrugged.
“BS.” She licked her lips, her eyes pinning me to the spot. “Areyouthe curse of the woods?”
“Absolutelynot,” I said sharply, anger coloring my tone at the unexpected insinuation.
My people protected the woods. That was our duty. The woods and those around it, like the town. If anyone was some “curse of the woods,” it was her.
Though I dared not say that. Not out here, alone. If I was wrong about Sylvie being completely ignorant of her powers, challenging her to a fight was not something I wanted to do, alpha bloodline or not. The power she possessed—whether she knew it or not—was significant.
Sylvie did not back down at my response, though she took a second or three to reply, “If you’re so sure you’re not the curse, tell me something else, stranger. Are you the guardian?”
I forced my eyebrows to raise in unspoken question. Mostly because I did not trust myself to speak. Hopefully, she would mistake my surprise for confusion until I could get a better hold of myself.
Where had she heardthatterm? It was not one spoken of lightly or often. I had barely heard of it, outside of legends of the past.
“The guardian?” I said into the silence that yawned before us, with Sylvie not electing to keep speaking.
“Of-of the woods,” she said, going red. “I read about it. Somewhere. Never mind.”
Now where would she have read about it? There were few options, and one in particular jumped out quite clearly. Her grandmother.
“I’m sure you did,” I said, too deep in thought to properly enjoy her embarrassment.
If her grandmother had told her about the guardian, I had to wonder whatelsethe old witch might have told her.
Thoughts of Sylvie’s ignorance to all the goings-on diminished greatly. I had to find out what else she knew. Somehow.
“Well, are you him?” she pressed, overcoming the embarrassment with such sudden intensity that I was forced to backtrack. Had she faked it to lure me in?
“I am Lincoln,” I said. “I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you want.”
“Hello, Lincoln. I’m Sylvie.” She lifted her hand.
I didn’t take it. “I don’t want to hurt you again. Static electricity and all that.”
“Right,” she said, dropping her hand.
If she was in full control of her powers, I didn’t want to give her another way in. The surprise she’d shown on that first contact suggested she wasn’t that strong. But I shouldn’t take chances just yet. Though there wasn’t alickof magic to be scented on her. Invisible magic … was that a thing? I made note to ask the elders.
Regardless, her ancestors had tried to take everything from my people, so I could not be too careful. Not right now, with the very thin line I was walking.
And what a line it was. On the one side, my pack and its needs and desires to stay away from the woman, to prevent her from acting against us.
On the other side, the very tempting allure to treat her as just that, awoman, and take her. Claim her. Have her at my side and under me in the throes of heated passion, her lips on my ear, screaming my name as Itookher.
That was the line I walked, trying hard to balance without tipping over, even as I leaned far to the side. The scent of Sylvie, the cinnamon and lavender combination, was driving me crazy the longer I spent in close proximity to her.
Perhaps it is time to exit the situation before it gets too intense. Before you make a mistake.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “You don’t live in town anymore.”
She searched my face in surprise. “You know who I am?”
“I know you’re Helen’s granddaughter.”
Perhaps it was too much to give away, but I watched her face closely for anything other than surprise. Anger, fear, hate, malice. I detected none of it.
“That’s true. If you know that, you know I came back for her funeral. I need to take care of a few other things while I’m here. She was all I had left.”
