All Chapters of The Silverwolf: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I found myself cradled to Skye's warm chest instead of falling to my doom as he shuffled along the fallen giant. The Healer kept his weight balanced and low, moving with slow deliberation so as to not stress the fracture that I had made. “What…?” Was all I could manage through the tears as I looked up at the taller male. “You carried me this far. I can carry you across one stupid ravine.” Skye's jaw was set in pain, and I didn't need his gift to know that his left arm was causing him tremendous pain with every subtle movement. Over his shoulder, the three pursuing wolves were gaining on us, and more had begun to clamber up the gnarled exposed root ball of the old Fir. We weren't going to reach the other side. “You have to leave me, Skye.” I begged, tugging on the front of his shirt like a child. “You can make it out of here, but not like this. Not with me weighing you down.” “Shut up.” Skye growled and clutched me tighter. “I'm not leaving you.” “But-” “God dammit, Ken

A startled deer bolted across my path and I gave chase, momentarily forgetting about Skye on my back. She swerved around trees and jumped fallen logs, nimble legs drumming pointed hooves into the dirt as she fled, but I was hot on her heels chasing the uplifted white flag of her tail. The deer was fast, but I was born for the hunt, designed by nature to pursue prey over vast miles, so it didn’t take long for me to snag an ankle and drag the doe to the ground. Soon I had my jaws clamped around her throat, hot blood filling my mouth, rich and full of life. It promised meat that would sedate the growing hunger in my belly. I could taste the doe's pulse fluttering on my tongue. She kicked frantically, trying to escape, trying to survive. But I was also trying to survive. With a quick twist of my head and a crunch of my jaws, I broke the doe's neck ending her life. She was a beautiful creature in the prime of her life. Strong and sleek with wide brown eyes that stared back at me in

Skye opened his eyes and carefully lifted his head, peering around us into the night.“What's out there?” He asked in a whisper.“I don't know.” I replied. “The silence woke me. It could be anything. Mountain lion, one of the Shaded Paws Pack, even…” Icy dread seeped into my veins, and I shivered.“Even what?” Skye pressed closer to my side.“Lykaon.” The word crept from my thoughts as if even thinking about the cursed being would summon it from the shadows.Skye looked at me from the corner of his eye. “Like that king in mythology who served his son to the gods and was punished?”Now, it was my turn to look carefully at him. “You know about the curse?” Surprise colored my words.“Wait… what curse? I just took a mythology class once.”I suppressed a snort. Of course, there was some overlap. Hell, werewolves were mythology to most humans.“It's likely the same source. We can ask when we get home. All I know is that if we knowingly kill a member of our family, we get cursed to live in a

“Try again now.” With Skye pressed to my side for support, I did as he asked and fought to stand on shaky legs. “Come on. Come on. That's it. Almost there.” My right knee buckled under my tired weight, but Skye's shoulder kept me upright. I tried again, and this time, my legs held. “Okay, one step at a time. Nice and slow.” Skye continued his gentle encouragement as we stumbled towards the den he has so painstakingly made for us. All of my joints felt stiff as if I had been carved from stone and brought only halfway to life. Nothing moved right. Luckily, the tunnel was only a few paces away. Skye nudged me into the hole first. Crawling up the slight incline was easier than walking, so getting into the den was a cake walk by comparison. I pulled myself into the hollow space and curled into a ball with my tail over my nose, letting out a tired sigh. The air in the den stank of blood, but it was blessedly free of the biting wind. A small part of my exhausted mind wondered wh

Sign language? I had never heard of sign language.“What is it?” I asked.“It's talking with your hands. People who are deaf or hard of hearing use it but sometimes people who can't talk due to medical issues or if they've gone nonverbal will too.” As Skye explained, he moved his hands around making different gestures and figures and I realized that this must be what he meant.“How do you know it?”“My baby sister. She…” He paused for a moment and sighed sadly. “She had an accident several years ago. She was out riding her bike and a drunk driver hit her. Messed her up pretty bad and fractured her skull. When she woke up in the hospital she couldn't hear. I learned it for her.”Slowly William raised one hand, palm facing us then swiped it out the side.“Her.” Skye said.Then William brought his index and middle fingers together on both hands in an X and tapped them together twice, tipping his head to the side.“Name.” Skye translated. “You want to know her name?”William nodded eagerl