Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Jeremiah looked back at Seth. “Is Mia a wolf now?”
“No,” Seth said. “But I did mate her.”
“Mate?” Jeremiah’s voice rose, sharp and startled, as if that was somehow worse than everything else.
“Get in the truck, TJ,” Seth said, clearly exasperated. “I’ll tell you all about it.”
Brother Jeremiah must’ve decided that was the safest plan because he did so immediately. He climbed into the passenger seat, still gripping his cross.
“Thanks, Slate Pack,” Seth called, walking around and getting into the driver’s seat. “I’ll get the truck back to you at some point.” He drove off, taking the truck the way he’d come, tires crunching on snow until the sound faded into the open cold.
Solomon watched him go. “We had a lot of clothes in the back of that,” he murmured, sounding mildly wounded.
Caidrik looked at him, then looked at the people around him, pack members on the bleachers and in the snow. His chest felt tight and not from the cold. “Listen,” he said. “I’ll kill for this pack in a heartbeat if it’s necessary.” He let that sit, because it was true. Then he drove the point in. “But we are not creating situations where we have to kill people. Especially humans. Is that understood?”
Pretty much everybody nodded, and Nadia beamed at him.
Solomon gulped. “Don’t worry. That was the last challenge of this type.”
Caidrik was over all of this. It was time to finish the trials. He looked down at Nadia. “I’m going to do these trials and then probably fight Luca to the death. During this timeframe, I want you in your house, safe,” he continued, lowering his voice to pure Alpha range. “Not moving until I’m done.”
Not only were the Ravencalls out there and probably pissed off, so was Bulwark. He was no doubt getting ready to attack. Caidrik could feel it in the back of his mind like pressure before a storm, and he was sick of storms. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
Nadia gulped. “Yes.”
“Good.” He needed to get his ass into the Alpha position before the next wave of attacks came, and every instinct he owned promised it would be soon.
Chapter 24
Nadia read one of Gail’s journals as she walked through the kitchen, munching happily on a strip of strawberry licorice. She’d found a box of different kinds shoved in the back of the pantry behind a half-empty bag of flour and a box of baking soda that might have expired sometime last decade. She slowed when she reached the counter and finally stopped, her head aching.
Apparently she couldn’t learn a new language in a couple of days.
Still, something nagged at her. It sat just out of reach, irritating in the way unfinished thoughts always were. She couldn’t put her finger on it, and it was driving her crazy.
The house was too quiet. Bussy and Margaret were at a school play, like most of the pack. Nadia had tried to go with them, and they’d both refused, saying she needed to stay home and be safe.
She was about to be an Alpha wolf, damn it. It was too bad Emily and Philip were gone. Hopefully Philip would be home soon, even though Em had now moved.
Nadia glanced around the kitchen. Stainless steel appliances reflected softly off the white marble countertops. Everything was clean but lived in. Comfortable. It was a good room. A safe room. She tapped her foot against the tile, once, twice. The irritation didn’t fade.
What was bothering her?
Her memory finally kicked in. Oh yeah. At the football field, she’d caught something. She tugged her phone from her back pocket, sliding the journal onto the sparkling counter, and pressed a button.
Gail answered immediately. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Nadia. Real quick. Do you have a second?”
“Of course. You caught me right during intermission at the school. It has been such a wonderful play so far,” Gail said. “Do you need help with the journals?”
Not unless Gail could transplant her brain into Nadia’s. “No, but I do need to find Solomon. Have you heard from him?”
“Oh, honey. He’s giving both Caidrik and Luca trial after trial tonight, remember?” Gail asked. “They wanted to get them all finished.”
“I know. I just wondered if he was free. It’s not like he goes on the challenges.”
Gail chuckled. “That’s true. Perhaps these trials wouldn’t be so difficult if Solomon had to attend.”
That was a fair point. “He said something earlier out at the football field.”
There was cacophony of voices through the line, followed by a muttered apology. “Sorry about that. Everyone is in line for the wine bar.”
“It’s fine,” Nadia said. “Solomon said something interesting.”
“That’s new for Solomon,” Gail chuckled. “What did he say?”
Nadia closed her eyes, replaying the moment. “I think he said something about having to get further instructions from the museum to go along with some sort of challenge.”