Page 318 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

I smiled. Wolves were such sensitive and beautiful creatures. Noah was right about that.

“Did you find your mate?”

He licked my cheek again. I sank back on my haunches, and Thor placed his paw on my knee.

I’d never seen other wolves in the forest. Noah said they valued family above everything else, but what happened when they didn’t belong to a pack? They became the lone wolf. Just like Noah’s tattoo.

Just like me.

“Are you a lone wolf, Thor? Is that why we’re such good friends?” I ruffled the fur at his neck again. “It’s okay. We can be our own pack and wander the earth together.”

Thor stilled and cocked his head to one side.

Noah had moved in a similar way when the hunter—

A low growl rumbled deep inside Thor’s chest. A warning, loud and clear. Did he sense a threat? His lips curled back in a snarl, revealing sharp fangs. I jerked backward, even though I knew he didn’t aim his aggression at me. Thor spun, growling at the trees. Something else was out there.

Thor turned to me, snapping his jaw, forcing me backward. I scrambled to stand. He kept snapping until I backed all the way up the stairs onto the porch. He paused, two front paws on the bottom step, growling at me.

“Okay, I get the hint. Playtime is over.”

For some reason, Thor wanted me inside the house. Now.

I grabbed my sketch pad and pencil, and dashed inside, locking the door behind me. My pulse raced. Was a hunter in the forest? If so, why was Thor so concerned with my safety and not his own?

From behind the kitchen window, I watched him dart toward the forest. Just before he entered, he peered back at me for a split second then bolted into the darkness.

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