AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When my dad gave Arielle and I our heart stones, he vehemently explained to us that they aren’t simple rocks. The heart stone is a precious stone and a living entity all at once. It speaks when it needs to, and it bonds to its owner, guiding them in matters of the heart.
It also comes with the enormous benefit of strengthening the power Mom’s side of the family passed down through the generations—the ability to manipulate a wolf’s bonds.
I make the split-second decision to let the heart stone guide me. It’s possible it could be guiding me toward Jakob, knowing he’s been given to me by Fate, but something inside of me says that’s not it. I have a gut feeling we’re headed as far away from him as possible, and I’m holding onto that feeling with everything I’ve got.
I weave my path through the trees a little, testing the heart stone’s reaction as I move. The hotter a path gets, the more I run in that direction. I can feel myself growing more and more tired with each passing minute, but I press on.
No matter how much I weave, the wolves tailing me continue to follow, much to my frustration.
Back off, I growl out even though there’s no chance of them hearing me.
I don’t like my odds. I’m getting too tired to keep up this pace for long, and there’s no way to lose them when they’re obviously following my scent. There’s no helping that, unfortunately, so I push on.
No one from Cupid’s Pack would chase me like this, and even if they did, they would have been able to talk to me across mind link at any point. Either the wolves following me are from Jakob’s pack, or I’ve stumbled across even more trouble.
My wolf startles as the heart stone suddenly heats so much, I feel like it’s burning my back despite the layers of separation. I stumble slightly before righting myself, head turning wildly to try to see what it’s reacting to.
Two white wolves come seemingly out of nowhere, materializing by my side with no warning. I didn’t even notice them coming, but I certainly notice them now. They’re large and nearly identical at first glance, and the way they herd me between them, close and protective, settles the prickle of fear that the other wolves had caused.
A strange tingle works its way up my spine as we run.
Yesterday, my bond with Jakob hit me like an uncomfortable freight train. This time, my wolf swallows the realization much more slowly, turning the idea over and over in my mind as, together, we try to make sense of it.
Because the wolves that run next to me? My wolf itches to call out to them.Mates,she says suddenly, sounding much more pleased than she did the day before. And as if that isn’t enough to make my head spin, the heart stone feels like it’s beating against me like a heartbeat.
What’s going on?my wolf calls out, not expecting an answer.
The wolf on my right nudges me lightly, forcing me to turn or stumble over him.There’s a campground another mile up on our left that’s neutral ground.
I’m startled to hear his voice inside my head. Mind links are shared between packs, families, and mates. Which means… My wolf isn’t imagining the connection. But how…
I shut down my rapidly spiraling thoughts. I can hear the sounds of the other wolves breaking through brush behind us, twigs snapping as their paws pound against the ground, closing more of the distance between us. I’m not sure if it’s because they realize there are other wolves with me now, or if they’re trying to reach me before I make it to the campground for some reason. I don’t have anything close to an idea, and I sure as heck don’t want to find out.
I can either trust the strangers chasing me or the strangers making my heart beat erratically.
It’s a pretty simple choice.
Please don’t let me regret this, I plead more to myself than anyone else.
The wolf on my left tilts his head, staring at me as intensely as is possible from the corner of his eye as we run.We won’t let anything happen to you, he vows passionately. My stomach tightens at the promise I hear in the voice rumbling through my mind link. It’s a better offer of protection than my own mom afforded me, and it makes my eyes embarrassingly watery. I blink away the emotion.
Almost there, the wolf on my right reassures me.
After a few more paces, I can finally see it. The campground looms in front of us, though it’s not exactly what I was expecting. Rows of small cabins line the view in front of me, and in the distance I can see the moon reflecting off a body of water.
The sound of chirping crickets intersperses the sounds of the water crashing gently against the distant shore. The light of fireflies coming to life and fading into darkness brings a magical quality to the campground that might normally drag me to a stop if it weren’t for the wolves in pursuit. I ache to tilt my head up, to see if the stars are as vibrant as I think they probably are in the inky sky above us, but the urgency I feel from the white wolves pushes me forward.
The left wolf drops back, and my wolf panics for a moment and slows alongside him. The wolf on my right nudges me to keep going, but I can’t. The urge to stay somewhere between the two wolves is undeniable.
I’m just making sure the other wolves stay back, my left wolf reassures me.I’m right behind you.He drops back further but nudges my hip with his muzzle to prove he’s close.
I force myself to keep moving alongside my right wolf as we slow to a trot and cross out of the tree line that seems to delineate where the campground starts. The right wolf slows to a stop and turns to look back, so I follow suit. My left wolf isn’t far behind.
Behind him, three large wolves hover half under the cover of trees. The thing that bothers me is that they’re not even trying to hide. They’re simply not getting any closer. They don’t care that I see them—which is worrisome all on its own—but they’re also careful not to step foot on the campground.
My right wolf said this campground is neutral ground. That makes it a safe space for anyone passing through, and it also means that someone occasionally patrols the campground to answer to the Luna Sovereign if anyone breaks shifter law here.
It’s no longer a guess if the wolves following me had bad intentions. The fact that they’re not willing to pass onto neutral land is answer enough. I have a bad feeling that I’m only safe until I’m inevitably on the move again.
