Page 20 of Rejected By the Winter Wolf

My skin crawls at the idea of being spied on—future or present me. That’s what happened, isn’t it? The Seer saw that I was tracking her.

“You must know I’ve been searching for a Seer of my own,” I comment, if only to get some sort of reaction from her.

But to be honest? This conversation isn’t doing it for me.

I want answers, not more questions.

She sighs. “I do. I also know my time in this realm is coming to a close. If you’d like to try and twist me to serve your needs, that time will end sooner than either of us would like. And then neither of us will fulfill our destiny.”

Destiny. Fate. Gods meddle in mortal affairs all the time, and we’re no better for it.

I hate it all.

Still, I detect a sliver of fear—and that, I can most certainly work with. I lean forward, ignoring the coffee and bracing my forearms on the table. I pitch my voice low. “What makes you think you wouldn’t be of use to me? Your death isn’t my problem.”

“My power is nothing compared to the Seer you failed to capture.” She tips her chin up. She isn’t afraid to expose her throat. “But I can do a reading for you, if you’d like.”

“No.” I shove back from the table.

I’m restless. Irritated that her word games have got the best of me. It’s been a while since a witch was able to play me. I go to leave, then turn back.

“What’s her name?”

She smiles down at her coffee. “There’s power in names, Winter Wolf.”

I stare at her, but she doesn’t look up again. The waitress returns with the witch’s meal, and she takes away my mug.

I’ve been thoroughly dismissed.

For the first time since I was a pup.

Anger flashes through me, strong as a whip, and I curl my hands into fists. Option two—drag her out by her hair—sounds more valid. I tried the nice way, didn’t I? Look how well it worked.

I stride forward and hit a solid wall of air.

The corner of her lips curves up. “Do not test us, wolf. I gave you enough to find your girl—now leave us in peace. Should you learn to do that, you might survive the year.”

The singed scent of magic rises in the air again. I grit my teeth at her thinly veiled threat and scan the room slowly, surprised to find myself surrounded by curious gazes. Humans and witches alike.

“Fine. But after I find her, perhaps I will return here.” I smile down at her. It’s more of a bared-teeth grimace, but whatever. I fucking hate Seers. “If only to enjoy what little this town has to offer.”

“Try east,” she suggests. Then the Seer goes right back to her breakfast.

Fuck.

I stride out and straight back to my bike. As tempting as it is to shift, I won’t abandon my bike here. It cost too much; it means too much to me. Sentimental about so few things, I find it hard to part with what I am attached to.

As soon as I’m outside of the town limits, well out of reach of human eyes and ears, I pull off the road and stash my bike in the trees. I strip my clothes off and take a running jump, shifting mid-air.

My paws land softly, and my wolf takes charge. I’m happy to let him. He bounds forward, racing through the trees almost silently. Birds take off, rabbits scurry for cover. The forest is alive with smells and sounds.

I miss my pack.

I reach for my sister. She’s in wolf form, too. She feels my attention and sends me an image of where she is, sniffing through the sand next to the docks at the lake a few miles from our pack village.

How are you feeling? I ask her.

Her wolf is small, even for a female. She’s red and white, and one of the fastest I know. Not as fast as me, but we share a father. Of course she’s fast.