thought she’d be scared, might run screaming for the hills. But she didn’t.
If anything, she regained that strange stillness that put me on edge while making me wonder what she was sensing that I couldn’t.
Her omega senses were definitely on the rampage today, especially if my alpha ones weren’t picking up on things.
Of course, I was cockblocked.
By myself.
So wrapped up in her that I was being a dumbass.
Shameful, really. My only defense was that after an adulthood of following the rules, I just wanted to live a little.
And if you couldn’t live a little when you’d just claimed your mate, when you’d taken a staycation in some other goddamn realm, then when the hell could you?
Still, it seemed like I’d gotten my wish.
Playtime was over, and our challenge was around the corner.
She’d already explained to me that she believed we were being tested, and seeing the difference in her, seeing how she’d changed from the time we’d entered the circle to this strong creature standing beside me, I had to admit, it was for the better.
I was impressed as hell, but also in awe of her. She was special, and she didn’t even know it.
They said that, every now and then, an omega would come along and change her pack for the better.
Usually, she was a gift from the Mother after too many years of lackluster alphas and omegas, who weren’t up to par.
I’d just never thought that such a creature would be my mate.
I placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Can you sense something I can’t?” I paused to listen. “What is it? Thirty of them?”
She tipped her head to the side, her eyes closed. “Yes. I can hear their heartbeats.”
I grunted. “That’s a large pack.”
“I don’t think they mean any harm.”
The insane thing was, I agreed. They weren’t prowling toward us, trying to be sneaky. If anything, they were just traveling toward us.
Coming nearer and nearer.
The question was, why?
Why were they doing that?
I rubbed my chin, uncertain as to whether I should shift or not. I wasn’t getting a dangerous vibe from them, but thirty wolves? No way could I protect her from that number unless we started to hurry away—
“We need to get out of here.” I grabbed her arm and tugged her forward, but she dragged me back, refusing to move another inch.
“No. We need to stay. This is important.”
“How do you know that? I can’t hold off a pack that large. You know I can’t.”
“They’re not here to cause us harm,” she countered, and she sounded so sure that I almost wanted to believe her.
“They must be seeking vengeance.”
“Animals don’t do that,” she said on a huff.
I snorted. “You’d be surprised what animals do when backed into a corner, sweetheart. You’ve taken over this land, your mate killed some of their pack, and so did you—with bullets. Wolves aren’t stupid. They’re far smarter than you could ever realize, because the Mother gives them those talents.
“Are you really sure you want to run up against that?”
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
She sounded resigned and—damn, this pissed me off the most—saddened by the prospect.
Did she know something she wasn’t telling me?
Did she expect all this to go wrong?
I thought I’d lose my mind if that was the fucking truth.
I sucked in a breath, then made the move to haul her over my shoulder, no motivation to do a damn thing other than get her the fuck out of here, to protect her with my last breath, but I didn’t have a choice.
When I swirled around, I saw them.
They were nearer than I imagined, and I knew Austin was right. He’d said that the creatures here were more potent, more powerful than those of our land, and he wasn’t wrong, because I hadn’t heard them, hadn’t even sensed them.
It was like something was putting a block on me.
Was it the Mother?
I’d felt her hand on my shoulder when she guided me toward that tree with the disgusting fruits that had saved Sabina’s life. I wasn’t about to complain about her interference then, but now?
Seriously?
Couldn’t she cut us some slack?
My eyes were on the wolves beyond, and I realized that they were a lot bigger than the natural creatures roaming the Earth too.
Not as large as shifters, but in between.
The eyes weren’t hostile, however, and their snouts weren’t hitched up in snarls. If anything, they were just watchful.
Waiting on me to make the first move.
In fact, when I turned around and saw the massive circle that