Page 77 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
The vampire presence in my head pulsed stronger, closer. On Orion lands now.
Northwest, circling toward the main settlement.
I glanced at Rhys to see if he’d caught that mental slip, but his attention had shifted to Logan, and it appeared I had my thoughts back to myself.
“They’ve established a base camp just inside the Blackwood border,” Killian reported. “At least six confirmed vampires, possibly more.”
But only three are on Orion lands, I thought, careful to keep my observation buried Rhys didn’t hear.
“After what you both went through in Blackwood, I don’t want you on the front lines when they arrive,” Logan continued, then paused, a troubled expression flickering across his face.
“But?” Rhys prompted.
“I distinctly sense they’re coming here. To the safe house.” Logan’s jaw tightened as he looked directly at his brother. “I don’t think they want me, or they wouldn’t be heading this way—they’d have come to the main town. They want you. And there’s no fucking way they’re getting to my last remaining brother, my beta, my only family?—”
“Hey.” Rhys crossed the space between them and placed a steadying hand on Logan’s shoulder. “I look rough, I know that?—”
“You smell fucked up,” Logan added bluntly.
“—but after what we faced in Blackwood,” Rhys continued, shooting me a meaningful look, “I think Sable and I are best placed to learn the real reason they’re here.”
Don’t tell him, I pleaded through our bond.Don’t reveal what I am. Not yet.
I’m not, he replied. I caught the underlying tension in his mental voice.
Another pulse hit my head, stronger than before. The vampire who’d been circling northwest was closer. Close enough that I could taste his commitment to his mission on the back of my tongue—metallic and cold and utterly determined.
“That’s rich,” Kenza interjected. “I’ve been scouting out vampires since I was a pup, but the compromised beta and traitor Heraclid think they can take this on?”
“Back off, Kenza,” Killian interjected. “Show a little respect.”
I looked around the room, weighing my words. What I was about to suggest would expose more than I wanted to reveal, but it might be the only way to save everyone.
“We can use their own methods against them,” I said. “Track their movements, anticipate their strategies. Prepare with information instead of just force.”
Kenza’s eyes narrowed to slits. “And how exactly would we do that? We’re wolves, not mind readers.”
But I am, I thought.At least when it comes to vampires.
“I’ve always had enhanced senses,” I said slowly. “Abilities that might be useful in this kind of situation.” I smiled at Kenza, hoping the expression conveyed exactly how much I wanted to punch her in the face. “Crux benefit.”
“What can you do?” Logan asked, his alpha instincts clearly picking up on my reluctance to elaborate.
Before I could answer, Rhys swayed hard enough that he had to catch himself against the wall. The withdrawal was accelerating, probably triggered by the stress of the meeting and the approaching vampire that his wolf could sense even if he couldn’t consciously identify it.
“You need to rest a second,” I said, knowing it was a mistake, but unable to watch him suffer.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his pupils were dilated.
“You’re not.” I moved toward him without thinking, my body responding to his distress before my mind could catch up. The bond between us was taut with his pain, making my own chest ache in sympathy.
“Sable,” he said quietly, warning threading through his voice.
I was already reaching for him, my hands finding his face to check his pulse and assess the damage our temporary physical separation had caused. The moment my skin touched his, electricity crackled between us like I was touching a live wire. My vampire nature recognized his wolf, and both supernatural sides surged toward each other with desperate relief.
The transformation was immediate. Color returned to Rhys’s face, his breathing deepened, and the tremor in his hands disappeared. My own abilities surged with renewed power, the vampire presences in my head becoming clearer, more defined.
Which was when I realized everyone in the room was staring at us.
