Curse of the Wolf King - Tessonja Odette Page 0,16

arms outstretched to the sides, warding them away, although it isn’t much of a defense. All it means is they might eat my arms first. And for the love of all things holy, I don’t want any part of me eaten.

Sweat coats my brow as I whip my head side to side, trying not to let any of the wolves out of my sight for more than a second as they continue to circle me, snarling, growling, and baring their impossibly sharp teeth. My heart beats so hard, I fear it might explode. Perhaps that would be a mercy compared to what these wolves are about to do.

I have but one hope left. “Help!” I shout at the top of my lungs. If thirty-three Whitespruce Lane is somewhere at the end of this path, then someone on the premises might hear me. “Help!” I call again, but the wolves only growl louder. Then suddenly, they stop.

The first one I saw, the shaggy brown, lowers its head, legs staggered, one paw curled under and lifted as if preparing to leap for an attack.

I call for help one more time, but the words dry in my throat.

The wolf leaps for me.

I scream, squeezing my eyes shut as I shield my face.

And…the attack doesn’t come. The snarls continue, but they’re mingled with sounds of commotion. I dare to open my eyes and find a fourth wolf—just as enormous as the others but with snow-white fur—has tackled the shaggy brown and is locked in combat off to the side of the path. The two other wolves watch the battle, pacing anxiously, ears pressed close to their skulls.

This is my chance to flee.

I turn and take off toward the main road, but a flash of brown darts before me. Another wolf blocks my path, this one smaller than the others, but still just as angry, teeth bared as it closes in on me. Three more small wolves leap from the underbrush and onto the path. I whirl back around and find the fighting has cleared away from the trail and sounds of combat have died down. The three larger wolves remain, however, eyes locked on me as they too begin to approach.

No, not again.

An ear-shattering growl rips through the air, and I turn toward it. From behind the group of small wolves stands the white wolf, hackles raised. It lets out a booming bark, making me nearly jump out of my skin. But it isn’t barking at me. It’s barking at the other wolves.

The small ones are the first to flee, scurrying off the trail and out of sight. Another bark sends the large ones darting after them, tails between their legs.

The white wolf—a male—locks his gaze with mine, his eyes a startling shade of dark ruby. Then a voice reaches my ears, deep and gravelly. “It seems I have saved you.”

The wolf didn’t open his mouth to speak, but I know the words somehow came from him. I shudder with an inner chill. So, this must be a fae wolf. “I…thank you,” I say through chattering teeth.

“Your gratitude is understandable,” he says, padding a few feet closer. The movement is less graceful than that of the other wolves, a slight hobble to his steps. “If the wolves had tried to eat you, you would not have survived.”

I have no doubts he’s right, but I can’t bring myself to speak. It’s taking everything in me to remain on my feet. He pads even closer, and I take a few stumbling steps away. The wolf fae may have saved me, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe.

The wolf speaks again. “Fae aren’t required to intervene where humans are concerned. Doing so can risk our lives.”

I nod, the motion jarring and shaky. “I understand what you’ve done for me, and I appreciate it,” I manage to bite out.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the wolf is now smiling. “Ah, yes. I have done a brave thing, have I not? So very brave and dangerous. You must be…overwhelmed with shock that you are still alive.”

Okay, what is he getting at? I narrow my eyes. “I am.”

“So overwhelmed. So grateful. You must be feeling like you owe me your life.”

My blood goes cold, his words chilling me. They reek far too much of the fae bargains I’ve heard about. The kind I thought were too fantastic to be real. Trying to recall everything I’ve heard in stories and legend, I choose my next words with care. “I feel