Page 38 of The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
“Run, witch,” Victoria commanded. “I’ll give you a head start before I hunt you down and destroy you. I’ll leave you as nothing but a mangled carcass for Grayson to discover.” Her eyes narrowed and her lips spread into a malevolent grin. “He won’t want to touch you then, slut.”
* * *
The wind whippedat her face as Aurora ran back toward Franconia territory, hampered by the snow. She sank with each step of her boot, forcing her to keep from sprinting at the speed she so urgently strove to achieve. The slow trek could mean death.
Who was she kidding? Death was likely inevitable. Victoria flashed those talons not as a warning, but to stoke fear. She was playing with her prey before she tracked it.
And killed it? Aurora swallowed the icy shards in her throat. Terror would hamper her ability to think—and what she needed to do was find a way to survive.
When she faced three shifters intent to kill, adrenaline spurred her to choose flight over fight. Numbers weren’t on her side.
How much time did she have before Victoria caught up to her? Would Kane and Lars pursue with her, or let her savor the hunt on her own?
Fear and frustration clawed at her insides. Coming to the mountains to deal with quarreling wolf packs was a mistake—hopefully not a fatal one.
The sound of footsteps behind her sent a surge of dread within. She ran—or rather stumbled across pack land.
It wasn’t fast enough. She needed magic to help her. She invoked the element of the wind.
A cool breeze brushed along her back. She encouraged it to grow. Soon the wind stirred with more power behind her and around her feet. She no longer stumbled in the snow, but almost glided on top of it, almost as if she was ice skating.
“Grayson!” She called out. He said he’d be waiting on the border, but that was still so far away. Too far for him to hear her?
She glanced over her shoulder. A light gray wolf, barely visible against all the white, kicked up snow as she chased Aurora.
She called the wind once more.Please project my voice.
The magic filled her. She took a deep breath.
“Grayson,” she screamed his name. “Help!”
Chapter 11
Grayson
Did he hear something? Grayson stopped pacing and listened closer.
It was a woman calling for help—she was calling his name.
Aurora.
All the hair on the back of his neck rose. He peered across the snow. There she was, a tiny figure, rushing toward him. The way she moved seemed strange, almost like she was floating across the snowy plain.
He shifted to wolf form without hesitation, destroying his clothes in the process, and bounded across the border line. A flash of the irony flickered in his mind—this is what had started off the problems with the Sacco pack as Damon had trespassed into their territory to rescue his mate. Now here he was, doing the same.
Another figure appeared behind Aurora. A wolf. It was chasing her.
The damn Saccos. Grayson would tear them to shreds before letting them touch Aurora.
When Aurora saw him running in her direction in wolf form, she gasped. He didn’t have time to shift and explain who he was. Instead, he ran past to prevent the wolf from reaching her.
Only it wasn’t a Sacco wolf he faced, it was a Franconia one.
Victoria.
He slowed his pace as he approached her with trepidation. She was on Sacco land pursuing Aurora. None of this was good. At least Aurora was on her way back to safety as she approached the border.
Victoria, what are you doing?He communicated.
