Page 66 of Treasured

Luna kneeled beside me. Good gods, it’s the size of your palm. She ran her finger through the track before looking up at me. Her expression was a mix of wonder and fear. Exactly how big are these white wolves?

I stood, offering her my hand. Big.

She snorted, the sound echoing through my mind. Thank you for that oh-so-obvious explanation, Sebastian. Do you care to be more specific?

You’ll see soon enough.

Some things were hard to believe unless witnessed in person.

After that, the time for questions was over. We followed the increasingly stronger scent until it overpowered everything else in the forest.

And then I saw it.

A white wolf sat on its haunches in the space between two blackened trees. It was easily the size of a small pony. Its fur was thick and shone in the light of the moon, and its eyes were a blue so bright they reminded me of a cloudless sky.

Luna and I were still cloaked in shadows, but I had the distinct feeling the wolf knew we were there. Its eyes were shrewd and flickered with life, and it seemed to look directly at us.

What’s the plan? Luna whispered.

Genevieve said we needed to collect the blood of a living white wolf, so we couldn’t just kill it. That made things much more difficult.

I’m still thinking about it, was my response.

I wanted to make sure whatever approach we chose would keep Luna safe. That was—

I have an idea, she said.

My eyes widened, but before I could ask Luna to explain what her plan was, she dropped her shadows.

“Hello,” she said, her voice calm and collected as if she wasn’t risking her life and doing the exact thing I didn’t want her to do.

Luna! I hissed through the bond. What are you doing?

Didn’t she realize the wolf was dangerous? Mentally, I cursed. If the wolf didn’t kill her, I would for being so irresponsible.

The wolf’s blue gaze locked onto my Bound Partner. Luna sucked in a breath, but instead of coming back to me—which would’ve been the smart thing to do—she stepped towards the animal.

Again, I called her name through the bond, but she did not stop. I curled my fists, gripping the hilt of my shadow dagger so tightly it bit into the flesh of my hand, but I didn’t care. Luna had no concern for her own safety.

Once again, proving her recklessness, she moved even closer. Her voice was gentle as she said, “We don’t want to hurt you.”

The wolf glared at her.

My heart pounded. On one hand, fear for Luna coursed through me. On the other, exasperation at her lack of self-preservation filled me. Together, they mingled until they were all I felt.

I let my shadows fall. They gathered at my feet, waiting for my command.

My wife took yet another step forward, and the wolf bared its teeth in warning. My hackles rose, and I gave up all pretense of not appearing as a threat, running to stand in front of Luna.

What is your plan? I asked. Are you just going to ask for the wolf’s blood?

She smirked, shifting to stand in front of me. Actually, yes.

Stunned, I gaped at her. Was she serious? I reached out to grab her arm, but Luna side-stepped me, avoiding my hand as she approached the wolf.

Trust me, Sebastian, she said.

Trust.

---