Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

T he nightmares were getting worse. And more vivid.

Erec could now remember each one in full detail after he woke in the morning. Blood painting the snow. The smell of burning flesh. Wolves tearing each other apart and women screaming. It was always the same.

But last night, something had changed. The blurry faces of the fallen victims were now ones he recognized. Boden, Mila, Henrick, Filip—they were all there, lying dead in the snow, their bodies torn to shreds. Dread clawed up his throat. So many innocent lives lost. So many people he had grown to care for, gone in an instant.

Astrid flew to his mind instantly. Where was she? But the moment the question came, he spotted her bright red hair against the whiteness. Like the others, she wasn’t moving.

She was dead. The reality of it slammed into him so hard, he jolted awake.

He had woken up with his quilts tangled around his legs and his muscles tight and strained, as if he’d been fighting an invisible foe. Sweat clung to his skin, and his heart thundered. The nightmare had been so clear, it was as if he were recalling a memory rather than a dream.

Still breathing hard, Erec sat up in bed and pulled off the blankets. Astrid wasn’t really dead. He knew that. But still, he had to repeat it to himself over and over to calm his racing thoughts.

The only way he was going to make sure Astrid and the others stayed alive was if they stopped Jerrick. Which raised another set of burning questions. How did Jerrick know who he was? How did he know his name? He and the alpha had met once, during the ambush on Mikel’s pack, and the only things linking them were Erec’s burning hatred and his desire for revenge.

Claus had to be lying about Jerrick’s interest in finding him. It was the only explanation he could come up with. Claus must have said it just to make Erec squirm, and foolishly, he had fallen for it. That made sense. Claus was devious like that. He took pleasure from others’ pain.

With dread still weaving through his system, Erec wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore, so he got out of bed and dressed. His wolf was awake, which confirmed the nightmare had woken him up before dawn. What he needed now was a run in his animal form. A little time to clear his head and shake off the lingering agitation of the dream. When he had been a rogue, he’d spent almost every night as a wolf. After several nights as a human, he was itching for the change.

He’d be quick. Just a short run to the north. Touch the river and come back. No one would even know he was gone, and with Jerrick’s men somewhere south by Boden’s old camp, according to Claus, it was unlikely he’d run into any of them.

Erec left the tent and walked to the entrance of Svanna Rock on quiet feet. The crunching of snow underfoot was only a whisper compared to the loud snores erupting from several of the tents he crept by. After weaving through the intricate passageway and stepping into the dark forest, he took a deep breath and searched his surroundings.

Nothing stirred among the trees, and no suspicious scents rode the breeze. When Erec peered up toward the night sky, the moon peeked out behind the canopy. It was large, a glowing pale orb in the middle of a blanket of glittering stars. Only a small sliver was missing before it was completely full, and a vibrant blue hue radiated around its rim, reminding Erec of how close the Blue Moon really was.

His thoughts flew to Astrid. Only a few days separated them from their fate, and whatever the outcome, he was glad he had her in his life. Even if it was for a brief period of time. But he hoped that when their twenty-fifth Blue Moon did rise, he would still have more life to spend. And it would be with her by his side.

Energy hummed across his skin, like it always did when the Blue Moon drew near. Thousands of tiny pinpricks skimmed up and down his arms, and Erec’s wolf whimpered behind his eardrums when it sensed the power. He wanted nothing more than to feel the earth beneath his paws and the wind brushing through his fur. And hopefully after this moon, he would be able to run free as a wolf whenever he pleased, with Astrid as his mate.

He walked a little deeper into the woods, heading north toward the winding river. Anticipating the change, his wolf bounced inside, and Erec didn’t get far before the animal was clawing at his insides, begging for release. He stopped beside a pine tree and stripped off his clothes. The frigid winter air bit at his exposed flesh, but the cold wouldn’t touch him for long. As the power of the shift built at the base of his spine, his temperature rose, too, spreading warmth across every inch of his nakedness. He winced as pain curled and expanded throughout his body. His muscles bunched and relaxed as they reformed, and fur sprouted out of every pore.

Although the pain that normally came with shifting was brief, it was strong enough to seize every bit of his breath. He longed for the relief that came whenever his body readjusted to his new form and the wolf took over.

But it didn’t come.

Awareness tickled the back of his neck, bringing everything to a sudden halt.

Someone was approaching.

Pulse speeding up, Erec forced the change to retreat. An invisible vice wrapped around him, squeezing tight. Stopping the shift was even more excruciating than starting it, and his vision hazed over as his spine straightened, his limbs grew, and the fur retracted. But no matter how it hurt, he couldn’t pass out. Not now. Not when someone was closing in on him.

Erec could hear the footsteps now. They were loud and clumsy, as if the stranger wasn’t even trying to conceal them. Lifting his nose in the air, he sniffed.

Lilacs.

“Astrid?”

Her red hair appeared first through the darkness, then her brilliant green eyes. As she closed the distance between them, a mixture of relief and anger surged through him. Why was she outside the protection of Svanna Rock? Did she know how dangerous it was wandering alone at night?

“I’m usually the one to sneak away,” she said before he could ask her why she’d come. “It seems you beat me to it.” Her gaze trailed over his naked torso, and then down, lingering on his manhood, which stiffened in response.

Sweet Moons, forcing himself to stay away from her bed for the past week had been torturous for him. Especially knowing how good she felt underneath him. But he wanted to tell her how deep his feelings went for her first, wanted to be sure about what was between them before going any further. Maybe that was the coward in him again—afraid of rejection—but whatever it was, it was keeping the words on the tip of his tongue. No matter how hard Erec tried, he couldn’t yank them out.

Even now as he stared at her, with the moonlight making her pale skin glow and her eyes sparkle with mischief, his heart pounded. The desire to grab her and crush her body against his was so strong his fingers ached.

Resisting the urge, Erec scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “No one saw you leave?” he asked. Don’t scold her. You’re not her father. As much as he wanted to tell her it was foolish for her to come out here alone, in the middle of the night, with Jerrick’s men on the prowl, he knew he couldn’t. He had done the same thing.

Astrid shook her head. “Not a soul.”

“Good.”

She eyed him again, her gaze drifting over the length of his body. Then her voice dropped to a suggestive whisper. “Were you about to shift?”

The memory of her calling his name in that same husky tone as she climaxed reverberated against his eardrums, making Erec’s blood heat. He couldn’t speak for a long moment, so he simply nodded his answer.

“Great,” she sighed and began pulling off her coat and vest. “I haven’t shifted in so long. Can you feel the moon’s pull, too?”

Again he nodded, rendered mute as more fabric left her skin. When she was finished and stood before him completely exposed, he not only lost his voice, but he lost his head. Erec had seen Astrid naked before, but the sight of her body still managed to leave him breathless. There was nothing young or juvenile about her at all. She was all woman, from her full breasts, to the dip of her waist, to the wide curve of her hips. And those thighs…they were thick, strong, and felt so good wrapped around his middle as he thrust into her.

“Erec?”

He blinked, forcing the thoughts away.

After some time, he asked, “Run with me?” Running as a wolf had always worked to clear his mind. And he needed that now, more than ever. “We should have hours left before dawn.”

Her skin rippled in response, and she dropped to her hands and knees as the change took over and she transformed. Erec fell, too, letting the power push through every muscle, every bone. The pain came and left quickly this time, his wolf all but leaping out with the shift, and it wasn’t long before he was the wild animal again.

Erec shook out his fur, and then looked at Astrid. Her wolf was a magnificent shade of auburn red with touches of white around the muzzle and underbelly. Her eyes, though, remained the same shocking green. He padded over to her and rubbed his head against hers. She was smaller than him, but he didn’t doubt her skills. He’d seen her fight as a human, and while in this form, their speed and strength only increased.

Astrid pressed against him, too, but only for a second. Then she bolted into the woods, beckoning him to give chase. He did.

Everything was easier as a wolf. As his paws flew across the snow, a whirlwind of different sensations hit him. Through the snow, Erec could feel the vibrations of Astrid’s footfalls ahead of him. Simultaneously, her lilac scent filled his nose, along with the familiar crisp, piney smells of winter. He could even hear the mating whistles of a lumibird somewhere in the canopy. The moonlight caressed his golden fur like a lover’s touch as he sprinted between trunks and brushes to catch up to Astrid’s heels.

It was all so overwhelming yet liberating at the same time. Erec couldn’t wait to experience this whenever he pleased. With Astrid at his side.

They ran for close to an hour, leaping over each other and making a game of the chase. Exhaustion tugged at Erec’s muscles, and when the sound of rushing water met Erec’s ears, he knew they couldn’t go any farther. He pounced onto Astrid, and they rolled together into the snow, playfully nipping and licking each other until they came to a stop.

They shifted at the same time and lay with their bare backs in the snow, breathing hard. The cold wetness against Erec’s hot skin was a mere tickle, unlike when he had first stripped off his clothes. Now, it was rather refreshing.

Because the trees were a little sparser in this part of the woods, the night stretched out above them. The moon was a massive gem against a black and diamond backdrop, and Erec marveled at the beauty of it. He and Astrid lay like that for a long time, saying nothing, not touching. Just staring up at the sky and listening to the sounds of the forest around them.

Erec didn’t know how much time had passed, but after a long stretch of silence, Astrid spoke.

“How old were you when Mikel took you in?” Her voice was no more than a feathery whisper.

The question took him off guard, but he saw no harm in answering it. “Three Moons, I think,” he mused, wondering what had sparked her sudden curiosity. Especially with his past. “I don’t remember much before then, so that’s my guess. I must have been young.”

“When did you leave his pack?”

When Erec glanced at her, he found that she was watching him intently. “All these questions,” he said with a small laugh.

She shrugged. “I just thought that if we were going to be mates, I should know some things about you.”

That seemed fair enough. She wasn’t asking much from him, but he’d spent most of his adolescence trying to forget the years before. He definitely didn’t want to bring them up now. Not when they were full of a lot of guilt, fear, and shame.

He sighed. She was right. If they were going to be mates, she did deserve to know who he was. The good, the bad, and the regretful.

“The first time I left, I was ten. I came back and stayed for a few years before leaving again,” Erec said, peering back at the sky. “I left a final time when I had eighteen Blue Moons to me. Only came back to visit occasionally but never stayed.”

“Why did you leave so much?”

Erec squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment. There was a sickening feeling creeping into his gut. He didn’t want to admit to Astrid the real reason he had fled Mikel’s pack. He hadn’t even liked admitting it to himself all those years ago. It had only solidified his role as a coward.

Erec chose his words carefully when he continued. “I never felt like I belonged,” he settled with. “No matter how kind Mikel and his people were to me.”

“And?” She huffed.

Opening his eyes again, he cursed silently. How did she know he was holding something back?

Then he remembered the pack bond that linked them and cursed again, this time out loud. There would be no getting around it this time.

“Mikel wanted to make me alpha.” It came out in a defeated sigh. “He wanted me to take over the east-side pack.”

Astrid pushed herself up on her elbows so she could stare down at him with wide eyes. “Wait, what?”

“The man was like a father to me, but he thought of me as an actual son,” Erec went on. “He wanted me to be alpha after him. He wanted to give the title, the power, the pack—everything—to me.”

“Erec, that’s an honor,” she said. “Why did you leave then?”

There it was again. The churning of remorse and embarrassment in the bottom of his stomach. “Mikel thought I was something I wasn’t. I was not his son. I was—am—nothing but an orphan. I didn’t deserve it.”

“Why does that matter? Yes, alphahood usually ends up staying within a bloodline, like with Filip, but blood doesn’t make an alpha. Strength does. Courage. Leadership.”

“Packs thrive on unity and a family bond. I was an outsider. Mikel may not have had children of his own, but he had several other blood relatives that could fit the position. Hell, he had friends who’d been more loyal to him and commited to the pack than I had. No matter how many times I told the old man that, he wouldn’t change his mind.”

“He must have thought you could handle it, Erec. He must have seen something in you, something you couldn’t see in yourself,” she replied.

“That’s what he had said, too.”

On cue, Mikel’s voice echoed in his head. “Even though we don’t share the same blood, you are my son, Erec. I wouldn’t want anyone else to lead my pack when I’m gone. One day you’ll be able to see the greatness that I see in you.”

“I can’t lead an entire pack.” Erec’s mouth was suddenly dry, and he swallowed hard. “I couldn’t even save them when Jerrick invaded. I couldn’t even—”

Astrid’s fingers weaving through his stopped his sentence short.

“You did the best you could. You came back. You tried.” Her voice was as gentle as her touch. “Mikel believed in you for a reason. He loved you. Give yourself some more credit.”

A smile snuck across his lips. Mikel had loved him like a father would a son. He had done so much for him, despite Erec’s hesitation and self-doubt. He’d always been there. “He always seemed to understand. Every time, he welcomed me back without questions, without punishment or speeches. Every time.”

“Father used to talk very highly of him,” she replied. “I wish I could have met him.”

Erec’s smile bloomed into a full grin at the thought. “He would have liked you. I know it.”

Astrid’s gaze drifted up to the dark night sky, and her mouth turned down at the corners. When she lay back again, her sorrow flowed across the pack bond and stroked Erec’s aura with icy fingers. Following her line of sight, he realized she was staring at Vallor, and his heart clenched. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She missed her mother, and with her father’s health and delusions, how could the stars symbolize anything other than sadness from now on?

Erec snaked an arm behind her head and drew her close. She didn’t pull away, only leaned into his hold until her entire body pressed against his and her cheek rested on top of his chest.

“You know…” he murmured against her hair as a buried memory resurfaced. “Mikel used to tell me a story whenever I would get upset about my parents. He would tell me that when our kind died, the sky spirits would bring us home to live beside the moon. The souls became stars. And whenever I felt lonely or angry, all I had to do was look up and know my parents were there, watching me, guiding me, until we could be together again.”

Even though he couldn’t see her face, he could feel her cheeks lifting as she smiled.

“That’s beautiful,” she whispered. The warmth of her breath fanned across his bare torso. “Do you think Vallor was once a real wolf, too?”

“He could have been,” he replied. “But I think he gave up his place in the night sky for your mother. Maybe your father has just found her soul among the stars.”

Astrid’s aura pulsed as her happiness grew. “Mother would be the brightest star. Just like she was in life.” She tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “Thank you, Erec.”

The moment their eyes met, a different sensation washed over him through their pack bond. It was a heat that seemed to reach out and stroke his skin, leaving warm kisses wherever it touched.

For some reason, the feeling made Erec’s body ease. Even his wolf calmed as the warmth enveloped him in a soothing embrace. He’d never felt such a powerful emotion before, but he had a good guess as to what it could be.

Love.

Astrid loved him.

Erec’s heart hammered with excitement. Despite everything he wasn’t, Astrid loved him. She hadn’t said the words, but she didn’t need to; he felt it. The heat radiating between them was as intense as the summer sun, as if their spirits had finally accepted each other completely. As if their souls had claimed their mate.

Erec grinned, his entire being buzzing with new power. She was the one destined for him.

Then Astrid’s desire rocketed through the pack bond; the power of it smacked into him so hard and fast, it stole his breath away. It showed itself in her darkening gaze, too, making Erec’s pulse race for a different reason.

In the next second, Astrid was on top of him, her mouth claiming his with an urgency that surprised him. The night of the dance, when he had followed her into her tent, Erec hadn’t expected Astrid to be as demanding as she was. She had met his challenge, matching his movements and appetite perfectly. And although it had shocked him at first, he quickly realized he had loved seeing this side of her. Aggressive. Needing. Dominating.

Her kiss was just as breathtaking as before. Hard and eager. And it stirred something primal in him. Because of their nakedness from the shift, his length was already pressing into the most private part of her, and the closeness was tempting already. Just a slight move of the hips and he could be inside, enjoying the mesmerizing feel of her warmth around him. Erec’s hands settled on her hips, but before he could wiggle a little and take her, she broke the kiss and stared down at him, her green eyes ablaze with her arousal.

“You didn’t let me taste you last time,” she said, voice low and dangerous. “It’s my turn.”

“Oh?” There was something about her words that made him tremble with longing. During their first time together, he had wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure in every way she craved.

Astrid began to leave searing kisses along his jaw, neck, and down his chest as she traveled the length of his body. Their eyes remained locked, her gaze a fiery beacon of green, and when her lips pressed against his hip bone, he jumped a little. He was so hard and ready for her, it hurt.

Then she took the tip of his manhood into her mouth, and every nerve ending sparked to life. Fire laced his veins, and he moaned as his vision fogged. Her tongue swirled around him, and she took him deeper into her mouth, sucking hard.

He teetered on the edge of climaxing right then, but he held back. There was no way Astrid was getting away with just this. He wanted more. Much more. Especially now that he knew how she felt about him.

If this was just a sample of what life was going to be like with her, then Erec had found paradise.

She continued to tease him, pulling him deeper into her throat and sliding up to the tip. Watching her movements was enough to break his control, so he closed his eyes briefly.

“You’re driving me crazy, Astrid.” His voice was more like a desperate groan than anything else.

“Good,” she replied when she lifted her head. She flashed him a wicked grin. But when she dipped her mouth to take him again, Erec sat up and grabbed her arm.

“If you keep that up, we won’t be able to do much else,” he warned. “Come up here.”

Astrid pushed her lips into a pout but crawled back up his body slowly. She straddled his hips again, this time, lowering herself directly onto his rigid heat. He slid right in, her warmth encasing him like a perfect fit, and then that same devious smirk appeared on her lips.

Damn, she felt good. No, more than good. Erec searched for the right word but came up empty. Maybe there wasn’t a way to describe the sensation of the two of them together yet. It was still beyond language, beyond comprehension.

“It’s still my turn,” she whispered as her nails dug into his chest and she began to move on him.

Pleasure rippled through every fiber. She pushed him deeper, her head falling back, and she moaned. Erec marveled at the sight of her. The way the moon illuminated her skin and highlighted the coppery strands of her hair made her appear ethereal. And the freckles dusting her cheeks and shoulders were one of his favorite features of her; their pattern was unique to her, and he loved that. This was his Astrid, the one his star would burn for if he ever died. His love.

Her creamy breasts bounced as she rode him, begging to be touched. He reached up and palmed them in his hands, squeezing lightly. Astrid rocked, speeding up her tempo, taking him deep. Eventually the pressure began to build low in his stomach, slow at first, until it was a force he couldn’t contain anymore. Astrid’s sheath tightened around him as he spilled warmth into her and her own orgasm hit. Her body shuddered under his fingers, and after what seemed like hours, everything calmed again.

She fell onto his torso with her ear pressed close to his heart. Breathing hard, Erec waited for the rest of the spasms to leave his body before kissing the top of Astrid’s head.

“I love you.” The words spilled out without thought. He was too entranced by what they had just shared, in the sweet pressure of her on top of him and the burning heat still emanating from her aura, to be afraid of rejection this time.

Astrid jerked upward, supporting her weight on her arms. “What?”

He blinked a few times, wondering if he should have said it. Too late. He had. And he couldn’t retract it now. Besides, it was the truth.

“I love you,” he repeated. And she loved him, too. She had to. But then, why did she seem surprised by his words?

She was quiet for a long moment. Just stared at him with the same confused shock on her face. Worry seeped into her aura, sliding across the bond and cooling the sunny warmth there. Erec frowned.

What was wrong? Why wasn’t she saying it? What was holding her back?

Fear clenched his chest. “Astrid?”

She leaped to her feet, crossed her arms about her chest, and started walking back into the woods, toward Svanna Rock.

Erec jumped up and followed her. “Astrid…” he called when he caught up with her. He didn’t know why she was being so reserved still. He knew what he sensed across the pack tie.

She continued to trudge through the forest, not looking at him or responding. Even though their spirits had seemed to accept each other, maybe she still wasn’t ready to confess her heart. Maybe she needed more time.

Although Erec wanted to hear her say those three words, he couldn’t pry. He’d let her tell him when she was ready. He had felt her love for him and that was enough for now.

They walked in silence all the way back to the pine tree where they had discarded their clothes. A passing lumibird tweeted its winter song from a low branch, and Erec whistled back, mimicking the high-pitched tune. The brightly colored animal hopped along its perch and answered with another flurry of chirps.

“How can you do that?” Astrid asked as she dressed. “You sound just like him.”

Erec tugged on his pants and slung his cape over his shoulder, then slipped into his boots. “I taught myself.” He shrugged. “It’s come in handy over the years. Allows me to give direction or a location without words.”

“It certainly helped when we were saving Henrick and the others,” she said. “Are there any other tricks you know? Ones that may be useful later?”

Of course. He had learned many skills while living on his own. How to treat a bad wound with nothing other than moss and water. How to repurpose fish bones into just about anything. How to track prey when everything was too wet to hold a scent, like in the rain. Some of those lessons he’d discovered by mistake, and some had been because of mistakes. Dangerous ones.

A memory resurfaced, making him smirk. “I remember the first time I left Mikel’s pack and was alone, I ran into another rogue. He convinced me he was harmless, and I was still young, so I believed him. That night, while I slept, he stole from me. Stole the only weapon I had and the rest of the food and clothing I had packed.”

Astrid’s eyes widened. “He could have killed you,” she said. They began walking back to Svanna Rock, their pace slower this time.

“He could have,” Erec agreed. “I was so angry, I tracked him for days, and for all that time, it rained and rained. I would catch his scent and then lose it. Catch it, lose it. Then I got lucky. The bastard had cut himself somehow. I found his blood caught on the leaves of a bush.”

Astrid glanced at him, urging him to go on.

He did. “Blood is easier to track. It seeps into the ground, or in this case, the pores of a leaf, and stays there. Even with the rain. I had him.”

Then icy dread slithered down Erec’s spine as his words jerked something else forward. It was recognition, and it seized him in a tight, suffocating grip.

He halted, his heart in his throat. Flashes of the past tumbled forward like rapid fire—Claus’s missing ear continuing to bleed, even when their kind’s speedy healing should have at least clotted the wound; his constant stumbling; the trail of crimson in the white snow; the smear of blood across the bark of the tree.

“You’re. Going. To. Die.” Claus’s threat shot through Erec’s head loud and clear.

He was leaving a trail for Jerrick to follow. And they had brought the bastard right into Svanna Rock. Through the hidden entrance!

“Erec, what’s going on?” Astrid’s rising panic was because of his own, he knew. But they weren’t as safe as they had been led to believe.

His chest was painfully tight. “Jerrick knows where we are,” he gasped. “He knows how to get into Svanna Rock.”

Terror flashed across her face. “What? How?”

“Claus.” He was still laughing at them. Even after death.

“Jerrick knows where we are, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat him,” Astrid said. Her words were meant to be comforting, but her voice wavered, revealing her trepidation. “We’ve been training. And Rohan’s messenger said he’d supply us with more men and more weapons—”

Another arctic chill darted down Erec’s spine. “Rohan?” He couldn’t control the volume of his voice now. It boomed in the silence of the forest. “Did you say Rohan sent a messenger? When?”

“This morning,” she rushed, her fear radiating out of every pore now. “Why?”

Erec was off running in the next second. That hadn’t been Rohan’s messenger. That had been one of Jerrick’s scouts.

And that meant Jerrick knew everything. He knew how many were in the west-side pack, knew the layout of the camp, their weaknesses, and strengths. He had gotten in and right under their noses, too.

Erec remembered overhearing Filip and Astrid mention a messenger being sent. Had this been what they’d meant? Why hadn’t he questioned them about it then? He scolded himself for being so stupid. Now his mistake may have cost them all their lives.

Astrid’s footsteps thundered behind him as she followed. “Erec! What’s going on?”

“Rohan is dead!” he called over his shoulder. He couldn’t slow. Not even for a second. “There is no north pack! Jerrick wiped them out months ago!”

Astrid was at his side sprinting beside him then, her hair a red flag in the wind. The list of curses she rattled off were the same ones he was thinking. If Jerrick knew everything Erec had a feeling he did, they were all in a lot of trouble.

When they reached Svanna Rock, the night was still peacefully quiet in the early morning hour. Erec and Astrid rushed through the weaving crystal entrance so fast, one of the stones nicked Erec’s shoulder, but the slice of pain was nothing compared to the stabbing in his lungs from the panicked run. Once they reached the other side, Erec was relieved to see everything was as it should be. Some of the men and women were even beginning to emerge from the tents and begin their morning chores. Filip and Mila were among them, walking together around the camp, little Finn crying in his mother’s arms.

Thank Vallor nothing had happened while he and Astrid had been away. They still had time.

“Erec? Ash?” Concern rang in Filip’s voice once he’d spotted them. He stepped away from his mate as they approached. “Are you both all right? What’s wrong?”

“Jerrick knows where we are. He knows everything,” Erec blurted. Even though they had made it before an attack, anxiety continued to weave through him like a serpent. “We have to leave. Right now. We have to—”

“Leave?” Filip repeated. His thick brows rose. “Wait, Jerrick knows? How?”

“Rohan’s dead, Filip,” Astrid added in, breathless. “Jerrick took out his pack months ago.”

“But then who…” Filip took a step back as the realization came crashing down. “Oh no…”

“Exactly.” Erec wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead. “We need to act fast. There’s no time now that he knows—”

A piercing whistle made the words die on his tongue. Then there was another scream of air. And another. And another. Until the silence was replaced by the terrifying song of hundreds of strange shrilling things.

Warning prickled across the back of Erec’s neck, and when Filip peered upward, his look of utter horror confirmed Erec’s suspicions. He spun around just in time to see a flock of arrows soaring over the crystal-stone wall of Svanna Rock.