“Aurora…” His voice is so low that I almost don’t hear my name on his tongue. “Have you ever thought… I mean, did you ever wonder…”
For an excruciatingly long moment, I wait for him to finish his sentence. His words hang between us like so much wasted potential. Finally, growing impatient, I ask, “Yes?”
It feels like anything could happen.
He leans toward me, his lips parting, words crowding his tongue.
There’s a moment where I think he might kiss me.
But the moment is shattered by the snap of a twig nearby. I’m up on my feet almost as fast as Kieran is. He growls, his back pressed to mine as we spring into defensive positions.
“It came from the trees,” he says in a low voice, catching my wrist in one hand. “Stay close, just in case.”
My heart races from more than just fear. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”
I’m acutely aware of his warmth against me, his scent filling my senses. Even the bonfire smoke is nothing compared to the intoxicating smell of him. Every one of my nerves is on edge, my muscles tense, my whole body prepping for a fight—but I still feel his nearness like a balm to my broken soul.
We face the darkness together, waiting for another twig to snap, for a growl or a sign of… something. The broken bond thrums between us, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. His denial of it is the only thing keeping it from snapping back into place, but I’m sure, in this moment, Kieran can feel its ache.
And I swear I can hear his heart race just as fast as mine.
Chapter 10
Kieran
My wolf is ready to fight to the death if any threat even so much astoucheshis mate. He surges and snaps beneath my skin, the shift like an itch I can’t quite scratch.
“Who goes there?” I bellow, and Aurora snorts below her breath, despite the tension. “Name yourself.”
She mutters, “Yeah, the Big Bad Wolf is gonna fuck you up if you don’t.”
“This is serious,” I hiss at her, although based on the fear rolling off her and the hitch of her breath, I know she’s aware of the danger we’re in. “After the village we just walked through and that damned lake, anything could be out there in the darkness.”
Throwing her shoulders back, Aurora retorts, “Anything except a ten-year-old scared of spooky stories you tell in the dark. Where’d you get that threatening voice from, a Spirit Halloween store?”
Before I can counter her, a man’s figure emerges from the shadows, the firelight flickering on his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Immediately, my hackles are up. He smells of shifter, but something about him iswrong.His eyes keep jerking back andforth, and he twists his hands in front of him nervously, like he’s hiding something.
My wolf doesn’t like it. Lifting a lip, I growl. Aurora elbows me in the side. “Stop it. He’s just scared.”
“And half-mad, I think.”
The lone male wolf takes another bold step forward, setting my wolf on edge even further. We’re both ready to fight when he holds his hands up in a placating gesture, submissive pheromones rolling off him.
“I’m just looking for he-help.” He shudders and twitches, hissing through his teeth. “I’ve come here from Pack Amber, which has been ravaged by this strange disease. It’s like some kind of a… a madness that spreads in the blink of an eye.”
Pack Amber is hundreds of miles north of here, not far from the Canadian border. Alarm spreads through me at the news that the madness is spreading faster than we can even investigate it.
Aurora moves toward him, saying, “I’m sure we can help?—”
“Wait.” I grab her wrist, gritting my teeth at the jolt of the bond that shudders through me at the physical contact. She glares at me, but I override her, letting my wolf’s dominance roll out of me. “I want to make sure he’s not a threat before we get any closer. You—Pack Amber male, what’s your name?”
I can feel Aurora rankle under my tight grip, her rebellious and independent nature resentful of my command. But I’d never forgive myself if I let her put herself in danger, so I ignore the growing scowl she’s shooting my way.
“Emmett is the name… Emmett Amber, actually.” He steps further into the firelight, revealing that his skin tone is a warm, reddish brown, his hair jet black and curling around the base of his neck.. “I was an outcast among my pack before the madness came, and I guess they decided to make it final when I started to show signs. But I sw-swear I’m no threat to you.”
“Of course you aren’t.” Aurora shoots me another glare, then twists her wrist out of my grip with some fancy MMA move that makes my fingers slip off her skin. I try to grab her, but she dances away before I can. “Let’s get a good look at you. Are those scars recent? They’re raised and red… come here.”
