What if who you thought you were was only a drop in the ocean of time?
What if your existence was fated to follow a predestined path?
And you hated that path. And you fought fate.
Katya Luschkova longs to break free from the suffocating hold of he...
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It was morning when the fire was completely put out. And even after that, the scorched remains bled a steady stream of smoke into the air. No one in the Pack got any sleep during the long night and so when dawn broke and Javed gave the all-clear, most of the Pack slept. All around men lay, on the grounds, in the Pack House, propped against trees. One thing I noticed was that no one was alone. It was a moment after a rough time where everyone, in solidarity, rested together. I stood in the middle of the grounds with weary eyes unable to sleep. Jess and Nik had gone to escort the kids and their families back home. And I was once again feeling uneasy at being left alone.
Dmitri had declared second level security and had sent out two shifts to Patrol in the event of another attack. I figured it was a precaution as Wolf Blood got back on its feet. The breach had come as a surprise. And I was sure Dmitri was furious.
I had found myself subconsciously searching for him all night. I hadn't seen him since he'd hauled Xander and me out of the fire. And I wanted to. Actually, it felt like I needed to. But he had joined Patrol for a run of the Pack lands, I'd heard from Nik. I supposed it was only natural he'd be restless. A breach while he was in the Pack. A bold, ballsy move by an overconfident enemy I was sure. If I could feel pissed at the message, I could only imagine how Dmitri felt.
I glanced at the Pack House, contemplating. Crawling into my glorious bed would be heavenly. But I was still uneasy. The Pack House was bound to be near empty with everyone somewhere on the grounds. And I didn't want to be alone when no one I knew was around. A vision of eyes made my hair stand on edge. Lately, all I saw were those eyes —they seemed to haunt my dreams. Those dreams and feelings were leading me to a conclusion I wasn't sure I wanted to accept. But considering I was already scared of an enemy I didn't know for sure existed —I already had.
If what I was thinking was right, then Wolf Blood was in serious danger. But I couldn't afford to make a baseless accusation. It would be the death of me.
Walking aimlessly, I finally decided. I couldn't just sit around in fear. My days for that were done. Gathering my courage and keeping it close, I marched toward the Pack House front doors. I cleared the doors but was rooted for a moment when I looked through the open back doors.
A large black Wolfe leapt out of the trees and bounded across the grounds. I would have been afraid had I not known who it was. My feet changed direction without me telling them to. I walked through the back doors out onto the grounds. I ignored the few sleeping Pack members I passed and found myself oddly comforted by the fact that the forest here was untouched.
The Wolfe slowed his pace and I walked the rest of the way to him. His fur was midnight, so dark that I expected all light to be swallowed up by him. I imagined that shadows were a part of him. He stood over me once again, looking down with those molten gold eyes. Fatigue, anger, and the echoes of sadness lurked in them.
