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I left the room, sniffing the air for traces of my litter mate’s scent. I followed it from her nest down and out the back door, where a stronger smell of shifter blood caused me to growl.

Had someone hurt her?

I bounded out into the night towards the source, only to find an alpha’s human body, his throat torn open. Omega scent clung faintly to his clothing, as well as the musk of alpha arousal, but the wound smelled of something else, something familiar yet different.

The scene was close to the nest for the prey animals, the ones the fae used since they didn’t have wolves to turn into on their trips.

Anger surged through me again as I thought of the weakness of the fae. How dare that male take my omega! He couldn’t even travel a long distance without relying on the strength of another.

Why was I listening to him as though he was my pack leader again?

I should have had myownpack. I was the leader of all the wolves, after all. Not some pet for lesser males.

These thoughts infuriated me, and I snapped at nothing,padding towards the open door of the large nest structure.

The prey creatures were used to my presence by now after traveling together, and the stench of their fear was muted.

I walked up and down the row of them, and all the nests were full, aside from one.

I sniffed around it, but no omega scent appeared.

Oh… this one wasn’t a prey nest.

It was a predator’s nest.

A vryscral’s nest.

Where was the creature my litter mate had befriended?

I followed its trail out of the large nest back outside. It ended at the body.

Ah, I see. That was the other scent on the alpha I had detected.

Had the creature defended my litter mate? Perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all.

I sniffed the ground around the area, trying to find their trail, but it was simply gone. Where had they run after this?

A pixie flitted overhead, sprinkling dust over the area to cover the scent once more.

I growled and snapped at the creature, but it darted higher and then flew off.

Flew.

A vague memory, one from my human side, came forth. Of this vryscral creature in flight.

Had it taken to the air after defending my omega litter mate?

If so, I could not track them.

Panic flooded through me. What would the fae male do to my omega, then? He had threatened to hurt her if I’d failed.

But not failing meant betraying my litter mate. I hadn’t considered helping the fae male obtain her as something bad before, but now? I was questioning my allegiance to him.

Why was it that I seemed to think more clearly in this form? What hold did that fae male have over my human mind?

I was a wolf, what good were court politics and mass warfare to me? I was made for the wilds, I was made for the trees and streams.

My mind was freer now, in more ways than one.