Page 134 of The SnowFang Secret


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Then he tapped my wrist. I released him and broke the surface with a gasp. I got my feet under me and pawed water and hair out of my eyes.

Jun stood and coughed. “You could have justasked!”

“All done,” I told Sterling. “Pack conquered.”

Burian rolled his eyes.

Cye sidled over to Sterling, shoulders slightly hunched.

Sterling looked at him.

Cye threw his arms around Sterling, gave him a quick hug, and then released him. Sterling winced. Burian and Sterling eyed each other, and Burian looked away first, but said, “It’s good you’re back.”

I dragged myself out of the pool and flicked water off my arms, then hugged Jun. He was sobeefy. And solid. Andbig. “I missed you all.”

Hell, I’d even missed Burian. A little bit.Justa bit.

“Are you hurt badly?” Cye asked Sterling, sniffing him.

“No.”

“Would you admit it if you were?”

“If I am able to admit to it, it isn’t serious.”

“We heard you kicked his ass.” Jun said, eyes wide. “Like it wasn’t evenclose. Everyone’s whispering about it. That you were fucking with him the entire time.”

“He was a difficult opponent. But mocking him was part of the strategy.”

“You went wolf-form instead of war-form right away?” Cye asked.

“It definitely threw Alan for a loop. That’s a female tactic.”Typically,males went right for war-form unless some other agreement had been made, while she-wolves fought in wolf form. Sterling’s choice to fight in wolf-form for the first few minutes had been dangerous.

But it had put a match to whatever strategy Alan had had, and then Sterling had doubled down on fighting dirty. When Alan had realized how badly compromised his heel was, and how unrelenting Sterling was, the doubt had become an infection that went straight to his brain.

Defeat and death had become inevitable.

“I learned a great deal training with the AmberHowl.” Sterling’s gaze tracked me as I stepped out of the shade into the sunlight. “Mostly that many warriors value a certain ritual and etiquette in the initial thirty seconds of a fight. They want victory. Alan was there for victory. I was there for death.”

I shivered in the sunlight, but in an exquisite way, like his palm had rubbed my fur.

Sterling half-smiled and pulled the jewel box out from under his arm. I pressed my soaking wet body against his and raked my fingers along his jaw. He bent and kissed me long and slow and very, very gently.

“I will give AmberHowl about that long to secure victory tomorrow,” Sterling told me, caressing my cheek with his fingertips, and I never wanted him to stop. “And if they do not produce it, we will not be foolish enough to wait.”

True Story

The Elder Council convened the next morning very early, in a special session that none of them especially wanted to be present for.

Sterling and I sat with the AmberHowl while the other three SnowFang, Cerys, and Garrett, stood between the AmberHowl platform and the FrostFangare. Daniel recognized me instantly this time, and almost said something, before Demetrius pointed at him, and the SilverPaw Alpha reclaimed his seat, seething. Searle sat alone behind Henri and Sarah.

Wolves packed together like furry sardines, craning for the news, while the Elders whispered to each other, eyes on me.

The FrostFur were also there, standing next to SilverPaw, now led by my grandfather until the new Alpha could be named. Kyle and Thessa smoldered with fury from their place on the other side.

Demetrius and Marcella weren’t the least bit cowed or apologetic.

Once everyone had conveyed and had a few minutes to stew, Daniel stood. “We are here, Demetrius. And it would seem you have lied to all of us. Winter, daughter of Rodero, was alive this entire time. Yet you allowed a fight to the death to go forward and now Alan of FrostFur is dead?”

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