Page 56 of Rogue Wolf

Because she might go on a killing spree? Her eyes widened as a wave of fear hurtled through her. That sounded like something the vampires would want.

But that was all the more reason to act quickly. The vampires had to be stopped, and the pack needed to turn her as soon as possible. No way could they wait until the full moon. Surely even inactive shifter genes would make it possible for Kodiak to change her as soon as possible.

Eager to find more information, she worked through Ash’s search history and added to it. But nothing else Tamaska found seemed remotely helpful.

On a whim, she typed Blood Opal in the human ancestry website to see what would come up. Maybe someone had added supplementary information about their family’s property or valuables.

Tamaska brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped.

The Blood Opal had been sold around the same time her great-grandparents arrived in Australia. Someone had uploaded an old hand-written receipt to her family tree’s history, and underneath the word seller, Tamaska could just make out the name Brown.

Fuck. It would be worth millions. If only they hadn’t sold it.

She lay back on the bed, hands on her head. Information whirled through her mind, trying to connect like puzzle pieces.

They’d probably sold it because they’d needed the money when they arrived in their new country. But more questions began to haunt her.

Had they forgotten the gem’s true value within their family, that they needed it to activate their descendants’ wolf genes? Or were they trying to keep it away from somebody else?

And was that someone else a vampire?

CHAPTER 14

Kodiak

It was hard to walk away from Tamaska’s swearing and demands, especially when he had no explanation to offer for his actions other than his duty to the pack. To him it made perfect sense, it was how things were done and even if he wanted to change it now wasn’t the time. He couldn’t ignore his responsibilities.

Why couldn’t he bring himself to explain that to her? Maybe it was because she wasn’t yet a wolf and might never be. Or maybe he simply wasn’t used to explaining things that were so obvious to him. So ingrained.

But maybe it was something else. Something deeper, harder to put into words.

Because he knew, if he had stayed much longer with her in the hut, he’d never have been able to leave her. If he‘d done that instead of spending the night with the pack, he’d miss the opportunity to solidify his position.

That wasn’t ego. It was real. An alpha solidified on a solemn and important night like tonight. Especially after everything that had happened. And with one wolf looking to climb the ladder into a command position.

He needed to show his strength.

It was vital.

And something Tamaska didn’t get. Couldn’t. Not even if he spent hours explaining. And he wouldn’t have. He’d have ended up fucking her.

In wolf form, Kodiak roamed for hours with the pack, hunting and even playing in the Australian bushland. The sharp eucalyptus scent refreshed him along with the earthy smells of soil and his packmates. Each smell mingled with the metallic scent of blood from their kills.

That time was necessary for Kodiak so he could exert his new power as alpha in wolf form. The pack needed to shift their pecking order to adjust to their new leader. Once that was done, they would be in a better place to take on the vampires.

Naturally, a few younger wolves wanted to test Kodiak’s boundaries with some minor brawls. He surprised himself by easily putting the pups back in their place like a pat on the head or a fatherly bite of reproval, using the years of experience and preparation Olcan had given him.

Like Olcan had done to him and countless others. He looked heavenward and thanked the old Alpha.

Moki kept his distance, which suited Kodiak. Still, it also made him warier. It almost would have been better if Moki had challenged Kodiak openly at the ceremony There were rules with that, and they would’ve gotten it over with. It seemed like Moki wanted a fight, so it would probably happen at some point.

With him it would be wrong, not so with the others. But it troubled him. Much as the distraction of Tamaska’s protest troubled Kodiak, even in wolf form. Her boiling anger and sheer frustration lingered in his mind.

Even from a distance, he sensed her anger. It was as if their bond had gone on steroids after the ceremony and his transformation into wolf form. He had no idea why the bond would be even stronger after that. Tamaska was angrier with him than ever, which should have damaged their bond. Such destructive emotions had the potential to tear apart even the strongest bonds, one thread at a time.

Though now she’d settled, the anger and hurt still lingered beneath the surface.

A young female nuzzled Kodiak, which pushed him out of his head and back to reality. Even though he stood in wolf form, he’d retained a strong connection to his human form. He could only do that because of the pure shifter blood that ran through his veins, through the entire pack.

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