Page 58 of Claimed By the Wolf
He shrugs indifferently. “No more than usual. Why?”
“I think something is going on over there, something with one of their elders.”
Interest glints in his azure stare, and he peers at me closer. “What?”
In the distance, someone howls, and the group bursts into laughter, but I ignore their commonplace party antics.
“I’m not sure. One of their pack members is ill. Circe? Alessa has been spending a lot of time with her. I guess she only recently moved back to Willow Grove territory.”
Alarm fills Nox’s face. “Is she worse than before?” he wonders out loud, and I’m confused.
“Was she always sick?”
He pulls me back against him and strokes my hair again, his strong fingers lulling me into that familiar sense of submission.
“I met her once,” he explains. “When I was coming to bring you home. She was bedridden then, but she’s a character. I hope she overcomes this.”
“Is she the one who got you that magic potion that broke our bond?” I tease, but my heart twinges when I say it.
“Yes, but it didn’t break our bond. In fact, she’s the one who informed me there was no way to break our bond. And Circe was pretty vocal about getting you back from Emeric, everything else be damned.”
I smile softly. “She sounds like a tough lady.”
“Maybe we could arrange to go see her,” he suggests.
“If you think it would be appropriate.”
“I’ll see where she is and if she’s taking visitors. Her poor nurse could probably use a break,” he snickers, tightening his arms around me. “Assuming she hasn’t already run screaming for the hills.”
A dark cloud looms over the landscape as we weave up the freeway toward the address on the GPS. My hand wraps around Nox’s as he drives, a silly country song twanging in the background. A wave of sleepiness overcomes me, and I stifle a yawn.
“You’re tired?” Nox asks in surprise. “You woke up late this morning, too.”
I had. He’s right.
“All these plans for the packhouse renovation must be getting to me,” I suggest. “I’ve stayed up late a few nights working on the blueprints.”
“I hope you’re not coming down with something.”
I squeeze his hand as he pulls off the freeway. “I’m sure I’m fine,” I reassure him.
Circe’s house sits in the middle of a cul-de-sac and somehow looks exactly how I envisioned it based on what Nox told me about her. A harried but timid young female answers the door, her eyes widening as she recognizes Nox.
“Alpha Nox!” she gasps, bowing and backing away. “Welcome.”
“Nadia. This is my Luna, Brynn.”
“Hi, Nadia.”
Nadia steps aside to let us into the charming little house, and I’m overcome with the smell of sage and cinnamon.
She’s a healer.
My eyes dart around the small but cozy space, my gaze landing on a framed photo of a handsome female and a beautiful redheaded girl on the piano.
“Are you going to stand there snooping all day, or are you going to make yourselves known?” a voice fires out from the back room.
I swallow a laugh, and Nox rolls his eyes, following Nadia’s lead into the next room.
