Page 63 of Wolf Queen Ruin
Damien lowered the binoculars, his attention shifting to something in the distance, his entire body going still in that distinctive way predators do when they sense something wrong.
“What is it?”I asked, immediately alert.
“There’s someone else out there.Not with Marcel’s team.”His voice was low, almost a growl.
He handed me the binoculars and directed my gaze to a flash of movement almost at the limit of visibility.A solitary figure moved parallel to Marcel’s group but kept to deeper cover.
“Human?”I asked, trying to make out details.
“No.”The single word carried weight, his jaw tightening.“I can smell him from here.Male.Shifter.”
“Fuck me withallthe razors,“ I hissed.
His eyebrow arched.“Friend of yours, you think?”
The question carried a dangerous undercurrent, possessive rather than merely curious.
I snorted.“I’m not exactly popular with shifters these days, remember?”
The distant figure disappeared into the foliage before I could identify more than a general impression.He moved with the distinctive efficiency of a practiced hunter.Not someone randomly encountered in one of the world’s most dangerous places.
“Our path grows increasingly crowded,” Damien said, his hand coming to rest at the small of my back as he guided me away from our exposed position.
The gesture seemed both protective and possessive, his fingers splaying slightly against my spine.
Despite the powerful tingle of his cool touch, I refolded the map with a growing sense of unease.“We need to reach the crypt first.Whatever’s waiting there, I’d rather face it before Marcel’s mercenaries or that mystery shifter joins the party.”
We resumed our journey, pushing deeper into territory that felt increasingly alive with watchful awareness.The sensation of being watched came not just from our human and supernatural rivals, but from the jungle itself, as if the Wolf Queen’s domain recognized our intrusion and was deciding whether to tolerate our presence further.
With each step, the weight of what awaited us grew heavier, along with the certainty that we weren’t the only ones racing toward a prize whose true nature remained buried in ancient secrets.
“Allthe razors, Luna?“ Damien asked with a small, teasing smile that transformed his severe features.
I snorted a laugh.“Allof them.I don’t half-ass anything.”
His steady gaze prickled heat along my skin that had nothing to do with the dense jungle, his blue eyes darkening as they held mine.“I’m beginning to see that.”
Chapter nineteen
Luna
Thenextday,wefinally made it.
The jungle opened abruptly into a small clearing dominated by a single colossal ceiba tree, larger than any I’d ever seen, its massive trunk wider than a bus, roots sprawling outward like the tentacles of some ancient behemoth.Thick vines and parasitic growth covered much of its surface, but even that couldn’t disguise its unnatural perfection.It was too symmetrical, too imposing to be purely the work of nature.
“This is it,” I breathed.“The crypt entrance will most likely be underneath.”
Beside me, Damien surveyed the clearing, his eyes tracking the enormous buttress roots that disappeared into the earth.His posture shifted subtly, and he widened his stance as though claiming the space around us.
“Stay close,” he commanded, not looking at me.“It feels strange here.”
As if on cue, the usual cacophony of wildlife sounds diminished, creating a pocket of unnatural silence that made the hair on my neck stand up.I wasn’t about to argue with his assessment.
We approached cautiously.The afternoon sun filtered through the dense canopy high overhead, casting the clearing in a greenish twilight despite the midday hour.
“Look.”I pointed to markings carved into the trunk and root system, ancient runes partially obscured by moss and lichen.“Shifter script.”
Damien studied the symbols.“Can you read it?”
