Heart of a Wolf

“Move away, pup,” one of them said, his voice deeper than I’d expected. “She’s of no concern to you.”

“But she’s the Alpha. I just want to see if she’s—”

“Fine,” the other said, stepping forward until I took a few steps back. “And she isn’t your Alpha. We’re all here because of you. There’s no way she’ll let you stay now.” He sneered in my direction, light shining on his sharp fangs.

“Please,” I begged, fighting back my tears as they threatened to make their way up my throat. “I can’t stomach the thought of harming her.” I’d seen where my wolf bit her. It may have been for only a split second, but surely the mark wasn’t fatal, right?

Werewolves fought over territory all the time. They healed faster than any human ever could.

She’ll be okay, I thought with a shaky breath. Everything will be okay.

Ash was the only one who could decide my fate now. The only reason Fallen didn’t do even more damage and actually

kept me around was because I was still her responsibility. But if something happened to Ash, then…

No, I refused to believe it. Fallen put up a strong front, but there must’ve been a small part of her that actually liked me.

She’d never admit it, but I’d sensed her pride during my first run and again when I made it back to the manor on my own.

Granted, that was before tonight. What my wolf did was unacceptable, and I only had myself to blame for it.

The smell of exhaust and the sound of an old engine pulled me from my thoughts. A pair of headlights turned in our direction, momentarily blinding me once Fallen got out of the van.

“Put them in the back,” Fallen ordered the guards, pushing me aside when I tried to help with my sister. “No, not with your wolf stirring under your skin. If you so much as touch her, we’ll go right back to where we started. You’ll join the others so they can keep an eye on you.”

“What about Ash?” With the guards out of the way, I finally got my first look at Ash.

She lay motionless on the asphalt, the fur along her neck glistening with fresh blood.

“She’ll survive,” Fallen said with relief, “but I can’t say the same for you. Until she wakes, until the Alpha’s well, you’ll remain in your original quarters.” Her tone wasn’t as hard as before, and as soon as the other wolves were out of earshot, she continued. “I understand how hard it must’ve been for you to hold back your wolf. Any newborn would’ve struggled just as much. However, that doesn’t offer much comfort when I need to ask two of my pack to carr

y their Alpha into the back of our van.”

“I understand,” I said, dropping my gaze. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me just so long as they keep my sister safe.”

“They will,” Fallen promised, making her way back toward the van. “She may be an enemy, but we value all life.

What happens to her will be decided by the Alpha once she’s well.”

Not if Ash got well but when. I had no idea how long it would take or what fate awaited me back at the manor, but so long as Ash survived, I knew everything would be okay.

Somehow.

The ride back to the manor was the longest ride of my life.

I had no idea how far the manor actually was, but considering I’d made it to the city on foot, it couldn’t have been very far.

The guards sitting on the bench across from me never said a word. Val sat propped up between them, their nakedness not troubling me as much as it once did. They were pack, and after responding to what my wolf had done, they had little time for clothes or changing out of them before taking on their pelts.

Silently, I thanked them for the part they’d played tonight, while a smaller part of me hated them for keeping me away from my sister. What if she woke up? What if she saw me naked and thought they were kidnappers instead?

Suddenly feeling trapped inside the back of their van, I pounded on the wall between us and where Fallen and Ash were sitting up front. “Why is it taking so long?” We should’ve been there by now.

“There are patrols all over the roads tonight,” Fallen replied, her words muffled by the divider.

“We should’ve gone to the hospital. They could’ve helped her there,” I said, gritting my teeth when Fallen opened the small window between us. “It would’ve been closer.”

“And risk you turning again?” she asked as she met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Humans did this to us and only wolves can fix it.”