Laura found Dante standing alone by the camp's edge. He was staring into the dark forest. His hands were clenched into fists.But something was wrong."Dante?" she called softly.He didn't turn around. "They should have been here by now.""Who should have been here?""My people." His voice was tight. "I left warriors to protect the women and children. They were supposed to follow us."Laura moved closer. She could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his jaw was set."How long has it been?""A week now." Dante finally looked at her. His red eyes were dark with worry. "Axel was leading them. He's never late."Before Laura could respond, shouts erupted from the camp entrance."Riders coming in!"Laura and Dante rushed toward the sound. A group of horses thundered into camp. The riders were covered in dirt and blood.Laura's breath caught.At the front rode a dark-haired man with a bandage around his arm. Behind him, wagons full of women and children followed."Axel," Dante breathed
Laura's eyes snapped open. Her heart was racing. Images from last night flashed through her mind. Shadow wolves. Blood and Zephyr's black eyes filled with darkness.She sat up fast, then winced. Her stomach should have been torn open. But when she looked down, only faint scars remained."The healers worked on you all night."Laura turned. Zephyr sat in a chair beside her bed. His pale eyes looked tired and haunted."Are you okay?" she asked softly.He gave a bitter laugh. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?""Zephyr—""I could have killed you." His voice was barely a whisper. "When the curse took over, I wanted to kill everything. Even you."Laura swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her body ached, but she could move."But you didn't," she said."Only because you stopped me." His hands shook slightly. "What if next time you can't?"Laura reached for his hand. His fingers were ice cold."Then we'll figure it out," she said simply.Zephyr stared at their joined hands. "The curse is g
Laura woke to screams.She bolted upright in her tent, heart hammering. Outside, chaos erupted. Warriors were shouting. Metal clashing. The sound of something dark and terrible moving through their camp."Shadow wolves!" someone yelled.Laura grabbed her clothes and weapons. Her hands shook as she dressed. This was it. The attack they'd all been preparing for.She burst from her tent to find hell on earth.Black shapes torn through the camp like death itself. Shadow wolves, dozens of them, attacking from all sides. They moved too fast and silent. Warriors fell before they could even scream."Laura!" Dante's voice cut through the noise.She spun to see him fighting three shadow wolves at once. His claws flashed in the firelight. Blood dripped from cuts on his arms.Near the supply wagons, Garrick went down hard. A shadow wolf's teeth sank into his shoulder. His scream made Laura's blood freeze."No!" she started toward him.A massive shadow blocked her path.Laura looked up into famili
Laura and Dante walked back into camp hand in hand. Their clothes were still damp from the stream. Her hair was messy and wild.She felt the stares right away. Warriors stopped what they were doing to watch them pass. Some actually smiled. Others whispered behind their hands."Let them talk," Dante said quietly.But Laura could feel her cheeks burning. Curse these wolves and their sense of smell.Near the main fire, she spotted Lucian talking to Marcus. His dark eyes found hers across the camp. He looked at their joined hands. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.Zephyr was studying maps with Ash. He glanced up as they passed. His pale eyes were unreadable.Nikolai sat cleaning his weapons. He smiled that annoyingly frustrating knowing smile when he saw them. "Have a good hunt?""We saw a shadow wolf," Laura said.The smile disappeared from Nikolai's face. "Where?""About two miles north," Dante replied. "It was different from the others we've seen and stronger.""Kieran also spoke
Laura sat on her makeshift bed, staring at her hands. Lucian's words kept playing in her head like a broken record.We all need to talk.She knew what that meant. They were going to lecture her. Tell her she was being reckless. That she couldn't just sleep with whoever she wanted.But it was her choice, wasn't it? Her life. Her fucking heart.A knock on her tent made her look up. "Come in."Dante pushed through the flap, already dressed for hunting. His red eyes were still cold from this morning."I can't wait for tomorrow, you ready right now?" he asked.Laura stood up slowly. "About earlier—""Don't." Dante held up his hand. "Just... don't. Let's go."They walked through camp in silence. Laura could feel eyes on them. Whispers following their steps. Everyone probably knew about her and Zephyr now.Near the edge of camp, Lucian stepped in front of them. His dark eyes were hard as stone."Where are you going?" he asked."Hunting," Dante replied shortly."We agreed to talk first.""No,
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Laura could feel her cheeks burning."Did you two have a productive night?" Nikolai asked with a slight smile.Laura nearly choked on her own spit. "We were researching.""Is that what they're calling it now?" Dante muttered into his food."Dante," Zephyr warned."What? I'm just saying." Dante finally looked up, his red eyes intense. "Some of us might have been worried about where you disappeared to.""We were in the research tent all night," Laura said. "Working on understanding the curse connection.""All night?" Lucian's voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it.Laura felt like she was being interrogated. "Yes.""And did you learn anything useful?" Nikolai asked, still smiling that knowing smile.Zephyr answered before Laura could. "We discovered some interesting connections. Between the primordial mate bond and cursed bloodlines.""How interesting," Lucian said flatly.The tension around the fire was thick enough to cut. Laura grabbed a pla