Page 67 of The Wolf's Mate

I want it to stop.

My body shakes as I turn back to the river. Finally, mercifully, the noise lowers to a low thrum. “It’s here,” I croak, waiting for my ears to stop ringing and for my eyes to focus. “I’m certain of it. You and Grass stay up, watch our surroundings. I’m going to climb down?—”

Tallie growls. I can’t communicate with her like this, but I know it’s her way of showing her dissatisfaction with my plan.

“I’ll be careful,” I assure. “I’m not completely uncoordinated.” Besides, the pull is too strong to ignore. I’m not sure I could ignore it, even if I tried.

Tallie grunts, and I take it as acquiescence. “I’ll work fast,” I promise and slowly start my descent. It’s not a long climb down, but I’m still careful. Falling six feet wouldn’t cause much pain, but it would hurt my pride.

I let out a triumphant whoop when my feet hit the ground, which is answered by a howl from Grass. The journey back up won’t be much better, but I concentrate my efforts on my task at hand. Finding wolfsbane.

It’s darker here, and I desperately wish I thought to bring something to light my way. If I hadn’t been so worried Rip would find out what I’m doing, I would have thought this plan out better.

I’m careful to keep some distance between myself and the water. Half of the river is frozen, but it’s a light layer. Not enough to hold my weight. I crouch low, trying to get a better view of the floor. Debris and the occasional weed are the only things I see.

“Where is it?” I growl to no one in particular, growing frustrated with my lack of progress. Tallie howls, and it feels a lot like she’s telling me to hurry.

Growing desperate, I move faster, hands out in front of me, searching for the plant. I feel like Velma from one of the old Scooby Doo shows, looking for her glasses.

Focusing on what is directly in front of me, I miss the log peeking out of the water. My right foot snags on the wood, and I go down hard with an oof. Small rocks get stuck in my hands and knees.

“Fuck,” I growl, picking myself up. In a moment of anger, I kick the log, only to have my entire boot go through the wood.

This is karma. Fucking karma for lying to my damn mate and going on this fruitless quest.

Disappointment settles in, knowing I will go home empty-handed. Knowing the wolves I could have saved will grow sicker. Angry tears blur my vision as I turn to climb back up.

In the midst of turning around, something catches my attention. A flash of purple and green stands out in an otherwise colorless area. I take a tentative step forward, noticing that, when I kicked the log, I moved it back a few inches, uncovering something growing underneath.

Wolfsbane.

Not as much as last time, but still enough. “Tallie, it’s here!”

She doesn’t respond, but I hear Grass. He’s barking, but it takes me a moment to realize his barks aren’t playful or happy. “Grass?” I call, but his barking only grows more incessant.

And then I hear it. Growls. And not from Grass.

Heart racing, I grab up the wolfsbane, shoving everything I can into my pocket. “Tallie!” I scream for her again, but she doesn’t make herself known. What the fuck is going on?

I climb back up the steep hill on all fours, moving as fast as I can. Growls and what sounds like bodies colliding filter down to me, and my stomach drops. When I finally reach the top, my body freezes at the scene before me.

A gray wolf is locked in combat with an unfamiliar brown wolf. A rogue—it has to be. Grass bites at the heel of the brown wolf, trying his best to keep him away from Tallie. One rough push from the brown wolf’s hind legs sends Grass flying back. He lands in a heap on the ground, whimpering.

Someone screams. It might be me.

But it’s the wrong thing to do. Tallie loses her focus, snapping her attention in my direction. The brief distraction is all the brown wolf needs to make his next move. He lunges, his canines sinking deep into Tallie’s neck.

Tallie growls, tries to break free, but the brown wolf’s hold is too strong. I watch, almost as if I’m watching the scene play out in slow motion. He clamps down hard on Tallie and then tosses her to the side as if she weighs nothing at all. The sickening sound of her body hitting the tree sends me into a full-blown panic.

“Tallie!” I scream again, this time getting the attention of the brown wolf.

He stares at me, tilting his head to the side, studying me. I fumble to get the ax at my side, trying to remember the training Rip made me do. I charge at him. Desperation, fear, and anger mix like a deadly cocktail.

The brown wolf narrowly dodges my ax as it sticks in the ground where he was only moments ago. I struggle to free it, and that’s when I hear the mocking male laughter.

“You must be Red,” the strange voice says.

I dislodge my ax and stare down a massive man. Not Michael, but not any less frightening.