Luna Queen's Fury

23 Lurking

Chris

Snow crunches under my black paws as I follow the guards up the foothills. The sun is nearly blinding, reflecting off the snow-covered landscape but leaves very few places to hide.

I wrinkle my nose, picking up the humans' scent once more. A flash of sandy blonde to my left shows Jace's wolf taking off after something.

Cyrus lets out a low growl picking up the scent of more humans and something else. Acrid soot burns my snout, warning of dark witchcraft.

'Over here,' Jace calls.

I follow him up to an outcropping fifty yards or so from the tunnel I was investigating. The opening looks much like the surrounding mountainside with jutting rocks breaking through the ground and a smattering of trees, including a couple of evergreens that he stands in front of.

'Anything look out of the norm to you,' he asks, already knowing the answer. A gust of wind rustles my black fur, making me thankful for its protection in this harsh environment. In my wild form, I also pick up the faint smell of ash.

A large brown wolf lopes into view from behind the trees, sniffing and growling as he goes. Ryker brought this breach directly to me before heading out to investigate personally.

Jace nudges the pine boughs aside, revealing a little camp inside, complete with a fire pit. I growl as I creep along the encampment, easily picking up six males scents, all human.

'How fucking long have they been here?!' I snap.

There's no doubt in my mind they're hunters. That they slipped into our territory and set up camp undetected is terrifying.

How many more are lurking?!

'Days at least, maybe weeks,' Ryker spits.

Jace says nothing but I catch the keen glint in his eye, he's working something out. He pads down to the crevice in the rocks, forming some half tunnel that they used to enter and exit. Down the hill on the far side, a roadway winds around the base of the foothill.

'The humans left this way but the witch is still here,' Jace warns. I knew as much, having caught her trail on the way up.

I leave both men to investigate and turn my attention inward. 'We've got a problem.'

'What's new brother?' Derek clips back.

The link feels strained even though we're not that far apart, only adding to my concern. 'Why can I barely hear you, is something-'

'Relax, we're under the palace, Sparky is giving us a light show,' Derek adds, trying to calm me.

'And Jess?'

'Is right here with us. Mack and Sasha are glued to her and I promise not to let her out of my sight,' he assures me. 'Now, what new problem do we have?'

'Hunters, maybe scouts, six of them? And a witch, all in our territory for weeks,' my voice twists with anger as I explain our predicament.

'Are they still here?' The edge to his voice tells me he's every bit as concerned as I am.

'No. Cleared out yesterday, maybe the day before...' That they left nothing behind is possibly the most concerning part. They left on their own time, not because someone almost found them and they had to flee, so what made them?

'Where? I'll send Dex, there's no better tracker, maybe Sadie.'

'Eastern ridge,' I reply, looking for a landmark. 'Where twin evergreens grow on an outcropping.'