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I turn to look at him before turning back to the vamp.

“Who says I’m plotting?”

He scoffs. “Well, if you’re not plotting, it’s even more dangerous.”

I glance over at him. “Relax, Alarick. It’s not like that.” I turn back to her.

She directs one wolf to charge at her. As he draws close, she spins around to her backside, stepping out of the way. Her curly hair is braided in a French braid. The long plait hangs over her shoulder. She’s once again in one of her long sleeve thermal shirts. Exertion has her pecan brown skin flushed. Sweat beads over the bridge of her button nose.

“You’re staring,” Alarick says, bringing my attention back to him.

I clear my throat, placing my gaze on the recruits.

“I’m just keeping my eye on the enemy.”

He snorts. “Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”

Before I could ask him what he meant, the vampire freezes. Her body goes rigid.

“What’s wrong?” I immediately ask.

When she looks at me, her fangs are poking out from her lips. We all take a collective step back.

“Blood,” she says. “A lot of it.”

Alarick lifts his nose into the air and sniffs. “Wolf blood,” he clarifies.

Just then, a piercing scream cuts through the forest.

“Marley,” the vampire whispers, then takes off.

I leap through the air and come down in wolf form. I don’t have to check behind me to know that Alarick is with me.

A howl goes up, signaling danger. I push my feet faster, passing the vampire. I follow the sound of the howl.

When two young wolves carrying the bloody body of Torak come out of the woods, I stop in my tracks. The young she-wolf that’s following them is in tears.

I transform right as Chayton shows up.

“What’s going on?” he asks as the boys drop Torak’s body to the ground.

I kneel beside it to listen for a heartbeat. It’s so faint I can barely hear it.

“We need to get him to his mom,” I say to Chayton, who is standing over me with a pale blank expression.

Her scream alerts me to her presence before I see her.

“Tor, baby, wake up.” Phaedra pleads as she drops down beside him.

“What happened?” I ask the two boys.

“Vampire,” the young she-wolf says.

Just then, a bloody Marley walks out of the woods. Her sister rushes to her. Her eyes rake up and down the younger one.

“I’m sorry,” the young vampire repeats.

Phaedra leaps to her feet. “You monster,” she screams as she tries to attack Marley.