Page 25 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
“Who are you?” Eve asked softly.
She didn’t hesitate. “My name is Astrid.”
Eve nodded, unfazed. “And why do you care so much about Sable?”
“Because she’s my mom.”
Silence.
Logan’s gaze shifted, becoming lethal. His voice dropped into a growl. “Rhys.”Fuck.“You said she was alone.”
11
SABLE
Icouldn’t have heard correctly. He was defending me against his pack when he had every reason to believe that I was the source of new problems. Indeed, I likely was.
And now I couldn’t help but stand up for him too.
“He couldn’t have known,” I jumped in. “I used an old trick to prevent him from scenting her.” It was partly true. I had used what was available to me through my silver magic to cover Astrid’s tracks. But I knew what hadreallykept Rhys’s attention.
It was me. My traitorous body had sung to him, and once that had begun, I couldn’t hide my scent.
He had to be as aware as I was about how the Shadow Moon Goddess had mocked me—tying me to someone I had no business wanting. Someone I had no business craving. And certainly I couldn’t let myself believe he was myfated mate.
My wolf did.
Even now, with a half-dozen wolves watching my every move, my body still hummed with the imprint of his weight, the ghost of his breath on my skin. Desire was the surface of it, but the feeling of this bond being absolute was restless under my skin. What was going on between us was much older than desire.
The Crux alpha had been clear—fated mates were a relic of a time before the Great Separation, a foolish ideal that had nearly led to destruction.
Crux wolves had to be extra careful. We had to avoid falling prey to false mates, as that had undone so many other female wolves. Not fated mates, those males chained their mates to a different destiny, stripping any choice from their hands through a bond that wasn’t sacred. There had been times when Crux women had also been dominated for their gifts by their so-called mates. The story had been passed down through the generations about how we’d almost been completely wiped out, absorbed by other packs. It was the danger that came with our gifts.
And it was why, ever since, our alphas had been determined to turn us into warriors, writing our own destiny.
I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to acknowledge the way my body still hummed in response to Rhys, how my wolf was pacing in frustration, clawing at my insides. It was unnatural.Wrong.
Eve and Logan were different. I’d known right away that theyhadto be together. That the stars and the Shadow Moon had decided on it long ago, that Logan would destroy Damian, Grayson, and the entire Heraclid pack.
It had all been leading to this. Logan and Eve.
Now it was as if their bond had split the dam wide open, and we were all being dragged under the current into matehood.
I clenched my fists. This had to be a mistake.
I had spent my entire life watching the Crux uphold traditions and fight for survival. Yet the moment Rhys had touched me, the moment his scent had overtaken me, it was as if something deep inside me had recognized him and reached for him like a drowning thing swept away by the current.
I turned my ring on my finger, drawing from its power to quell the part of me that wanted to take over. This couldn’t befate. Or if it was, I’d rip myself free of it. Pretending it didn’t exist wasn’t going to help.
Especially when surrounded by his pack.
They were all watching Astrid and me. While I was impressed by Astrid’s courage, I never would have wanted her to use it for me. Still, I was incredibly relieved knowing she was there. Even if I couldn’t keep her safe, I knew Eve would. I just had to get Eve alone to explain.
“Back to the town,” Logan commanded, and we shifted together, a fluid motion that rippled through the clearing. I let the change take me, bones snapping and reshaping, fur spilling across my skin. When my paws hit the ground, I focused. I had to remain contained, controlled, masking my true scent. The ring helped. With every shift, it embedded itself into my claw, the silver magic liquefying it into a mark that no one could see unless they looked for it.
The silver was working, pressing my power down as we ran in a group.
The elders knew what they were doing. They flanked me at a distance. Raina and Anwen moved just close enough to brush against my energy, trying to sense what I was. Their presence was invasive, with quiet, invisible hands reaching into the depths of me, trying to see what lay within. If I slipped up, they just might know. It was one thing if they sensed I was Crux—they might have some idea of that—but if they caught the scent of the other part of me…
