Page 46 of Wicked Fate

“Then let’s go,” Ryker rasped, taking my hand and leading me toward the woods. His concern heightened even more.

No one disagreed, and the entire group moved in silence. We set out through the trees as the darkness settled over us. In the next thirty minutes, the sun would rise and cast a few minutes of twilight over us all until it rose higher.

Every snap of a twig and rustle of brush made my heart jolt. I kept my senses trained outward, scanning for movement, shadows, the cold pressing feeling of the vampires, and that strange ripple of energy that always preceded the stranger’s presence.

Nothing came.

The woods were quiet. Almost too quiet. There were no scurrying mice or other animals trying to settle in before the day, nor even a gentle breeze to drift across our skin.

We moved as fast as we could in human form, with not even Reid slowing us down, mainly because Cassi traveled with us. Witches couldn’t move as quickly as wolves in general. Still, my muscles seemed to weigh me down more with every step closer to the ruins of my home.

When we breached the invisible territory line into the outer fringe of my pack’s territory, my breath caught in my chest.

The land looked exactly the same—unchanged, untouched, too quiet. I expected to hear the padding paws of the wolves on guard duty rushing toward us.

They never came.

Briar moved to my other side and took my hand as we walked the familiar track to our childhood home. Memories coursed through my mind. Briar and me running along with friends in animal form. Dad taking me out to learn how to track. I could hear my mom’s voice in my head, telling me to head in for breakfast.

I would never walk through that door and see them again. Never sit with my family around the table and hear my mom’s laugh echoing through the kitchen. But I could make sure the monsters who tore that life away from us paid for every scream and every drop of blood.

We broke through the final line of oak trees, and my parents’ house came into view. My chest tightened. The firepit outside hadn’t been touched since the night I’d burned my mating dress after Reid had rejected me.

Everything seemed untouched as the sky around us lightened with the first hint of sun.

Briar squeezed my hand tightly as we trekked past the only home we’d ever known and walked deeper into the neighborhood.

Houses stood like ghosts. Hollow. Still.

Ryker had started caring for the dead, and Reid had told me they’d finished the burials. I knew that. But still… It felt like, any second, my dad would walk around the corner, or my mom would leave Tricia’s house down the street and head back home.

No one came.

Briar made a strangled sound, gripping my hand even more tightly, her knuckles white. Every step pressed memories into me. Laughter. Warm meals. A life that was safe and full—until it wasn’t. My wolf paced inside, anxious and uncomfortable.

I didn’t realize I’d stopped moving until Ryker touched my back. He linked,I’m here for you, lil rebel. Whatever you need.

And those words were enough to help me keep moving forward.I love you so damn much.

Ryker stepped closer. I could feel his tension, the ache to take this pain away from me, but he couldn’t. Instead, he stood beside me and let me look.

Gage moved to the left, Kendric to the right, while Xavier stayed behind with Cassi, Sun, Reid, and Bruce.

“Kevin’s two vehicles should work,” Briar whispered and dropped my hand.

Good idea, I linked back. He’d always left the keys in his cars, saying that if someone was dumb enough to try to steal one, they didn’t deserve to live. He’d been one of Dad’s best friends, and we’d spent a lot of time in his house while growing up.

We followed Briar down a narrow path behind a row of houses. Gravel crunched beneath our boots, louder than anything had a right to be.

I scanned the area once again, searching for any signs of a threat. So far, this had been easy, which never happened for us. Maybe Fate was going to let us have a win.

Kevin’s house came into view, and Briar jogged over to it. The black Honda Accord and dark blue Mazda SUV were parked in front of the house as usual.

“What’s the plan?” Reid’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Briar and I need to drive the cars.” No one else would know the dips and turns of the dirt track. Hell, I wasn’t sure I would remember them because it’d been over a year since I’d driven the path. “We’ll split into two groups. I want Cassi with me to make sure she doesn’t try to use any magic.”

“I want to be with Reid,” Cassi insisted.

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