The Forest Pact
day, but the atmosphere felt heavy, charged
canopy in narrow rays, and the sweet smel
rly morning chill, and walked back to the clearing where the
tions raced thr
sily subdued a bear? And why had h
's remains, now oddly quiet
but Aurora's scientific c
k and began sketching the claw m
red here was not o
and the cuts on its neck were too de
he clearing, her thoughts tur
la
didn't know before that his name
snapped her out
en poised abo
whoever or whatever was approaching wanted to be
're
nd gravelly, made
from the shadows, his golden eyes glim
ad the night before: wild, unbroken
thought," he said, exasperatio
ght, putting her note
re," she said, forcing
e a job to d
is arms, which
areful, your job
d assist me," Aurora shot b
don't you? And obviously, you're...
ed. "You don't know
o me," she pressed
s forever, and this pack.
n fe
thing or two ab
ps of the trees, as if looking
er, there was a hardness in his e
ly animals," he said
ng older, something that
king faster than her
What do
stepped closer, h
ra. This is the forest, and the forest
t it hardened her resolve even more. "If
is face, but it vanished just as fast.
further, a distant howl re
but with a haunting beauty
instincts kicking in as
d to lea
. "Not until you expl
he said, his voic
're c
s com
in a grip that had handcuff-like firmness without the p
er him, but her pr
My equi
rowled. "Your life matt
and she followed his lead as he maneuv
closer, as others joined in, a choru
ity, as if he had been born of the
boots snagging on root
tion where he was taking them, but
focused, and full of an in
, directing her into a narrow ravine covered with thick
ispered, breath h
don't
ng as she pressed herself
d hear them:
of leaves beneath their paws
red at the edge of the ravine,
nd its eyes burned with an unnatural light. More wolves s
mell the air. One of them, a black wolf with crystalline blu
nd took her hand, his
e first time, she noticed the
, and the others froze, th
pack started to approach the ravine,
spered, little m
ered, golden eyes on t
lf stepped nearer, i
scanned the shadows. Just when she though
l, a low gut-trembling sou
ened and tilted its
woods, the tension thick en
wolves wheeled and vanished into the trees,
shaky sigh, her
ck? "What just happ
moment before
d stood up, his face inscrutable.
eave?" Aurora pushe
olden eyes shone with an emo
I told
Aurora's eyes were riveted on him, her mind spinning. "What are
lenched. "Someone who's trying t
d started walking back toward the clearing. S
u can't just say someth
d but did n
his forest you're better
gh," she said, b
Those wolves... they weren't
las was quiet, his go
, running a hand thr
itted. "I'm not normal
h caught. "The
eyes piercing. "You want the t
dded, hea
still here," he said. "And th
a thunderclap, and she cou
fami
. "You mea
s no
of the pack," he
at him, her b
ar, and the low growl that had scared the re
them," she sa
idn't d
y it's dangerous f
eart pounding. But as the