Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Zeke almost died today. We all came close to death, but for Zeke it carries a different meaning. A bigger risk. If Bane had woken up, none of us would be standing here right now.
So… Why didn’t he?
I’m still turning over the many scary reasons when the driver’s side door is yanked open and Zeke hops in. I’m cautious enough to stay silent as he turns the ignition. A moment later, either Khalil or Thorin pounds on the back window, and Zeke immediately takes off down the only drivable pass.
THORIN
I need to say something,” Aurelia quietly confesses as she faces the observation window overlooking the small enclosure. It’s the most timid I’ve ever heard her. The word timid and Aurelia have no business being in the same sentence. She’s fierce, and I never want to see her as anything but.
Still, I know the reason for her caution.
The three of us have been silently fuming ever since we arrived at the wolf conservation center that Ezekiel raced the entire way to reach. There was no time to stop and get patched up and vaccinated by a human doctor, so we settled for the emergency vet the sanctuary used. She was already waiting for us after Zeke radioed Sheriff Kelly to inform him that we were bringing a wild wolf through Hearth.
The sheriff met us on the edge of town with a couple of deputies and escorted us the rest of the way. It’s been hours since the vet and her team wheeled Meera off to surgery. The pups were also taken for evaluation and were now sleeping off the harrowing day on the other side of that window.
Zeke, Khalil, and I continue our stony silence as we wait for Aurelia to speak whatever’s on her mind. It’s an area she normally excels in, but words escape her now.
To be clear, we aren’t as pissed at her as we are at ourselves.
We knew better than to get involved with the she-wolf, but this hold Aurelia has on us makes it impossible to deny her.
I’d call it a spell, but spells can be broken.
There is no getting over our girl.
Aurelia spins suddenly, and her flinch when she meets each of our gazes has me reeling back my anger. I don’t have to look to know Zeke and Khalil are doing the same. “I’m sorry about today. Obviously, it wasn’t my intention for any of you to get hurt. I—” Seemingly giving up her train of thought, Aurelia’s shoulders slump. “It won’t happen again.”
Doubting that, I hum.
“None of us are looking for you to change who you are,” Khalil states. I remain silent since he’s better at bringing Aurelia to heel with the least resistance. I only step in when she’s feeling particularly bellicose and needs a firmer hand. “We wouldn’t be in love with you if you were anyone else.” Zeke shifts uncomfortably at the mention of love, but he doesn’t deny Khalil’s statement. “We just ask that you be smarter. Listen to us when we tell you something is too dangerous. The three of us have been out here a lot longer than you, and there’s a reason we’ve survived. We’ve made and learned from all the mistakes you’re making right now.”
“I know,” she says with her eyes on the ground.
“Do you?” I challenge.
Aurelia’s eyes rise to meet mine, and I lift a brow, silently daring her to spew whatever smart remark I see brewing in her eyes. Her gaze shifts to Zeke’s bandaged arm and hand and then Khalil’s injured shoulder. The dressing is hidden under the wolf conservation T-shirt one of the keepers tossed him after the vet patched him up. Both had to get shots around their wounds to treat for possible rabies exposure. Aurelia and I were the only ones not seriously injured through sheer dumb luck.
The fight winks out of her eyes, and she nods.
“Good.” I stretch my tired muscles and check my watch, silently urging the vet to hurry the hell up. Aurelia refused to leave without learning Meera’s fate, and after everything we nearly lost getting her here, none of us were keen on leaving without knowing if the she-wolf made it.
“The one thing I can’t wrap my head around is why?” Aurelia asks when enough time passes that it’s clear we’re no longer interested in scolding her.
“Why what?”
“Why would those wolves attack her? Is it… Did they want to mate her?”
I shake my head and stretch again. Aurelia cringes when my bones audibly crack and I smirk. “Wolves are not like lions. A roaming male, or in this case males, won’t typically kill pups to force the female into estrus.”
“Then why?”
I think about it for a minute. “Could be that she moved into their territory and they were simply running her off or she failed to integrate. The problem is that depending on the pack size and scarcity of prey, the natural radius of what the wolves consider theirs could be larger than all of the Cold Peaks put together. To put it plainly, there’s an overabundance of predators in the area, so these rivalries happen a lot more often than you’d think. If it’s the same wolves we encountered near Meera’s den, I’d wager either their resources are low—which is likely considering they tried their luck with us—or…” The horrified look in Aurelia’s eyes make me stop and swear.