Page 25 of Mated to the Wolves

While the law forbids others from entering, magic takes care of the rest with strong wards and other deterrent spells. I lift the hem of my skirt and follow my uncle and aunt.

We delve deeper into the heart of the woodland. Tall pines grow impossibly high and their trunks are thick in a way I never saw in the human world.

Inhaling the heady and comforting scents of moss, leaves, and flowers I reconnect with the land I’d grown up on.

I missed the unspoiled beauty I took for granted. Wolves howl as pack mates run off excess energy. Their shapes rush past, weaving in and out of the trees.

I admire the beauty of their silken fur beneath the moonlight. Back at school, I ran alone infrequently.

Here where there’s no one to hide from, we’re free to be our true selves. We descend and the temperature drops as the trees grow closer together.

As the ground levels out, I spot more clans gathered in small groups.

Families amble toward the big fire dressed in traditional garb. I admire the kohl lining their eyes, bold symbols on cheeks and foreheads, and the silver, amber, and brass jewelry.

The ratio of men to women is devastating. How many had been lost while I was away?

A little girl with a traditional bead wrapped around her head waves. Grinning I return her smile and she giggles.

I remember how exciting these nights were when I was her age. Too young to worry about the politics and power plays taking place around me I saw it as a fun dress-up holiday with extended family.

All wolves love their pups. We believe youngsters belong to everyone. I nod at some of the families I’m on friendly terms with and smile at some of my fellow schoolmates.

“Yl.” I turn my head toward the soft-spoken voice. Heart in my throat, I watch the tall blonde with close-cropped hair steps into the patch of moonlight beside me.

“Fell,” I whisper.

His strong square jaw, sharp cheekbones, and broad forehead have matured. I’m not prepared for this. Why didn’t you show up? Or answer my calls?

Words dance on the tip of my tongue as my heart threatens to burst from my chest. The man standing before me bears little resemblance to the boy I once knew.

“I tried to see you earlier, but your uncle and aunt said you were unwell.” His forest green tunic molds to broad shoulders and a firm chest.

He’s grown up well. My pulse quickens and I fight down the arousal.

The chunky bracelet is made from the same gold as his necklace, adorned with garnet.

“Why?”

He hadn’t cared when he ripped my heart out and retreated to the woods with the rest of

his family. A fact I’d found out weeks later from a friend.

Overnight they’d all withdrawn without any explanation. In the span of a heartbeat and three words, I’d

lost the one person I’d come to count on over the years.

His brow furrows. “I was worried. You said you were never coming back.”

Pale green eyes stare into my soul.

“That wasn’t my choice to make.”

He scowls. “Since when do you care about pack rules? You’ve always pushed boundaries.”

“Someone should,” I mumble too low for him to hear.

We’d argued about this for the majority of our courtship. He had a blinding faith in the pack and their ways I disagreed with.

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