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I nodded at him, and we took off, over the edge of the cliff and down the steep embankment. Many of the rocks beneath my paws slid out from under me and trickled down the side of the cliff. One wrong move and we would break our necks. Even our advanced healing ability wouldn’t be able to fix that.
We forged on, slowly making our way down the almost-vertical cliff face. There were small growths and rocks implanted withing the dirt that we could step on, and spring from, but overall, it was the sort of climb people would normally avoid at all costs, no matter what physical form they were in.
When we were finally within six feet of the base, I jumped, landing on soft dirt at the bottom of the cliff. Kyle jumped down behind me, making a soft whining noise that told me he’d enjoyed that as little as I had.
Running free through the forest was one thing, but that descent had not been fun.
Now that we were on flat ground, I felt more confident. Dapples of moonlight drifted down through the tree canopy above us, showing off a typical forest just starting to come alive in the night. I could hear the pitter-patter of small game animals as they scented us and skittered away, but lucky for them we were not on the hunt for rabbits tonight.
I started running, enjoying the terrain and picking up on all sorts of new smells. There was one scent I couldn’t ignore, though. The sweetest of scents, like catnip, or beer. It drew me like a bear to honey.
What was it?
I wanted to put my head back and howl, call to the moon above our heads. But the fact that we were in enemy territory and hunting for people we knew nothing about kept my wolf quiet.
Another sweet waft of scent made its way to me. I followed it through the forest and out into a cleared area.
I stopped running. Kyle bumped into my side before he righted himself and stepped away. There were people nearby. The smell of meat cooking and female perfume permeated the air.
We needed to be careful.
I padded around a nearby log and kept to the tree line as we continued our exploration. The scent of humans became more intense, and then the sounds of human life met my ears: chatting, laughing, a stray cough.
A sense of satisfaction washed over me. We’d found them. Or at the very least, we’d found a group of people living in the forest who may know something about who we were looking for. This group wouldn’t be human, not this far off the beaten track.
I stayed low to the ground, and with adrenaline pumping in my veins, I crept closer to the sounds.
There was that scent again. I released a tiny growl, unable to process such an intense sensation in wolf form. The scent had been powerful even when I was in human form, delicious and seductive, but as a wolf, my every sense was overwhelmed.
I needed to find the source of that smell.
I jumped a bush, circled around a tree, and then stopped dead. In the middle of another clearing just ahead stood a woman, with hair the color of a burnt sunset.
She turned to stare at us, her gaze swirling with purple—unmistakably magic though the color was one I’d never seen before. She was witch, clearly. Was she the one we sought?
I couldn’t stop myself. I shifted back to human, unable to stay in wolf form. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to grab her up in my arms and hold her close. I wanted to drag her home and never let her go.
What the hell was this strange pull?
I swallowed hard against the primitive urges and took a step closer. God, she was beautiful, with bright blue eyes and perfect skin. Was it possible I was dreaming?
I lifted a hand to reach out and touch her, to reassure myself that she was real.
She thrust out her hand, palm out toward me, and stopped me in my tracks. “Don’t take another step.”
My jaw dropped at the sound of her voice. So strong. So perfect. So right. I fell to my knees on the grass in front of her.
Kyle knelt too, right beside me.
I stared up at her, at the witch wandered toward us. She was magnificent. Her red hair blew in the breeze. Her purple magic rippled around her like an extra cloak, atop the one she already wore.
My mate. My fated mate. Holy shit...thiswoman was my fated mate?
But she was a witch.
I turned and stared at Kyle, my Beta, kneeling before her just as I was.
Horror replaced the awe I’d been feeling when I saw the captivated look on his face.
No. I’ll never share her.
Not even with him.
