Page 34 of Winning the Wolf

His throat bobbed and he looked away, his eyes glassing over for a second. It didn’t last long, but that short moment of compassion was enough to give me hope. He had hardened in the few days since his parents had been killed and rightly so. I just hoped I could somehow break through that tough exterior in order to save my sister’s life.

“We’ll go alone, but you’ll listen to me and do everything I say, even if we find her. Do you understand?”

His energy lifted, his eyes alert and shoulders high. He was ready to get to the bottom of everything, just as I was. I wanted the nightmare to end. I just prayed to the wolf spirit that it wouldn’t be with my sister’s demise.

“I’m fine with that. I just want her back.”

“That might not happen.” Setting off, he typed a message. “How do you know where she is?”

Swallowing, I followed him, the nervous excitement of a hunt sending adrenaline through me. Killick might have been my alpha, but I had to treat him as my brother’s friend. As the man who had teased me and my sister relentlessly when we were young. As the boy who had run and laughed with my brother, until they both almost wet themselves. That was the Killick I had to trust.

“I asked a witch to use my blood and do a location spell. My DNA is a close match to Nyla’s, meaning she was able to track her. I’ve the location on my phone.”

Killick glanced over his shoulder. “So that’s why you were carrying it in your mouth.”

The contradictory behaviour of my emotions was giving me whiplash. I had to make a choice whether to work with Killick or against him.

“Are you going to kill her on sight?” My sharp question made him spin to look at me.

“Larissa,” he started. “We have to get her back to know what the fuck went down.”

“You just said that I might not get her back.”

His steps towards me were so quick, I almost stumbled, only just righting myself when he reached me. His face came close to mine, his jaw tight. “You’re now hindering my search for a criminal. I’ve agreed to let you come, I’ve even told you that she’ll be questioned. However, I cannot guarantee that you’ll get her back. The pack law is binding, just like the oath we pledged a moment ago.”

“Stupid oath,” I muttered, widening my eyes when his angry breath fanned over my face.

“Shall we just get on with it?”

The buzz of the phone made us both jump away from one another. He checked the message while I glanced around, searching for the Northern Star.

“This way,” he said, looking at the map on my phone and pointing towards a cluster of trees.

Setting off into a run, he didn’t wait to see if I would follow. I didn’t hesitate, too ready to find my sister to even contemplate letting him go ahead without me.

The brush of wind that moved my hair sent a chill down my spine. Maybe we’d finally get the answers we were looking for. Maybe my sister would somehow be innocent of her crimes.

As we ran, our instincts took over. The grass whipped our legs and the dew soaked my feet, trying to drag me back. On a normal Mating Bonds night, we should’ve joined the pack to celebrate. However, this wasn’t a normal night.

Checking my phone again, Killick guided us across the grassy fields. My breath panted and my calf muscles ached, but as we drew nearer to the Dusk Moon Pack lands, I pushed on, despite having no energy.

“Keep your wits about you,” Killick muttered when a line of trees appeared on the horizon.

We hadn’t changed into wolves for two reasons. We didn’t want our pack to follow our scent, which was always stronger in wolf form. And we also didn’t want the other pack to know we were coming. Our human scent, although obvious to another wolf, would still be easier to hide than our wolf aroma.

“It’s not far,” I replied, sniffing the air. “I can smell the change in the air.”

An overwhelming dizziness swirled my head as Killick’s enticing scent engulfed me. I couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at him as he double checked the co-ordinates on my phone. I’d just had sex with the alpha, our bodies pressing and melding together, and here we were, ignoring the big fat desire in front of us, as if it hadn’t happened.

His gaze slipped to mine from under his lashes. Could he feel me as much as I felt him? Would our connection become a hindrance to our current mission?

“Let’s go.”

We set off again, ducking through a clump of trees where the rustle of the badgers and the silence of the birds reminded me that we were hunting my sister in the middle of the night. At least there wouldn’t be a heavy presence of wolves from the Dusk Moon Pack. Hopefully.

“Wait,” I whispered, my boots skidding to a stop. “I can sense her.”

“Sense her or scent her?” Killick muttered under his breath when he turned back to me.

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