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“I doubt that,” he replied with a chuckle. “I may not have a mate yet, but I can certainly recognize a male struggling to push through the post-mating anger.”
While Sebastian wasn’t wrong, his even pointing it out was enough to boil my blood, pushing me further into that state of frustration. It made my wolf contemplate lashing out while the rest of me worked to suppress it.
Saving the moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and my attention shifted to it immediately. Fishing it out, I found Logan’s name on the screen and accepted the call.
“Can this wait? I’m in a meeting,” I told him in a quietly scolding tone as I pushed away from the table and got to my feet.
His unnerved voice was enough to indicate that no, it couldn’t wait. “We found something in the west woods, and you need to see it. I think it’s a warning.”
My brows pinched together. “A warning? By who?”
“I picked up some scents that don’t belong to anyone in our pack. It must be from someone else.”
Letting go of a deep breath, I nodded. “All right. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay out of trouble.”
“You got it.”
Hanging up, I slipped the phone back into my pocket and scrubbed a hand down my face. The others gave me questioning looks.
“My beta found something that needs my attention. Can you take it from here?”
“We were just about done anyway,” Beau said, collecting the papers in front of him. “Do what you need to do.”
“I’ll tag along,” Sebastian offered, already standing up. “I was giving you a hard time. It’s the least I can do.”
Shrugging, I collected my things as a new wave of curiosity and urgency moved through me. “All right. Let’s go then.”
“Keep us updated,” Ezra said as he and Beau stayed at the table.
“Will do,” I returned with a nod, already heading for the door with Sebastian in tow.
***
As I took in the sight, all words were stolen from me. Logan was right. I did need to see it.
Tracking Logan and the others down didn’t take long, but his tense expression only solidified how serious the situation truly was. All he had to do was point, and the rest fell into place.
To our left, the underbrush had been mostly cleared out, setting the stage for a scene I never thought I’d see before. The trees, row upon row, were tainted with what looked like red paint to form different symbols. There were at least three reoccurring ones, repeated over and over.
“What in the hell is this?” Sebastian asked in a low mutter as he looked around.
With my eyebrows pinched together in thought, I approached one of the trees and inhaled deeply. It wasn’t paint.
“It’s blood,” I mumbled, stepping back to see it completely. “But why here, and why these symbols?”
“Do you think it’s a warning?” Logan asked, just as concerned.
“It sure seems like it.”
As they spoke, I couldn’t help but focus on one of the shapes, silently questioning where I had seen it before. That irritating sense of familiarity lingered within my mind before it finally snapped into place.
“They’re runes,” I informed them, catching their confused expressions. “I’ve seen these before. It’s probably long-forgotten, but it was once integral to our history. I don’t know what each symbol means, but I do know what they were used for.”
Sebastian cocked a brow. “And?”
“It’s a threat. Someone did send us a warning.”
Concern shaded Logan’s face as he glanced between us. “Was it Sam or maybe another alpha in the area?”
