his tongue lolling out his mouth in a wolfish smile.
I still hate knowing that they’ve sacrificed a lot of their time for me when their duty rests with their packs. Of course, everything we’ve done has ultimately been for the good of the packs, from sorting out our untraditional mate bond to figuring out my magic. This morning, Archer mentioned how even though I was originally made to be a weapon against the wolves, I could end up being their greatest defender.
Which feels like a heavy fucking burden to bear.
The scouts return with a report that nothing seems amiss, and we set off, racing through the wilderness quickly and in a tight group. The landscape is starting to feel familiar, even though I don’t think I could navigate it alone yet. But I’ve learned good habits, like keeping my senses open for any hint of danger. Running like this with a larger group makes me feel more like a wolf than ever.
When we finally reach the North Pack village, the place is barren and quiet. All the houses are shut and locked tight, the yards empty of their usual activity. It’s eerie to walk down the dirt roads and hear the sound of our nails scratching at the hard-packed earth without anything to drown it out.
We go straight to Ridge’s house, where he shifts back to human form on his front lawn and turns to address our group of guards. “Shawn, you live closest, right?”
A short, tawny wolf straightens to attention, and then magic shimmers over him until he stands before Ridge in human form. “Yes, alpha.”
I’m still not entirely used to the whole nudity thing when it comes to strangers, so I train my gaze on Ridge’s face and deliberately ignore the five shifters as they each transform back to their human forms.
“Good. I want you all to sleep there,” Ridge says. “Stay together at all times and be ready for anything. If you need me, howl. I’d rather you steered clear of us while we’re working with magic. Got it?”
The men agree and split off for Shawn’s house, leaving the rest of us to go inside Ridge’s familiar cabin.
My other mates and I all shift back before heading for the front door, and I literally breathe a sigh of relief as I walk into the dimly lit living room. It’s like coming home, being welcomed back by memories of when I arrived in this strange new world.
As if he can sense my thoughts, Ridge puts an arm around my shoulders and kisses my head. We were both different people then, who hadn’t quite figured out who we were to each other and what the connection between us meant. I think of how kind he was to me, and how he moved with slow, deliberate motions as if he were dealing with a beaten dog. Which I was, I guess, though I don’t really feel like that girl anymore.
I wish I could drag him back to the bedroom where I awakened that first morning. I want to take all of them back there, where we could slip into bed and stay forever. But we’re here on a mission, and I can’t put off what we came for. The longer I ignore what needs to be done, the longer they have to stay away from their packs. I can’t sit with that on my conscience for too long.
Plus, if I put off learning how to harness my magic, that gives Cleo more time to break through my defenses again.
I unzip my pack and dig out the spell book Gwen gave me, staring down at the cover with a sense of deep foreboding. I think of Gwen, the hermit witch we sought out for help, and I wish like hell she was here to help me with this. I need guidance, a firm hand who knows what she’s doing magically and can correct me when I screw up. But Gwen gave no indication that she’d ever leave her quiet little cabin in the remote mountains—especially not while Cleo’s still around.
Archer helped me as much as he could with his knowledge of witch magic from his time in captivity, but I’ve progressed beyond his limited understanding by now. All that’s left for my men to do is provide emotional support, which I know they’ll do happily. But none of them can teach me how to use my powers.
So it’s up to me to teach myself.
Once we’re all dressed, we slip back out