Chapter 20

S carlet saw the aura growing closer, but it wasn't Wulfric. She'd been following the Growler girl for gods knew how long, and had seen no sign of him. The girl had shifted back into wolf form. After Scarlet had seen her shivering and her lips turning blue, she'd insisted.

Of course, the girl knew that Scarlet would kill her with one throw of the dagger if she tried to dart away. When they'd skirted around two other Growlers, Scarlet had whispered, "Is that your father?"

Sasha had paused, staring at her in amazement.

"You—you know they're there? But we're too far away to smell them. How do you know?"

Scarlet arched a brow, spinning her dagger once more while the other stayed at the ready. "The more important question is, can they smell us?"

Sasha shook her head and kept going. Now they were definitely within smelling range of the Growler as they approached. Sasha seemed to grow more sullen, but when the large, black wolf growled and sniffed the air, she stopped.

They were twenty feet away from him when Scarlet pushed her hood back and stepped out from behind the tree. His gaze immediately went to her, his muzzle sinking toward the ground as he shifted into a battle stance.

Ready to pounce, Sasha shifted into her human form and stepped between them, hands up.

"No, Papa, she is the druid's granddaughter. To hurt her will be a death sentence."

The wolf paused, and Scarlet nodded, gathering all her skills of deception to convince him to help. "It's true. I called to Sasha to lead me to you. The druid needs your help to bring peace to the Growlers before it's too late."

The wolf shifted into a human form. The fine layer of fur that covered the Growlers' bodies hid their breasts and genitals, especially in the dim light of the moon.

He stood tall and proud, but he wasn't as imposing as Wulfric. Probably a few inches shorter, thicker around the middle, older.

"The druid forced the treaty on us years ago. We've had an uneasy peace ever since, so I'm unsure what you're talking about."

Scarlet held both daggers within the folds of her cloak, careful not to brandish the weapons. Sasha knew they would be at the ready, and she watched Scarlet warily.

Scarlet shook her head. "Not that peace. The Growlers are divided."

The wolf snorted and stepped closer to his daughter, "What does the druid care of the divide within the Growlers?"

Scarlet watched as Sasha eased closer to her father, but she didn't stop them. Her thoughts tumbled over themselves with indecision. She wasn't a fucking diplomat. Hunters typically got their assignments, planned the mission, stealthily attacked, then went back to the Guild Master for payment.

This talking through a problem was more Eirwyn's style. Scarlet had no idea what to do, so she just tried to think of what Eirwyn might say.

"There is a bigger threat in Busparia than the Growlers can comprehend. The tribe needs to unite with the Robins in the north and—"

The male grabbed his daughter's wrist and jerked her behind him as he turned to snarl at Scarlet. "Never. The new alpha says Busparia is ripe for the plucking."

"Your new alpha is dumber than a rock, then. And he's not the rightful alpha. Wulfric is."

The wolf paused, his expression turning sad as he shook his head, "Wulfric is dead. Brody's two friends saw the alpha challenge."

Scarlet put a hand on her hip, still holding the dagger. She knew it must've shone under the moonlight, because the wolf's eyes dipped down then back to her face with a new hardness around his mouth.

"The alpha challenge was illegal, and you know it. Without the supervision of the Elders, Wulfric remains alpha. He's the only one who has the wisdom and strength to do what's necessary."

"And what's necessary?" the Growler asked softly, easing slowly closer to his daughter.

Scarlet sighed, the weight of the world pressing her closer to the ground.

"Unite both types of Growlers, the turned and the natural born, and join the rest of the Feral Forest to finally stop Busparia."

The wolf barked a short laugh. "That's impossible. Brody is going to move camp with the new moon. Warriors are going into Busparia to find more supplies, better territory…"

"Their previous families?" Scarlet asked softly.

Sasha frowned and peered at Scarlet around her father's shoulders. "What previous families?"

Scarlet's brows rose. "So Brody hasn't let everyone in camp in on that agenda, has he?"

The male shook his head slowly, one hand behind him as he held Sasha protectively.

Scarlet pressed her advantage. "Brody isn't thinking of the Growlers. He's only thinking of himself and what he left behind in Busparia. The magic of the turning isn't working right. Why do you think the druid sent me?"

She let the question hang in the air.

Eventually he said softly, "The Elders aren't doing anything. The magic is breaking down, but they're not going to stand in the way of the will of the goddess."

He said the last with a bitterness that caused Sasha to frown. Scarlet drew on all she's heard from Wulfric and tried to think like Eirwyn. She raised her brows, standing proudly as she replied.

"The Elders would let the magic fade. Then what will happen?"

The man growled, "Then the tribe will be wiped out by disease or famine or this damn winter. If the Buspartan defenders find out the magic is fading, they'll invade the forest. We can't have that."

Scarlet tilted her head. "That sounds too practiced. You've heard that argument a lot over the past few days, haven't you?"

The man's jaw snapped shut as his lips pursed, but he didn't answer.

Scarlet lifted both daggers and bent her knees. The Growler stiffened, but before he could move, Scarlet threw both daggers. One embedded in the tree to his left and the other in the tree to his right.

Sasha gasped and gripped her father's arm, but the wolf didn't look away from Scarlet.

Scarlet lifted her head and thought of Eirwyn and Knox. The events of the past year. The fears Wulfric had shared. Her stomach churned at the chaos, the needless bloodshed, and a sliver of worry for the Growlers made her stiffen.

"A war is brewing right here in your camp," she said harshly. "Are you really going to just let it come or will you do what's right to stop it? It's why the druid sent me. I'm to lend my assistance, but I can't do it alone. Are you willing to help or do I have to go through you to protect the forest?"

The silence stretched but Sasha stepped beside her father. "It will be a great honor to help the druid," she said.

The wolf stiffened and tried to push her behind him. Sasha shook her head and her jaw firmed.

"No, Papa. You know it's the right thing to do. I've heard you and Mama at night. You're worried about Brody's plan. This is the choice you've been looking for."

"It'll be dangerous," Scarlet warned.

For the first time, the girl smiled and nodded eagerly. "Growlers don't mind danger. We're taught to fight early."

Scarlet waited. This girl was barely an adult, yet she'd snuck up and attacked well. Her father should be proud. But if he didn't work with her, she wasn't sure that she'd reach Wulfric in time to help. He might have gone to the camp with the intention of speaking with the Elders, but if there were as many in camp as he said, he wouldn't make it out without fighting Brody.

Finally, the man sighed and nodded. "Fine, let's walk while you explain what you need from us. I'm still on watch."

Scarlet pulled her daggers free of the trees and fell into step beside the Growler as Sasha shifted to her wolf form. She outlined her plan and explained that Wulfric was alive and he'd gone to the Elders for answers.

"Sasha can go back to where I left our bags. If Wulfric shows up, she can tell him what's going on. Sir—what's your name?"

"Todd," he said.

Scarlet nearly stumbled in the dark at the entirely mundane name. "Alright, Todd, you can go into camp and see if Wulfric is there without raising suspicion."

Todd shook his head. "No, you should go back to your pack, and Sasha can go into camp. I have to continue the watch."

Scarlet stretched her senses once more. "There's a Growler half a mile that way, and another that way. If any living creature gets within that radius of me, I'll know what kind it is."

Sasha frowned but didn't point out that she'd gotten the jump on Scarlet.

"I'll stay between the two outer perimeter Growlers, keep pace with them. They'll never know it's me or that you've left the post. But if Wulfric dies from another illegal alpha challenge, the entire fate of your tribe dies with him."

Todd sighed once more and shifted to his wolf form without another word. He nuzzled the wolf girl, then they loped off in opposite directions.

Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief. As time passed and the night grew colder, she worried about Wulfric. Where had all this diplomatic talk come from? These thoughts had been in the back of her mind as they'd talked over the past few days but it had surprised her when they'd all spilled out.

Did she really believe Wulfric should work with the Robins and Knox? It was definitely better than the alternative of Growlers running all over Busparia and being captured by the crown. Or worse, by some other Hunter, the few that were still operating in Busparia.

What happened to letting the glocken tea wear off, having the Growlers reverse her curse if they could, then leaving this place? She wasn't seriously considering working with Wulfric to help the Growlers, was she?

If she did, she could probably take a small, select team of Growlers with her into Busparia to destroy the queen.

If they'd listen to her and obey.

If Wulfric became alpha again.

If they accepted her for who and what she was.

Her head ached, and she reached up and touched an antler. Neither Sasha nor Todd had said a word about them, although they'd both stared in horror.

Half an hour passed, and Scarlet was growing weary. Her bones ached from the cold and her stomach was in knots. She was also growing too far from wherever Wulfric was.

Stretching her senses for this long was draining her energy. She glanced up and pushed, realizing that she'd tightened the boundary around her as she'd grown more tired.

Her spine stiffened. Coming toward her along the outer perimeter was an aura. It wasn't the Growler she'd been following in the circle around the camp, but it wasn't Wulfric, Todd, or Sasha either.

Shit, what was she supposed to do now? The wind was at her back. The Growler would've smelled her by now. She pulled her hood back up and held her daggers ready in the folds of her cloak.

Then she waited, continuing her slow walk forward as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

Too soon, the brown Growler came through the dark trees, his mouth bared.

"Easy now," she whispered softly, coming to a stop on the balls of her feet. "I'm no threat."

The wolf paused and glanced to the side. Scarlet looked to the left as a flash of brown fur slammed into her. She slammed into the frozen ground, gripping her daggers tightly. Damn it, she'd been so focused on the one, she'd missed the other. A flanking attack was classic, and she'd fallen for it. Anger and adrenaline shot through her as she hit the ground, her teeth chattering and pain radiating from her shoulder.

The familiar magic surrounded them, then the Growler's now human arms wrapped around her tightly, trapping her arms to her sides.

She kicked but grabbed the cloak with her finger tips, careful to hide her daggers. She had to bide her time.

"Well, well, well, what kind of freak do we have here?"

"Look at the prey that wandered into the big bad wolf's territory, Greg."

Greg? What kind of Growler name was Greg?

"Put me down, you stupid oaf. I'm the granddaughter of the druid."

The two males laughed, then one said, "If that were really true, you would've killed us before we even got close."

Shit, what exactly had her grandma done thirty years ago?

The arms tightened around her as they tossed her over a shoulder and started marching toward camp. Damn it, her arms were trapped in one long, bulky arm, pinned to her side with the butt of the daggers digging into her thighs. She squirmed to lay the blades flat against her thighs, careful not to alert the stupid Growler too soon.

"Let's see what Brody has to say about her. Maybe we can have a bit of fun before killing her."

Scarlet's feet swung wildly, kicking at her captor's stomach until he wrapped his other arm around her knees. She was held too tight to escape.

With only her mouth free and unable to angle her head to bite him, she attacked with words.

"You're so going to regret this," she seethed, her jaw clenching. Oddly enough, she wasn't afraid, the familiar rush of anger heating her from the inside.

How dare they capture her? How had they been so fast with it? How had they snuck up on her?

She was the best Hunter in the land, damn it. She had never failed an assassination, never caused a scene or gotten caught.

Except last summer with the king.

This was unacceptable. No matter that she had grown weak and her aura readings had started to fade the farther she was from Wulfric. No matter that she was cold, weary, and weak. She had to reclaim her title as the best of the Hunters and use this to her advantage.

She pursed her lips as they drew closer to a hollow. The tents were densely packed, but there was a sort of order to it. The tents seemed to be arranged in clusters of four with a small campfire built in the center, each of the groups of four neatly organized in rows.

The closer they came, the stronger she felt. That made her angrier too, because that meant Wulfric was in camp. He'd sworn he was just going to gather information from a guard or two. He'd lied.

The well-worn walking path they followed led straight through the camp. The closer they came to the center, the larger the tents became. Still she struggled, her heart racing as she cursed them under her breath.

"You fuckers are going to regret this."

A lone wooden building was nestled under the trees. Beside it were three of the largest tents. On the other side of those three was the largest tent in the camp.

In front of the large tents and the building was the largest bonfire. There were no tents nearby, just a large open area for congregating.

They'd passed a few people around the smaller campfires, but as they went closer to the center of the camp, more people followed them. Most of the men wore loose canvas pants while the women wore simple hide or canvas dresses that hung to their knees. Slits up the side revealed a lot of leg, but the simple soft leather shoes on their feet were the most surprising. The way Wulfric had complained about the boots, she would've thought they'd all be barefoot.

Women, children, and even shifted Growlers in wolf form came to see the prisoner as she was carried to the bonfire. When they reached it, one of her captors let out a sharp bark. She jumped, her stomach quivering as an answering set of growls swept through the camp. Fear threatened to choke her, and her rabbit nose twitched.

Shit, were they going to rip her to pieces? Roast her alive?

The crowd's noise died down as someone came out of the biggest tent. A wiry man with shaggy brown hair walked forward, his golden eyes cold and calculating as the crowd whispered and pointed. Two others followed him.

"What do we have here?"

"Intruder, boss," said the one holding her. He slapped her ass hard, making her jerk.

"Get your fucking hands off me, Growler, and let me go," she ground out. If she could just angle her head around, she'd be able to bite him.

"She's a freaky little thing. Can we rough her up a bit before…"

The man's voice trailed off as he sought guidance from the leader.

"Don't even think about it, you upstart. Are you the little bitch Brody I've heard so much about?" Scarlet asked.

The crowd gasped and looked at the leader. Two other Growlers stood behind him, arms crossed, but Brody just threw his head back and laughed. It sent an icy shiver down her spine.

He waved his hand toward the bonfire. "I see my reputation precedes me. At your service, my lady."

He did a mock bow, but Scarlet snorted. "Let me go."

Brody's eyes glittered in the glow of the fire. "For your impertinence, I believe we'll have a bit of sport first. We're not monsters, after all, no matter what the outside world says. We'll give her a fighting chance."

Suddenly the men holding her dropped her to the dirt too close to the fire. She rolled away from the flames and to her feet. Her hood had fallen back, revealing her antlers and ears. She lifted her daggers as her eyes darted from target to target.

The crowd gasped and began to murmur, several falling back a few steps. A mother tugged a child back into the crowd. She searched the gazes for any open faces, anyone who might be able to help. But all that stared back was horror and a freakish fascination. The familiar wave of not belonging washed over her.

Dread settled in her stomach as she realized there would be no help coming. The Growlers wouldn't let her leave. The civilians were too scared or too stupid to help or let her go, and the warriors would follow Brody.

But she wasn't going anywhere until she found Wulfric. He was here somewhere. She just had to live long enough to find him. Hands spread and daggers gleaming in the firelight, she shifted her feet to prepare for an attack.