Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

Kael

I jolted awake, my senses heightened, my heart pounding. The night was still, but I was immediately aware of the energy vibration. The power of the blade. The strangeness of its pull.

I willed my heart to slow, but my fingers twitched as I reached for it under my pillow. The force pulsed, reverberating through me, and I gritted my teeth, forcing my hand to still. Forcing my mind to clear. Probably not the best idea to have this thing next to my head while I slept.

The blade was dark as night, the hilt polished black metal. The clear stone embedded in the center seemed to glow in the black night.

I slipped out of the bedroll and pulled on the shirt I'd shed before bed, then slid one arm through the sleeve of my leather jacket. I hooked the clasp at my neck and pulled on my boots.

I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the dagger, shivering at the contact, then pushed through the flap of the tent. The night air was cool against my skin, and the forest was a dark blur around me.

I half expected the dagger to pull me into the trees, but it didn't. I walked north, parallel to the road. My chest tightened, and I forced my feet to move, one in front of the other, as I followed the pull.

I didn't know what I was searching for or how long I was going to have to walk. Already annoyed with the lack of information, I wished I'd been smart enough to grab my bag so I could shift. Instead, I broke into a jog.

I didn't know how long I ran. Minutes? Hours? Time seemed to stretch as the night blurred around me, and I was lost in the pull.

I didn't care. If the dagger was coming alive, there was only one thing that made sense with my limited knowledge. Whoever's blood had been spilled on this blade, the blood it was seeking, had to be close.

That would save me another day of driving and a jaunt through Kootenay Pack territory, so I wasn't complaining. I could end this now and move on to the next pack.

I slowed as lights appeared through the trees. Washrooms. This was a campground. The pull drew me toward the path, but I stayed in the cover of the trees. I pushed through a thicket of bushes, the branches scratching at my arms and legs as I moved like a cat stalking its prey.

Ahead of me were dark campsites, and the dagger pointed to a small tent next to a firepit. I crept along the edge of the clearing, my eyes scanning the shadows for any movement. The energy thrummed in my veins.

I paused, my gaze landing on a truck parked a few steps from the tent. My body moved on instinct, my form low to the ground as I approached. The truck was old, the paint chipped, and the tires caked in mud. I peered through the window, my eyes adjusting to the dim light.

I saw slip-on shoes on the floor mat. Too small to be a man's. I scanned the dash, my breath catching when I saw the charm hanging from the rearview. It was a small wolf, intricately carved from wood.

A shifter? It wasn't definitive, but it was likely.

There was a jacket in the back seat. Feminine. Sunglasses. Gender neutral. Nothing in the truck screamed, "I have a big-ass boyfriend." Not that I couldn't take a big-ass boyfriend, but it made everything cleaner if I didn't have to.

I stepped back from the truck, my eyes scanning the area around the tent. No large tracks. The footprints were consistent with the size of shoes in the truck, though there were two different patterns in the dirt.

Two women, most likely. It was a three-man tent. They were cozy unless they were small.

I didn't love how that felt. Me creeping into a tent with two she-wolves.

I wasn't a mindless killer. I had rules. I only took contracts where I knew the world was better off without the people I hunted.

But this was different.

Destin had debts with the Alliance, and I owed my life to him. He'd literally changed my diapers as a pup, and he never called asking for help. I had to finish this, and when I did, he'd be free to walk away. We both would be.

There were no signs of movement, no sounds of life other than the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. They were asleep or MIA, but judging by the slight heat coming off the firepit, I'd bet big on them being inside the tent.

The dagger hummed in my palm, but I slipped it into my jacket pocket as I crept closer to the entrance, my muscles coiled and senses on high alert. I took another silent step forward and crouched, my hand reaching for the flap. I paused, my fingers hovering over the fabric. The power thrummed in my veins, the dagger's call growing stronger.

I used my foot to hold the tent fabric and pinched the zipper between my finger and thumb as I pulled it up slowly. The motion was virtually silent, but even if they stirred, it wouldn't matter. I'd move fast enough that they wouldn't have time to fully wake.

The dagger's pull was an invisible thread, and I followed it, my senses heightened. My normal range of emotion seemed to drop beneath a steel floor, and a cool calm spread through me as my wolf prowled at the surface. I'd done this too many times to count. I was a predator. This was my prey.

The dagger tugged me to the left, my grip on the hilt tightening as I fought against the compulsion. I needed to be sure—to understand. My wolf pushed forward, and my vision sharpened.

There were two figures, one on each side. I hovered, my heart slow and steady in my chest. I took in the woman lying before me. Her features were gentle, and peaceful in sleep. Soft hair cascaded around her face, framing delicate cheekbones and full lips. I swallowed hard, my throat dry as I stared at her. Her body was relaxed, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

I hesitated, that floor cracking the tiniest bit. This wasn't my usual target. She looked innocent. Vulnerable.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus. I shifted forward and pulled the dagger from my pocket. Heat radiated from the blade, and it nearly yanked from my hand.

I leaned forward, adjusting my weight on my knees, and froze as a jarring sound filled the tent. Bells clanged together, their harsh tones shattering the silence. I held perfectly still until I caught movement.

What the hell was happening? Move . I needed to?—

I spun, my eyes locking onto the bedroll in the corner. The other woman was already moving, her body springing up from her makeshift bed. Her dark hair whipped around her face as she lunged toward me, her eyes blazing with fury.

I threw myself backward, but the dagger refused to follow. My arm twisted painfully in my shoulder socket.

"Drop it!" the woman snarled, sending a kick to my midsection. I grunted as her hand shot out, her fingers wrapping around my wrist. She was strong but not strong enough. I rolled my shoulder into her, throwing her back as the dagger twisted in my grip, the blade slicing through the air.

And then I saw her.

The woman I needed to kill opened her eyes, jolting from her sleeping bag. My wolf scrambled back, howling in confusion, and the dam broke, my emotions surging through me like a tsunami. She was mine. I needed her. I?—

The dagger tore forward as the other woman in the tent slammed into my side. I rolled, and we flew through the open tent door.

"Who the hell are you!" The dark-haired woman fought her way from the ground and kicked toward my wrist.

I let her.

The dagger flew from my grip, skittering across the gravel.

The blade wanted her blood, but I couldn't take it. My wolf thought the woman in the tent, the woman I was supposed to kill so I could fulfill my contract, was my mate.