Page 95 of Halfblood Deceived

Only he seemed to be on her side for some bizarre reason.

The wolf positioned himself in front of Aella, the fur over his spine standing on end as he let out a growl that seemed to shake the trees.

It should have made Aella tremble with fear, but she was strangely not scared.

The brown wolves growled back but lowered their ears and backed down, clearly terrified.

The black wolf took two menacing steps toward them, growling again. His front paws dug into the ground, leaving behind impressive grooves with even more impressive claws.

The brown wolves pelted away so fast that Aella’s eyes barely tracked them as they vanished into the forest.

The black wolf kept his stiff, battle-ready posture for half a minute. When his shoulders relaxed and he very slowly turned to face Aella, she felt her own body settling down.

The wolf had green eyes. Even in the still mostly dark forest, those eyes glowed like jewels, casting soft illumination. He was almost completely immobile, only his chest moving as he breathed. His exhalations leaked heat into Aella’s cold body.

“Thanks for that,” she said, voice nearly inaudible. “Unless you were scaring them away so you could eat me yourself.”

The wolf immediately backed down, something like indignation on his canine face and expressive green eyes.

“Because if that was the case, you are being a bit selfish,” Aella continued babbling. “There is definitely enough here for three wolves.”

He blinked at her.

She blinked at herself.

Had she just made a joke?

And even worse, an awful joke about becoming wolf-breakfast?

Terrible or not, that was the first time she had joked in… God, she had no idea how long.

The wolf’s lips twitched slightly, not menacingly but in the approximation of a half smile.

Aella appreciated his appreciation of her pathetic attempt at humor. “I should go back to my sister’s home. That’s where I’m staying.”

The wolf slowly moved to stand beside her, looking toward where Aella believed she could find the way back to the road.

“You want to escort me?” Aella asked.

He met her gaze, then moved his eyes toward the trees again with obvious intention.

Aella straightened and unstuck her back from the tree. “Alright, let’s go then.”

He led the way back, staying close enough to her side to share his body heat with her, but didn’t touch her.

“I wonder why they tried to eat me,” Aella mused aloud. “Isn’t eating people forbidden in Darkwood? Also, my sister told me most werewolves think eating people is an aberration and that it will get them condemned to death in this city.”

The wolf stopped.

“What?” Aella asked, halting along with him.

He gradually, so slowly it could have been in slow motion, leaned closer to her and sniffed her shoulder.

Aella frowned and sniffed under her arm. She had showered earlier that night, and despite the run and the adrenaline, she hadn’t perspired. “I don’t smell—” She cut the sentence, tempted to hit her head against the nearest tree. “I smell like a gargoyle.”

The wolf blinked at her.

Aella sighed. “Note to self: wear the perfume my sister gave me before leaving the house.”

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