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He seems immediately concerned, but he answers, Not that I know of…

Smart wolf, he knows better than to ask why. And yet, I feel inclined to warn him.

We’re being followed.

He perks up. His wolf stops moving, and I sense the attention of my other hunters homing in on him. What do you want us to do, Alpha?

Be on alert—but no need to rush over here just yet. What’s the update on the coven?

Griffin’s wolf whines, but it’s abruptly cut off. The coven was ready for us. They took us on a wild goose chase, then disappeared.

I grunt and cast another glance at Astra. She’d be happy to hear that report. After all, she asked me to stop hunting witches. If we’re going to break the curse, then I suppose witch-hunting would come to a natural end… If wolves could get over their trauma long enough to forgive them.

Would that happen? Would we just… forgive the witches for years of generational trauma? I grew up without a mother because of the original curse. Every wolf I know has faced the same thing.

With a sudden pit in my stomach, I find myself missing the she-wolf who birthed me. I truly do separate her from the ones who raised me, my father and Erin and Matteo, but a sense of longing blocks my throat.

Father never talked about her. They weren’t fated mates. Just two wolves who had chosen each other, if only to serve a purpose. He didn’t love her. I have to believe that he didn’t, because he raised me to use she-wolves to secure my line and nothing more.

Erin and Matteo sorted me out back then. They were the voices of reason echoing in my skull when my father sought to mold me into his shape.

Still. The idea of growing up with a mother…

I want Jessamine’s pup to experience that. The curse has to be broken.

We’ll track the coven down, Griffin vows.

No. I surprise myself with the command. Go back and assist Matteo. I’ll call for you if I need you.

“You have a concentration face,” Astra whispers. She stretches, arching her back and sticking out her breasts like a fucking temptress. Her joints pop and crack, and she sinks back into her seat with a satisfied expression.

Does she know how hard it is to rein in my desire to complete this stupid bond?

I should drop her off on the side of the road and drive away as fast as I can.

“Pack business,” I answer after a beat.

“So you can talk to them in your head. I figured as much.”

“Sometimes.” I eye the rearview mirror. The car behind us has fallen back enough that I can only see it on straightaways. “Well, I can reach them all the time. But I only talk to them sometimes.”

She pulls her hair out of its tie and runs her fingers through it. “Why are you driving like a bat out of hell?”

I check my speed. Ninety-five, although it feels like we’re crawling on this long stretch of mountain road. I shrug at her. “We have places to be.”

“Right,” she mumbles. “The blood witch. Can we stop to pee?”

“Seriously?”

“I’m a human, Kian, as much as you might think I’m the scourge of the earth. I still have bodily functions.”

She can’t possibly think that I consider her the scourge of the earth. First, that’s fucking dramatic. Second, she’s growing on me. Does my skin crawl when I think too hard about sitting next to a witch? Yes. Of course. It’s not like I can just erase that overnight.

But also…

She’s incredibly alluring.

I frown. “Hold it. We can’t stop.”