Page 47 of Ascendant King

“Why don’t you just bend him over and take him here?” Declan whispered into my ear.

I ground my teeth together and caught a glimpse of Cade frowning at me as I strode forward, outpacing him. He walked quickly, catching up with me.

“What is it?” I could feel his eyes on my face, but I didn’t dare look at him.

“Go on, tell him. Say, ‘Hey, twink, bend over and I’ll take you right here. My friends will even line up to each have their go. You look like you could use a good f?—’”

Turning sharply, I glared at Declan, and he smirked at me, the expression pulling his lips wide. He blinked exaggeratedly. “There he is. And what are you going to do about it?”

“Miles.” Cade’s voice was barely a breath. I wasn’t sure the wolves behind us could hear him. “Do you see something?”

I swallowed, my jaw so tight I couldn’t even open my mouth. Slowly, I shook my head, dragging my eyes away from Declan and back to Cade. “I thought maybe I heard?—”

Breaking off, I raised a hand, and the wolves behind me immediately dropped to silence. With a glance, I saw each one of them tense, ready for action. Nia was already circling, takinga position that would guard our backs, Emilio mirroring her on the other side.

He had been a good beta for my mother.

Cade reached out, pressing a warm hand to my arm. After the chill of the forest, it felt like being brushed with a hot poker. His eyes scanned the forest, but he didn’t have my hearing. Whoever was out there was so far away that they were hidden by the forest.

I tilted my head, searching for any hint of more information.

“I hear three,” the Dos Lunas pack member whispered.

“Five,” Three Lakes East corrected.

“Five,” I agreed. “We need to know who they are—if they’re with House Bartlett or if it’s the dryads.”

The wolves murmured in agreement.

Rolling my shoulders, I said, “I’ll go. I’m going to shift. Nia, Cade, you’re in charge.”

Cade was still touching my arm, and his hand fisted, digging into my skin. When I looked down, he was glaring at me.

I remembered how careful he had been in his criticisms, coming to me in private, not voicing them in front of the rest of the pack. In his pressed lips and nails digging in so hard they almost drew blood, I could see another criticism.

Are you sure you want to do that, Emperor?he silently challenged.

I stared at him, trying to push forward my own feelings. Even though I now had people, the only one I trusted here was Nia, and I wasn’t willing to risk her life.

His chin dropped, and his hand slid down my arm, leaving goose bumps where it dragged over my skin.

“You’re going to go yourself?” The Three Lakes West member didn’t hide his doubt, his face scrunched and concerned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Keep hidden. I’ll be back.” I shifted fluidly, my attention focused on keeping my human self in charge, not letting the wolf in me take over.

Then I was off, the forest entirely different as a wolf. Before, I had been struck by its beauty, but now I was struck by the sheer amount of information laid out before me.

Leaves contained the scent of every animal that had brushed by in the past few days. I could smell the herd of deer that occasionally roamed these woods.

And there, as though their path was highlighted, I could smell the other wolves. Following the scent trail, I found five wolves shoving their way through the forest. My nose could smell a fainter trail ahead of them, almost as though they’d walked the same route the day before. They were patrolling an area of the forest that belonged to the dryads.

Something cold shivered over my skin. Had Leon already conquered the dryads? Or was it… was it the pups I had left to the dryads’ mercy?

Stopping, I froze and dropped low when I saw them through the brush. Not the pups. My shoulders fell. These strange wolves moved like the territory belonged to them, even though the dryads had said no wolves lived in their village.

Only three of the wolves were actually paying attention to their job. As I crept close, keeping my paws silent, lowering myself close to the ground, I watched as their heads swung back and forth, eyes catching on every moving branch, every bird that flew by.

The two who didn’t seem to care about their job were deeply engaged in a conversation about video games while the other three shushed them in annoyance. They hadn’t heard us because their own members were so loud.