Despite catching little sleep during the second night in a row, I feel refreshed when I wake up spooned in Kendrick's arms. I snuggle against his naked torso. Lying there and listening to his even breath stirs a longing to have him close like this for every morning for the rest of my life. With a sigh, I tug his arm closer around my chest.

The memory of Sazith's words are like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. A shudder runs through me.

Marush can only be beaten if you choose the sun.

And only a dead Marush will guarantee the survival of the werewolves. Yet, even if I choose the sun, Tessa's chances of success are slim. Marush is simply too powerful.

An opportunity like this will not arise again. You have to choose the sun. It is your destiny.

I hide my head under the cover to drown out Sazith's voice. I don't want to give up my werewolf side. Warmth radiates from Kendrick's body, keeping me safe. I close my eyes, exhaling. Images ignite in the darkness of my mind. My wild chasing through the woods with long leaps with the wind whispering in my ears. Lolling in the grass with my tongue sticking out while bees buzz around the nearby flowers. Howling at the moon under the watchful eye of the Moon Goddess. If I make my promise to the sun, I will betray her. And not only that. I will abandon my wild, a part of me that I could always rely on. My wolf will be lost by the blood spilled in honor of the sun to seal my fire powers in my heart.

Fighting with my tears, I hate myself for being weak. This is a no-brainer decision. I either make a selfish choice, stay a wolf, and die with the rest of my kind, or I pledge my loyalties to the sun and give the werewolves a chance at survival. Either way, Kendrick and I won't be together.

I pull Kendrick's arm even closer, wishing I'd never have to let him go. He stirs in his sleep, his arousal pressing against my behind. Nuzzling his nose into my hair, he clears the hoarseness from his voice. "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in ages. You?"

"Me, too," I lie. Truth is that the constant worry about my choice smothered my dreams. It's like a scorching flame in my head I can't control.

"We should get up, so we can visit to the rest of the territories today."

I turn around in his embrace and rest my finger against his lips. "No talk. Just for another half an hour." Cherish what I have for just one more stolen moment.

His lips are soft as they brush my forehead.

Thirty minutes.

That's all I'm asking.

"Nah, I think we really need to hit the road. Otherwise, we won't get to all of the territories today."

My heart aches as I watch him get dressed. His firm asscheeks disappear in his jeans and the flannel shirt hides his six-pack. Rubbing over his stubble, he gives me a crooked smile, almost as if apologizing for letting my naked body go to waste on the bed. "Ready?"

With a low growl, I jump up. Taking a little longer to dress than he did, I don't miss his lingering gaze on my tits.

"Maybe tonight, we could stay at another motel," he says.

"Yeah, maybe."

If things go my way, we'll have found Cassum's true mate and he'll be heading back with us. Kendrick will likely sense his guilt and will question what the heck is going on. I might even have to negotiate a truce. All that is far from the ideal premise for a hot, steamy night in bed.

"Breakfast?" he asks.

"Just coffee for me." Hunting on unknown territory is out of the question and my stomach still hasn't digested last night's greasy burgers they delivered to the room.

"I guess we'll just have coffee to go then."

My stomach growls as if in disagreement, but fresh kill would be the only thing that could make the craving stop. I stretch; my skins are too tight and give my wild a cramped feeling. She was confined far too long in the Highlands and doesn't appreciate the short moments of respite when she gets to hunt. My heart soars—how will I ever say goodbye to her? Denying this part of me will be so hard.

Kendrick pulls my hand to his lips. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

I smile to give my assertion extra firmness. No need to get us both wound up. The worry crease on his forehead smooths.

Climbing into the car with my coffee cup in hand, I scold myself for not having insisted on a few more minutes of bliss. Kendrick's lips twitch whenever he glances at me; no doubt he would've enjoyed an extended make-out session. Radio blasting, I try to regain the good mood from yesterday but fail. My stomach is in knots and the scraping of the wipers on the windshield battling the sheets of rain is obnoxious.

We arrive at the first territory. Another dead end. The same happens at the next two packs we visit. After a quick lunch we eat in the car, we work our way South; by late afternoon, only two territories remain. Doubt eats at me. Could Cassum's mate be from a pack that wasn't conquered? Maybe after he killed her, he refused to back Lance Ward during the big fight, hence escaping the fate of oppression. If so, this whole trip was a waste of time and chances are we won't find him.

Kendrick pulls into a new driveway, and after a couple of miles on a narrow path through thick woods, we arrive at the packhouse. Hostile energy emits from the waiting wolves and danger prickles in the nape of my neck the second I get out of the car. This pack has been waiting for us.

I pull Kendrick's sleeve. "Watch out," I mutter under my breath.

He acknowledges my concern with a small nod. His body tenses as he approaches the waiting wolves. When I notice mostly females and pups, I glance around for their fighters. Heavy woods barely allow for a glimpse into the underbrush surrounding the settlement. A few branches are moving, but that could be the wind. I stare up at the sky. Dark clouds chase each other that make it impossible for the sun to break through for longer than a heartbeat.

The Alpha is old; his white, silvery hair and his weathered skin suggest that he's at least two decades past his prime. Why has no heir challenged him yet? He removes the toothpick stuck between his lips and gives Kendrick a slow smile. His fangs don't show, which takes some of the tension out of the air. "What can I do for you?"

Kendrick's wolf rumbles; it hasn't escaped him that the old wolf didn't acknowledge his Alpha status. "Are any of your sons alive?"

"Nope, you killed them all."

Kendrick nods, about to turn, when I hold him back. Cassum's mate had not reached his prime, and with the Alpha being this ancient, he couldn't have been his son.

"Is there another heir? Who will be Alpha after you pass?"

The old wolf's glare drills into me and he snorts. "You let your female speak for you?"

A growl resonates in my chest and I smile with teeth. "Just answer my question."

The old Alpha ignores me. "Your sister Cassum surrounded herself with warlocks, which was her downfall. Having this abomination by your side will be yours. Mark my words." He spits on the ground, barely missing Kendrick's foot.

A declaration of war.

I shift in the same moment as twenty or so wolves leap at us from the nearby tree line. More than half go for Kendrick; the others turn against me. I snarl and dig my teeth in the flanks of my closest opponent. The warm blood filling my mouth instigates my nature's hunger. Tearing and ripping, I take off a good part of his shoulder. Others jump on me, but I can roll away before being buried under the heap. Shifting back, I combine the metal particles in the air to form a handful of daggers, sending them flying before returning to my wild. With a rumble, I ram my head into the last wolf standing.

Ripping open his side, my wolf craves more blood and destruction. It has been too long since she had a chance to fight. Not even a good bite to her neck can stop her. My attacker whimpers for mercy, but she goes for the kill bite without a second thought. With her teeth in his warm flesh, she mauls and shakes until he stills underneath us.

Panting and high on the kill, I glance at Kendrick. Pride fills my heart. Not only is he standing his ground, but several of his attackers lie lifeless in the grass with their throats torn open. This fight will be a warning for any pack considering a rebellion. Blood flies from Kendrick's snout as he shakes a large wolf until there's no life left in his opponent.

A whistle by the old Alpha summons a second wave of attackers. I crouch low, ready to strike. The biggest wolf flies toward Kendrick. The eyes, the fur, the body stance leaves no doubt. It's him—Cassum's true mate.

Crap. Kendrick can't kill him.

Kendrick bares his teeth, saliva mixed with blood dripping from his snout. He raises on his hind legs and collides with his attacker. As his head dips down, his fangs scrape his opponent's vein of life.

I gurgle out a warning shout to make Kendrick stop, but it's pointless in my wolf form. About to stretch into my skins, a younger wolf jumps on my back. Before I can toss him off, Kendrick goes for the kill bite, but Cassum's mate is able to shift his shoulder in the last second. Blood spills from a big gash and he collapses onto his stomach. Kendrick is on top of him, his exposed fangs diving for the neck.

I have to end this now. Shifting, I raise my arm. "Stop!" When the snarls don't cease, I summon a wall of water to separate the two fighting wolves. Releasing flames from my balled fist, I surround each of them with a ring of fire.

Cassum's mate tries to jump, but a burst of flames keeps him captured.

"We didn't come here to fight—to bring death—but to make peace."

Another snarl is the only answer. I'm buried under a mountain of wolves rushing at me at once. Teeth cut into flesh; snapping jaws take part of my ear. The metallic stench of blood fills the air around me. With every blow against muscle-packed bodies, I lose more of my strength. Shifting would be an option, but I'd surrender my warlock powers in the same breath. Muscles burning, my punches turn sluggish. I hit to my left and to my right, squirming like a worm. Sweat and blood burn in my eyes.

Keep them away from your neck.

The hot breath of a panting wolf, fanning my chin, proves it's a losing battle. Coldness and despair mounts as death tosses its shadow over me. I'm too weak to shift, and with my last-ditch effort, I cradle my head into the crocks of my elbows to protect my vein of life. Summoning my fire powers to unite within me, I'm about to turn into a blazing inferno when the wolves are pulled off me as if hauled in by invisible ropes. Hundreds of wooden stakes rain from the sky to surround them in an impenetrable enclosure. Their howling at the sky signals their displeasure but also their defeat.

"Call back your fire powers."

Through the haze of red and pain, I squint to make out a warlock standing by the tree line. He's barely visible through the thick smoke from the fire surrounding Kendrick and Cassum's true mate. With a flick of his hand, he chases my anguish away. My torn open flesh mends, my strength returns, the pain evaporates with a tingle. Propping my arms under my chest, I push myself to my feet to extinguish the flames. Kendrick is on the ground, panting. His fur is singed across his chest and raw; burned flesh shows in several spots. He must've tried to jump through the fire circle.

The warlock kneels next to him and strokes his head. The wounds close and fresh fur races to fill the burned patches. Instead of showing his appreciation, Kendrick growls. He crouches low, his tale hitting the ground. His teeth flash in warning.

"Shift," the warlock demands.

Cassum's true mate obliges without hesitation, but Kendrick only snarls, his tail working the ground even harder. The rest of the wolves howl behind the enclosure, their feet scraping over the wood to break free.

The warlock's gaze cuts into me. "We should go. The fence won't contain them much longer."

"Who are you?"

Standing tall, he towers over me by at least a foot. His flax blond hair is pulled up high in a warrior bun and the powers radiating from him are strong like those of a Sentinel. Since he also appeared out of thin air, he must be able to location shift like Andrenior. His piercing blue eyes are unsettling. They are too familiar.

"I think you know the answer already."

It can't be.

My gaze flicks to Kendrick. His body is curled in a jumping position; he's getting ready to attack.

"Let go of your anger, wolf. Too much blood of your kind has soaked these grounds." This time, the wind carries the warlock's words. With a swoop of his hand, he fists the buzzing energy out of the air. Another swoop soothes the angry wolves behind the fence. Diluting the irate forces won't hold up for long, but it'll buy us a few precious minutes.

"Who are you?" I repeat, too afraid to make a guess, just to be proven wrong.

Kendrick howls and jumps in front of me, his teeth exposed in imminent protection.

"It's okay." I stroke him between his ears, my gaze on the warlock.

The warlock smiles. "This wolf is a guardian who would die for you. It's a gift you should hold onto."

"Answer my question!" My voice carries above the trees, above the forest, into the sky. The familiar eyes, the high cheekbones, the pointed chin—it's as if I would stare into a mirror, but I'm still too scared to call out his name.

"I'm Gideon, your father, and we really need to go."

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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