Mag-log inRalph POVFuck!I tore out of the cabin, chasing after the writhing shadowy form. I couldn’t even see Marianne anymore. As I leaped from the doorstep, I shifted to wolf form. Movement flickered in the corner of my eye, and I turned, snarling. But it was only Billy in his wolf form, angling away from the cabin to follow after the shadow.The blizzard thickened around us as I pushed myself through the drifts. It was such fresh snow that I sank with every step. The black smear that was the thing that abducted Marianne grew smaller and smaller until the darkness swallowed it. I kept running hard, certain that I’d see it soon if I just went a little faster—A howl behind me pulled me up short. I stood in the snow, my ears rotating backward. The snow was starting to get lighter now, closer to the top of the mountain. The chill stole through my fur into my bones, but that wasn’t because of this bleak night. No. That thing that stole Marianne away… There was only one thing it could be.I was
The last of my three guardian Alphas, Lazarus Manford, was the shortest of the three. In build, he fell apart halfway between Billy and Ralph. Laz was often serious, but he had a pleasant resting face, as though he was ready to smile at a moment’s notice. I’d never seen a single strand of his black hair out of place, and his light gray eyes were always watching.“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Ralph asked, interrupting my thoughts.“What difference does it make? I don’t have anything to do tomorrow anyway,” I answered, adding a grouchy undertone to my voice.Ralph pulled over a second chair and settled in. If he was bothered by my tone, he didn’t show it. That was one thing about him, besides those dimples, that left me uncertain around him. He didn’t rise to the bait, not easily at least.“I know this is getting to be more frustrating every day,” he said sympathetically. “Maybe tomorrow, we can go to the lake and do some skating. You can ride me.”My breath caught in my chest. *He doesn
Marianne POVRalph had given me a battery-operated alarm clock for my birthday, January first. It had seemed like a stupid present at the time. Even more ridiculous was how happy I was to get a present at all, and how much that clock made my chest warm with appreciation every night for three weeks when I lay awake in bed, staring at the soft glow of the red numbers as they ticked time down. It was the first present I’d received for my birthday since my aunt passed away.I hadn’t told anyone when my birthday was, so it wasn’t surprising that I didn’t receive presents. But it was nice to have this physical thing, saying, ‘Hey, I was thinking about you.’Tonight, tucked into the layers of thick quilts with the wind howling outside, I kind of hated that clock. The numbers were changing far too slowly. Every time I closed my eyes, only to open them again because I couldn’t get my brain to shut up, it was a few minutes at best, rather than the hours I wanted it to be.A light flickered on i
Billy POVI repressed a sigh as I rolled my eyes. “You being so grouchy all the time doesn’t help the matter. Maybe if you smiled more—”“That’s rich, coming from you,” she snapped, glaring at me. “And why should I have to smile and be pleasant toward the man who practically outright said I should be burned at the stake? Jessica and Ruby are the sweet ones. I’m not. I’m me, and I’m not going to be small and submissive in the hope that Alpha Quill will decide he doesn’t hate witches that much after all.”“Was I talking about Quill? And he never said you should be burned at the stake.”“Maybe not to you,” Marianne replied.I frowned, my wolf growling. She was under my protection—mine, Laz’s, and Ralph’s. If Quill really did threaten her, we should have been aware of it. “What exactly did he say?”Marianne glanced at me, seeming startled for some reason. “What?”“What did he say?” I repeated.Her lips tightened. “You won’t believe me.”“Tell me and then I’ll be the judge of whether I bel
Billy POVThe mountain belonged to no one. All the packs were welcome to do whatever they wanted in the redwood forests, all the way up the mountain as the towering trees grew smaller and denser. I, personally, preferred to be up in the trees, away from town and all the nonsense that came with it.Being a small town was one thing, but a small town divided up into dozens of wolf shifter packs was another thing entirely. There was always drama happening.Currently, the drama is centered on Marianne Pinewood. Librarian, witch, and my current ward.Having been a ward of the pack when I was orphaned at a young age, before I was old enough to become Alpha, it seemed strange to have a grown-ass woman as my ward. But she was under my protection, living under my roof, so it was the best way to describe the situation, though she would probably prefer to call herself a prisoner.In any case, she was my ward, and I was her protector, along with a couple of other Alphas from Silverwood. I sat near
Billy POVThe mountain belonged to no one. All the packs were welcome to do whatever they wanted in the redwood forests, all the way up the mountain as the towering trees grew smaller and denser. I, personally, preferred to be up in the trees, away from town and all the nonsense that came with it.Being a small town was one thing, but a small town divided up into dozens of wolf shifter packs was another thing entirely. There was always drama happening.Currently, the drama is centered on Marianne Pinewood. Librarian, witch, and my current ward.Having been a ward of the pack when I was orphaned at a young age, before I was old enough to become Alpha, it seemed strange to have a grown-ass woman as my ward. But she was under my protection, living under my roof, so it was the best way to describe the situation, though she would probably prefer to call herself a prisoner.In any case, she was my ward, and I was her protector, along with a couple of other Alphas from Silverwood. I sat near
Chapter 16Jarek POVI stayed up late that night, working on paperwork for the pack. Our budget wasn’t balancing properly, and I wasn’t sure where the discrepancy was. I pushed back, rubbing my eyes, when I heard a whimper. Frowning, I listened harder. There it was again, coming from Jessa’s room.
Jessa POV I was frozen to the spot, unable to even open my mouth to scream or beg for my life. It laughed, a hissing sound that made the short hairs on my arms stand on end. It stepped forward, reaching out its clawed hand. As soon as it touched me, pain ripped through my body. I twisted away, scr
Jessa POV I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to cry.My hands clenched, my breathing coming in quick gasps as I fought to control my emotions. I’d come near the dark woods a few times before.The spirits that lived here were twisted, ugly creatures that fed on strong emotion. They scared people
Jarek's POV But she did hear. And she sat at once, falling silent. Her shoulders hunched inward, and she hid her face in her hands, shaking.Fucking evil, I thought, careful not to look at Joe. My wolf growled louder, and I tried to ignore it.There were certain things that even an Alpha couldn’t







