Wolf Queen - Book 1 of The Nightfall Series

Thirteen

It had been an intriguing few days. Although her arrival had not been the most welcoming, she had adapted as best as she could to the new situation she was presented with.

The life mates, Georgia and Theo, disagreed over her current living arrangements. She had exiled herself to the grounds surrounding the house. Georgia wished for her to stay in the house while Theo was far warier of her. He knew the tales of her warrior success which meant he knew the stories of her feral side that had quickly spread after the Pack Wars.

It was a rainy day and early in the morning. Dew stuck to the ground and fog lined the tops of the tall trees that surrounded the property. Adelaide stood leaning against the wide trunk of a tree, it's bark bit into her back, as she repeatedly let her eyes wander over the empty space. She was constantly assessing for threats as she took a bite of the red apple she held in her right hand while her arm was crossed across her mid-section.

She sensed no threats in the area, no heat signatures within her field of vision, but she was still wary. The memories the place held were still painful for her. A lot had happened to cause scars on her memories for the rest of her life, she didn't want to see it happen to another. Especially in the times they now faced.

She had roamed the woods while the others slept, a routine she had created since her first night, while she waited for the others to rise for the day. They weren't used to rising at dawn like she was and were more relaxed as she had seen with metropolitan wolves. They lived a lifestyle that did not require them to wake in the early hours of the day.

Adelaide felt calm as her eyes looked over the space repeatedly and didn't know what came over her as her eyes moved to the house. The window of the attic in particular.

Her old bedroom.

Curious honey coloured eyes looked out at her from the window. The rest of the face cut off because they were not tall enough to see over the top of the window sill. It was a girl, a child, that watched her from above.

They made eye contact and Adelaide froze in her eating as a connection was made. She felt her mind rush as she saw the innocent soul before her. Watched as she oversaw the future she held and felt a bond solidify deep within her soul.

She would protect this child with her life because like her mother she was special.

Adelaide smiled slightly as her mind returned to her and she blinked, breaking the pull between them. A small hand reached up above the window sill and through the foggy glass she caught the small wave the girl sent her way.

She smiled, the first genuine smile in such a long time, and lifted the hand that rested against her to return it. The girl disappeared soon after and Adelaide listened to the pitter patter of her footsteps as she ran through the house. A small chuckle escaped her, children had always been a joy to her, their innocence so pure.

Shaking her head at the act of the child she tossed her apple core to the side and turned back to the forest. She had much to do to make sure the property was protected.

Since the absence of the pack and her father from the land, the boundary line that once warned off rouges and challengers had weakened and fell. She had put it back in place, but she was also building another one closer to the house as an extra line of protection.

The prizes that lay within it needed the utmost protection from the world.

She stomped through the undergrowth, retracing the path she had walked through already. It didn't take her long before she come across the small trench she had dug around the property.

Her feet hit the dirt with a small thud as she jumped down into it. The edges came to her waist because of the depth she had dug it out to be. The protection line needed to be set deep within the soil for it to take hold and it would take every ounce of her concentration to complete it.