Page 146 of The Crown of Nyx

There was a small huff of relief from my wolf at the thought. And yet, despite the reassurance, my belly still tightened with worry.

My wolf looked back, only to see total darkness behind us.

Whatever beast was chasing us, I couldn’t see it.

The branches of the trees beside us rattled, like the forest itself was reacting to the monster following us.

Another roar sounded, so much closer this time. It actually sounded almost like a howl, like one a werewolf in a movie might make. Before, it echoed through the trees, but now that it was closer, it became clearer.

Shit. I wanted to run faster, but I was terrified that Adrian would fall behind. He was a runner; I’d caught him more than once going out with Rowan and running laps—at the palace and at the academy. Before I blew up the training hall, there had been an awesome running track that my mates utilised on their weeks with me. And the palace not only had the grounds, but had their own massive hall that the onsite guards used for training.

But that didn’t matter, not when he was draining himself of power to make a weapon against Dante.

My wolf wouldn’t leave him behind, and neither would I.

The beast howled again, and somewhere behind us, feet—no, paws—hit the hard earth. Somehow, whatever it was made the ground rumble with each earth-shattering step.

Each step made my heart race harder. Made my stomach twist.

With its sudden proximity, my wolf breathed in deeply and caught a familiar scent. Not one I could recall, but I knew I’d scented before.

It was sweet, like spun sugar or cotton candy. In this world, it was so entirely out of place, I almost stumbled to a halt right there to identify it. And there was something else about the scent that made my wolf’s heart race and want to breathe it in even more.

Mate,my wolf thought.

And came to a complete stop.

I screamed inside my own head for the beast to keep running, but the damned creature just planted her ass and waited.

It took only moments for the others to realise I no longer ran with them. Adrian shouted, Rowan yelled, Elias growled.

But she would not move.

The blue orbs stopped about a foot away from where I sat, hovering between going out, and remaining lit. And what came next made my hackles rise.

Oh, so the fucking monster freaks you out, I thought, directing that at the wolf.So, why do you keep sitting there?

The same claiming words filled my head as I took in the familiar beast. It stood over seven feet tall, with the frame of a classical werewolf—half man, half wolf. It had the head of a wolf, but with wiry black fur that covered its back, legs, and arms. The belly and chest were leather by the looks of it, not covered in fur but maybe a thick skin. It had a tail, flattened ears, and earrings.

The beast had been standing on its hind legs, but quickly dropped onto all fours. A growl left its lips, but still, my stupid wolf didn’t move.

Again, I breathed in, and the smell of cotton candy filled my lungs.

Mate. Mine. Claim.

59

Ivy

Amate. In the Old World.

My heart raced, and before I knew it, I shifted back to my normal self. I pressed a hand against my pounding heart and stumbled away from the unknown creature.

The voices of my other mates were suddenly louder, urging me to get out of his way. But my feet remained planted on the ground, and I was not able to shift again.

Elias appeared in my periphery, his lips pulled back from his teeth as he snarled at the other wolf-man. Maeve appeared at my other side, her nails now claws as she stepped in front of me.

The beast across from us, still hiding in the darkness of the forest, growled again. Black eyes were on me, as if unaware that anyone else was here.

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