Page 84 of Wolf's Providence

I was fast, always had been, and I knew that I was putting distance between me and my pursuers. Which is exactly what I wanted. I wanted time to get to the clearing, shift, and dress before they came at me.

I could stay in wolf form and fight, but before I fought them, I wanted to know why they thought to target me.

And if I were being honest, I was scared to let the wolf out in case he let the darknessin.

It took another hour or so. I didn’t stop, so when I reached the ridge, I hesitated, looking down through the night, feeling that sense of oneness once again at being back on Shadowridge Peak.

I’d heard a cry on the breeze, and with a snort of amusement, I’d turned and ran the rest of the way to the packlands. The moon appearing from behind the cloud cover illuminated the clearing. The snow wasn’t deep, but it was untouched, not even an animal footprint on the blanket of white.

Making my way to Nell’s old cabin, I saw the boots at the door, where I’d left them when I was here before. Shifting on the porch, I pulled on my clothes from the tote, grateful that shifter blood ran hotter than humans and the chill of winter wasn’t causing me too much discomfort.

I took my time going back to the clearing. The shadows that stretched over the ground seemed to lift and curl around me. Welcoming me back. Already whispering in my ear before I shut them out.

It was longer than I thought before I heard the movement through the trees, just beyond where I stood. I stayed where I was, in the center of the clearing, open and accessible. There was no room for error, and with the strength running through me, I wasn’t about to fail.

As they closed in, a part of me took note of the difference in myself. Before meeting Willow, I may have let them track me, just for the thrill of their fear when they realized I was behind them. I wasn’t that shifter anymore. I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. It wasn’t just my life at stake.

I wanted to end this swiftly, with minimal bloodshed. There was little satisfaction to be gained from this fight.

I caught a faint scent, unfamiliar but distinct, as it filtered through the trees. I narrowed my focus, taking in the pine, the cold frozen earth, the crisp clean scent of snow, and something else—an edge of something sharper and unmistakably hostile. Thoughts of Willow were banished; I couldn’t afford to let my concentration be clouded, not right now. Tonight was the end of this threat to her.

The scent had grown, and I’d realized that I had known the stale odor. This was who had come for her. I recognized them from the vision that Luna sent me of Willow’s house being broken into.

Now they came for me, in an attempt to make a power move, to exploit my weakness, in a territory that I had abandoned.

They expected resistance. They’d find something far worse.

Catching sight of movement through the trees in the moonlight, I saw more than one of them. They weren’t pack. Rogues were never truly a pack, but these shifters moved like it. A blend of stealth and confidence that marked them as threats. I kept my eyes on them as they used the dense trees to their advantage.

This was going to end bloody.

One of them suddenly stepped forward. Heavyset. His muscles were big, but his gut was bigger. A scar ran down his left cheek, which caught my interest. Was he in her house? He scanned the clearing as if expecting me not to be alone.

“You’re here for something that doesn’t belong to you,” I murmured under my breath, keeping my voice low, willing my wolf to be patient.

The scarred man stilled, his confidence faltering as he took in the way I was standing, completely exposed and unmoving. My shoulders were back, feet planted solidly, as I watched him with an expression as controlled as it was deadly.

“Bold move, standing there on your own,” he sneered, though I could hear the note of hesitation in his voice. His men shifted uneasily behind him, casting glances between each other and the woods as if expecting backup to emerge from the shadows.

I held his gaze, letting my silence unnerve him. “Didn’t need backup for this conversation.” I gave a slow, predatory smile, letting the message settle: it wasn’t bravery that had me here,exposed, it was sheer confidence. And I could see the first crack in his composure, a quick flash of doubt crossing his face.

“You think you’re the only one who has a claim to this territory?” he asked me, trying to regain his footing. “This isn’t some sacred ground. It’s just land.” He gave a casual shrug. “Just dirt and stone.” His boot scuffed the snow on the ground.

“Why the girl?” I asked him.

His mouth twisted into a sneer. “Convenient leverage. Got your attention, didn’t it.” His voice had an edge to it like he was trying too hard to keep it light.

She meant nothing to them. Good. The threat to her would end tonight.

I nodded my head slowly, not breaking eye contact. “Oh you got my attention alright,” I said, letting the words hang heavily between us. “But you don’t seem to understand, the only reason you’re still here, still standing on your own feet, is because I wanted togiveyou the chance to leave.”

His face morphed into a scowl, caught between fury and disbelief. “Leave?” He looked at his buddies, who were being pathetic in their attempt to surround me subtly. “That’s rich coming from a wolf who can’t even stand to be on this mountain. You’re packless. Alone. You’rejustlike us, Caleb. Rogue.”

I took a step forward, feeling my wolf press against my skin, but my control was still ironclad, even though every fiber of me was charged and ready. “I’m giving you the chance,” I told them, my voice a quiet growl, “to leave with your lives intact.Takeit.”

His grin faltered, his gaze shifting to the surroundings. He seemed uncertain. I knew he could feel it—he was cornered by something far more than he’d anticipated. And for the first time, he seemed to realize that standing out here alone wasn’t a weakness.

It was a strength.

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