Page 44 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
Kenza’s wolf was trying to dominate mine from within. And mine, even wounded and trembling, refused to kneel.
She came at me again—lower this time—and I caught her by the arm, twisting and using her own weight against her. The maneuver was fast, efficient. Before she could blink, I’d flipped her onto her back and straddled her hips.
My forearm braced across her throat, pinning her. Her lips parted, eyes flashing with triumph.
“That’s the Sable I know. Not feeling so sick anymore, are you, little fated mate?”
The venom in her use of the term made me want to grab her by the ears and fling her against the wall. I held back. First, that was what she wanted—to make me lose control again. Second, I was already showing too much of my dark side, and I knew it wasn’t lost on Eve and the others.
The cold that followed me around was unnatural. My speed was inhuman. And the way I’d nearly crushed Kenza’s ribs without meaning to—that wasn’t wolf strength.
I couldn’t afford to call any more attention to myself. Instead, I stood up, fighting to rein in the side of me that wanted to feed on the fear I could smell rolling off her.
Kenza scrambled to her feet, at the ready in case I came at her again. She was looking at me differently. Calculating.
Worried.
“Thank you, Kenza,” Eve said, with an alpha finality that made it clear Kenza was being dismissed. “You woke up our friend, just as I asked, and now I need some time alone with her.”
Kenza wasn’t done. “She’s fucked up, Eve. The rejection did something to her.” She huffed, and a misty breath escaped her lips. “Shifters don’t do that.”
“Alone,” Eve repeated, steel in her voice.
Kenza’s nostrils flared as she scanned me. When she caught sight of my ring, I felt the question rise in her again. She opened her lips to speak, then closed them and cocked her head.
“That’s quite the ring,” she said. I held my breath, wondering how much she actually knew about silver magic and those who possessed it. “I think it’s a good idea that I stay here, Eve. You don’t know all she can?—”
“Alone.”
Kenza’s head dipped in reverence at the alpha command. I contained my sigh of relief. Anwen and Raina looked at each other, speaking in that elder way, and nodded.
Anwen reached out to Astrid. “Help this old woman back up the tunnel, would you, dear? After you, Kenza.”
Kenza’s exasperated sigh was enough to fill the room, but she started leaving anyway. “We won’t be far away,” she said—to me, not Eve—before storming out.
Astrid looked at me. I offered her a weak flicker of a smile, and she moved in my direction slowly, as if she might spook me. “If you need me to stay…”
I took her hand in mine and reached behind her head, bringing her closer so I could speak to her through our Crux bond.
You watch yourself. Eve will be on our side, but I can’t say the same for everyone here. Kenza suspects something. Watch your back.
You too, she replied, squeezing my hand and turning for the door. She took Anwen’s arm and didn’t look back. I was glad she didn’t.
When everyone was gone, Eve pulled over a wooden chair that looked about as old as this underground room. It scraped on the floor, the sound echoing against the stone walls. She gestured toward the bed.
“Please sit.”
“I’d rather stand.” Even as I said it, another wave of phantom pain hit me and I swayed on my feet.
“You’re unwell,” she said, and I knew she was right. My balance was shaky now that the adrenaline of the confrontation with Kenza had passed. The cold was getting worse too, creeping through my bones. I sat on the bed, pulling the sweater they’d given me tighter around myself.
She adjusted her dress as she sat in the chair. Even though she was no longer the oracle of Heraclid, she continued to wear the dresses. Long and flowing, giving her an otherworldly look. Many times I had thought that if the Shadow Moon Goddess were to take human form, she would look something like Eve.
“This has been a long time coming.” She inhaled deeply and sighed.
I nodded. Another echo of his pain made me wince. “It’s hard to know where to begin,” I said.
Her eyes were on fire, dark eyes that had become confident in her position as alpha. She spoke to me through the bond.
