Chapter 21 – Side by Side

It was the scent of rain, wild lilies, and the stubborn, fierce spirit that had been haunting my every thought.

I caught her by the scruff of her neck to steady her, my heart hammering against my ribs in a way that had nothing to do with the shift. She was smaller than I last saw her, her fur ruffled and her eyes wide with a mix of shock and desperation.

“Amani! What are you doing here?!” I roared, the words half-human, half-growl as I shifted back fully. “Shift!”

At my order, she scrambled back, her paws sliding on the moss as she returned to her human form, breathless and wild-eyed. She looked like a ghost in the night, her skin pale in the moonlight, but her gaze was a furnace.

“I was following her,” she gasped, clutching a robe to her chest that she must have stashed nearby. “She left the house, Menelik. She’s meeting someone. I had to know.”

I grabbed her by the shoulders, my grip probably too tight, but I couldn't help it.

The sheer recklessness of her being out here, drained and weak, was enough to make me want to lock her in my hut and burn the key.

“You’re tracking a rogue Alpha’s primary assassin while you can barely hold your wolf together?” I hissed, leaning down until our foreheads almost touched. “Do you have a death wish, or did the Goddess forget to give you a lick of common sense?”

“I have a pack to save,” she snapped, shoving my hands off her. “And I don’t need a lecture from a lone wolf who spends his nights lurking in the bushes.”

“I’m not lurking, Amani. I’m hunting,” I countered, my eyes flashing gold. “The men she’s meeting out there? They aren't rogues looking for a scrap. They’re Korgan’s elite. If you’d walked another fifty yards, you wouldn't have found proof. You would have found a shallow grave.”

She went still, the bravado flickering for a second. “Korgan. So it’s true. She’s his pawn.”

“She’s his queen-piece,” I clarified. “And right now, you’re the only obstacle in his way. He wants an entire territory for himself, Amani, building his own army against other packs. And he’s using your mate to open the door.”

She looked toward the darkness where Zebub had disappeared, her jaw tightening. “Then we have to stop them. Now.”

“We aren't doing anything,” I stated, stepping in front of her to block her path. “You’re going back to that house. You’re going to act like the broken, dying Luna they think you are. I’m going to find Korgan. And when the time is right, I’ll give you the signal to burn it all down.”

“I’m not going back, not today,” she replied firmly. “I won’t stand aside watching this play out. Vance is already finished, and now Zebub has to be dealt with. I’ll be there when it all ends, and I won’t wait long.”

I looked at her, really looked at her, and the anger died out, replaced by a strong protective instinct that I knew would be my undoing. I reached out, my thumb brushing the hollow of her cheek.

“Then stay in the woods near the border,” I murmured. “But do not cross that line again until I tell you. If Korgan scents you, it will escalate into something very complicated.”

Confidently, she shook her head in disagreement. “Absolutely not. I want to follow Zebub and see who she is meeting. I need confirmation of her plans, good enough for a death sentence. You taking the lead is out of the question.”

Damn! She is so stubborn, and I like it.

I stepped closer, invading her personal space until the heat radiating from her skin chased away the midnight chill. I reached out, my fingers tangling in the damp silk of her hair to tilt her head back.

“You’re a nightmare, Amani,” I leaned down, my lips brushing the shell of her ear, sending a visible shiver through her. “A beautiful, relentless nightmare.”

I pulled back just enough to catch the lunar fire in her eyes. The desperation was still there, but so was a desire that mirrored my own.

“Alright, you lead for now. But the second he sees us, I’ll be the one calling the shots,” I conditioned, my claws lengthening as the shift took me again. “And Amani? Try not to tackle any more monsters after today. Next time, let me accompany you. I may not be the one you cross paths with.”

I didn't wait for her answer.

We shifted simultaneously and started the run side by side.

I let her take point, but I positioned myself to cover her flank, my ability to scent those rogues far more advanced than hers.