Sabine didn’t flinch from Adne’s outburst, but Adne was horrified by it.
“I’m sorry,” Adne whispered. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Don’t be,” Sabine replied. “I wish you would say more.”
Adne wanted to tell Sabine how afraid she was. How she dreaded sleep because of the nightmares that inevitably came with it. How she worried that she might be losing her grip on reality, but that if she wasn’t in fact going crazy, then the truth of what was happening might be much, much worse. She wanted to say all of this and more, but she couldn’t let go of the secrets that she’d been holding on to so tightly.
Instead, Adne said, “Don’t you want to see for yourself?”
“I’m not following.” Sabine’s brow furrowed. “See what?”
“Shay,” Adne said. “Sarah told us that she saw Shay dragging me through the garden and back to the mansion.”
Frowning, Sabine replied, “I’ve seen Shay. He’s a wolf. Nothing has changed.”
“What if something has changed?” Adne countered. “I think we need to go up to Haldis.”
“Adne, even I try to make my trips as infrequent as I can manage,” Sabine said with reluctance. “If a wolf pack thinks its den is compromised because they scent too many humans, then they’ll abandon it. They’d leave and I don’t know if we’d see them again.”
“One trip,” Adne pressed. “That’s all I’m asking.”
Sabine gave Adne a long look, then said, “I guess we’re going to need warmer clothes.”
• • •
The air on the slope near Haldis had a bite to it, as if it resented Adne and Sabine’s presence. As they climbed the snowy mountainside, doubts began to plague Adne.
What am I even doing up here? And why did I drag Sabine into this?
Mired in her own thoughts, Adne yelped in surprise when Sabine grabbed her arm.
“Shhhh.” Sabine pulled Adne into a crouch beneath a huge pine. “I think it would be best if I scouted ahead. I’ll come back for you if the pack seems docile enough.”
Already indebted to Sabine for joining her on this madcap expedition, Adne just nodded. Sabine crept into the thick of the trees and vanished from sight. Alone, Adne watched her breath curl like smoke toward the treetops.
“Adne.”
Putting her back to the tree trunk, Adne glanced around what appeared to be a silent forest. The whisper of her name had come from right behind her, but now that she was looking, she saw no one.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Adne whirled around, following the sound of the voice, but again there was no one.
“It’s not safe here.”
Adne turned again. “Who’s there?”
No answer.
Pressing her cheek against the rough tree bark, Adne closed her eyes.
There is nothing. There is no one there. You can’t trust your mind anymore.
When another low sound rumbled at Adne’s back, she ignored it. But it came again, this time more distinct, and there was no mistaking it for an imagined voice. The snarl was slow and menacing and very, very close.
Taking care to move ever so slowly, Adne turned around.
Calla’s golden eyes were locked on Adne, her pristine white coat only marred by the crimson splashed across her muzzle. The blood was so fresh, Adne saw drops of it fall from Calla’s jaws onto the snow-covered ground.
“We should get out of here,” Sabine said as she emerged from the woods at Adne’s back. “The pack has a fresh kill and that means they’ll be territorial. And I don’t know . . .”
When she reached Adne’s side, Sabine froze.
“Where Calla is?” Adne finished for her.
“Damn.” Sabine took Adne’s hand. “Let’s try to back off. She might not see us as a threat if we get far enough away from the kill.”
“How far is far enough?” Adne asked.
Sabine didn’t take her eyes off the snarling she-wolf. “It depends on how pissed off Calla is.”
“She seems pretty pissed off.” Adne mimicked Sabine’s measured steps away from Calla.
“She does, doesn’t she?”
Calla stalked after them, keeping her head low and her fangs bared.
“Do you still speak wolf?” Adne asked, heart climbing up her throat. She’d seen Calla’s muzzle bloodied before, but never as the target of the wolf’s menace herself.
“Do I still speak wolf?” Sabine snapped at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Just throwing ideas out there,” Adne said in a tight voice. “I thought that was better than ‘you got a bloody steak in your pocket?’”
“Connor has been a very bad influence on you.”
“Noted.”
They were still backing away, but Calla’s snarls were only growing louder. Hackles raised, Calla hunched down, her limbs tightening, ready to propel herself at the intruders.
She’s going to kill us.
A blur of movement split the shadows and Calla gave a yelp of surprise. Snow filled the air in a sparkling cloud as Shay skidded to a stop directly between Calla and the two girls.
Shay barked at Calla, a sound that was sharp but not harsh. Calla replied with a dismissive snarl. Shay barked again and then trotted to the alpha female. Ears up and demeanor friendly, Shay licked some of the blood from Calla’s muzzle. Calla shook her head and snapped at Shay, obviously confused by her mate’s behavior. Shay barked once more, put his head to Calla’s chest, and pushed her back.
Startled, Calla jumped away from him and gave a sharp growl that to Adne sounded almost like a question. Shay replied with a bark and wagged his tail. Casting a final, resentful look at Adne and Sabine, Calla pivoted around and disappeared into the brush.
“I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I’ll take it,” Sabine murmured.
Shay peered into the forest where Calla had fled, as if making sure she wasn’t doubling back for another strike. He glanced over his shoulder at Adne and Sabine, watching them with intelligent green eyes.
“What do we do now?” Adne whispered.
“Why are you asking me?” Sabine replied. “I thought I made it clear that there is no wolf-whispering potential on my part.”
Shay looked back at the forest, and that was when Adne saw him. Barely distinguishable from the shadows, Ren was nonetheless there, watching them. Shay tilted his head, ears flicking while he gazed at Renier.