Page 4 of Red and the Alpha
“Come. Walk with me.” Azin motioned for her to follow him.
Kamila sensed her cousin walking behind her. He would stay back in the shadows and allow her to move around.
If someone had indeed killed their grandmother, it was all the more important for him to be there.
“We have done as you wished. We left her body where she was found,” Azin mentioned.
“Were the human authorities called?” she asked.
They strolled along the side of the cottage and headed out to the back. Her grandmother had grown a wonderful garden filled with herbs and vegetables. Right off the back of the garden was a thick wooded area that went off for miles. The yard was secluded and plush.
As witches, they were drawn to nature. Plenty of Kamila’s childhood memories were those of them playing in the woods. Many of her lessons took place outside as long as the weather permitted.
She glanced around and didn’t see anything out of place in the gardens. Kamila looked behind her and found Delana, Hilda, and Levana, the other council members, trailing them. Kadir, just as she knew, was ambling along behind them.
Kamila nodded to the council before turning back to Azin.
“I’m confused. Where are we going?” she asked.
“She is right inside the woods,” he murmured.
They took a path Kamila had taken many times over. The woods had been her sanctuary as a child.
Immediately, she was hit with the sense of calmness. Chills crept down her spine, and she brushed Azin aside and strode forward.
Her cloak flew around her while her feet carried her to the spot she knew she would find her dear grandmother.
She came to a halt abruptly.
There, in the small clearing, was Hazel Winters. The grandmother who had lovingly raised her. Who had believed in her and prepared Kamila for the day when Hazel would no longer be able to lead their people.
Kamila stood still, taking in the scene before her. A presence to her right appeared and stiffened.
Kadir uttered a curse.
Hazel had dressed warmly in her white cloak and was lying faceup on the ground, her body frozen in the position she had fallen.
Kamila kept her emotions contained.
Hazel’s once-pristine cloak was marred with a dark-crimson substance. Her hair, black streaked with gray, was in a disarray. Her eyes were still open, staring off into the distance.
But that wasn’t what drew Kamila’s attention.
It was the marks left on Hazel’s neck. The flesh had been ripped out and mangled.
She had been attacked.
Kamila knelt by her grandmother’s body. She reached out and gently closed her eyes.
Kamila bent down and whispered in Hazel’s ear, “I will see you on the other side one day. Go in peace. Your attackers will pay.”
Kamila pulled back and glanced around the area. Tracks could be made out in the dirt. From the looks of it, her grandmother’s spirit had been correct.
Wolves.
Chapter 2
Maxius pushed his wolf harder as he raced through the forest. His beast had been unsettled these last few days. He had needed a good run, and now he was taking it.
