Page 180 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

KNOX

The uneven cobblestone alleyways of Anakar twisted and turned, thankfully casting deep shadows in the bright midmorning light as Deacon and I in our wolf forms crept toward the heart of Anakar.

As much as it would have been better to sneak around at night, I wasn’t dumb enough to risk being caught by the malicious spirits that appeared after sundown.

It was bad enough we could already smell more than a dozen humans, but these humans controlled an unknown number of grimalkins, not to mention had lightning weapons. I didn’t want to add evil manifestations of Tzanagoth’s power to the mix, so nighttime reconnaissance was out.

Just like every time I crossed onto the land affected by the sleeping malicious god, an ominous power pressed against my senses, making the fur at the back of my neck rise.

Fuck, I hated being in Anakar, and the last time we’d been here snake shadow monsters had exploded from the ground and tried to rip Audrey apart.

All because she’d tried to stand up against the asshole who’d tried to sacrifice her to a monster.

A growl bubbled in my throat. I wanted to tear Sterling apart and piss on his corpse, but the rip between realms wasn’t big enough for me to get to Audrey’s realm. Of course, that also meant it wasn’t big enough for him to get to her, and I was just going to have to be grateful that there was one less threat out there to hurt Audrey.

They’ve gone down the left passage, Deacon said in my head as he sniffed the ground.

We’d been following the scents from the humans and the foul reek of their grimalkins, keeping to side streets and alleys to avoid detection. I’d hoped the merchants had picked someplace near the outskirts of the complex, but no, every turn drew us closer and closer to Tzanagoth’s temple.

I don’t like that they’re so close to the god’s power, I growled back at him.

Some of the myths say that the grimalkins were born from Tzanagoth’s magic, Deacon replied . Maybe they found something here that controls them.

Sisters, I hoped not. If the merchants could figure out how to turn the grimalkins into weapons, then anyone could. Even if we bought the merchants’ lightning weapons our pack would still be in danger. The weapons had a recharging time and wouldn’t be able to take out a large pack before the beasts could attack.

We slunk out of the shadows to the wider intersection and hurried after the humans’ scent just as the sounds of voices and footsteps came from the road ahead of us.

Shit. We had to get past a long row of buildings before we could slip into a parallel alley.

My gaze leaped from one crumbling structure to the next. Most of the entranceways had collapsed, but enough of the walls still stood that it would be a risk trying to jump over without making a sound — especially since there wasn’t a lot of room to move around.

Then I caught sight of a hole where one building had fallen against its neighbor.

In here, I commanded, jerking my nose at the opening.

It was going to be a tight fit, but we only had a few seconds left and no other options.

The voices and steps were coming closer, and the humans were about to walk around the large tree and rubble covering three quarters of the path at the end of the road and see us.

Deacon dove for the hole, shifting to his human form before he reached it, and half slid half squirmed inside. I leaped after him, shifting as well. My wolf was easily twice the size of my human, and if Deacon’s human had trouble getting in, it would be impossible for my wolf.

I shoved my head through but my shoulder hit the edge of the still-standing wall.

Shit shit shit.

I needed to get smaller, somehow. If I could get my shoulders through, the rest of me would get through.

Go sideways, Deacon said, grabbing my shoulders, wrenching me onto my side, and hauling me into the cool darkness.

“Did you hear something?” a man asked, his voice pitched a little too high as if he were afraid.

We froze, not risking going farther down the narrow alley we’d crawled into. The slightest move could knock loose the precarious pile of bricks around us. Even just a pebble breaking free could give us away.

“It’s just rats,” someone else laughed as the footsteps drew closer. “Stop jumping at everything. Raddix said we’re protected from Tzanagoth’s spirits.”

“So he says,” the first man shot back.

“Jeez,” another man said, his voice low and gravelly, and three sets of legs stopped on the road in front of the hole we’d snuck through. “We’ve been here for over two weeks and nothing’s happened.”

“Lots has happened. Those spirits scream all night long,” Afraid Guy said.

“But they haven’t entered our camp,” Gravelly Voice shot back. “And it’s the middle of the day. There aren’t any spirits around. Come on.”

“So you say,” Afraid Guy grumbled as the group walked away.

I glanced at Deacon. Yeah, he’d heard that, too. Raddix, whoever he was, had a way to keep his camp safe from the spirits, which meant someone had found some water or plants or stone or something that could control Tzanagoth’s spirits.

Come on, I growled in Deacon’s head as I squeezed out from the rubble into the alley and shifted back to my wolf. Let’s find their camp and get the fuck out of here.

Deacon followed and shifted as well, and we crept in the direction the men had come from.

A few minutes later, we turned onto a short road that ended in brilliant sunlight, and beyond stood Tzanagoth’s temple, the only structure in Anakar that hadn’t crumbled with age.

My insides churned, an uneasiness settling in my limbs, and I drew close enough to see into the courtyard.

The courtyard was empty with the dry fountain and the monstrous statue of Tzanagoth about to eat his sacrifices standing in the center.

I was about to turn away when something shimmered at the corner of my eye and my pulse stalled.

No. Please no.

I dragged my attention toward the shimmer. It was back and, from the sight of the mangled corpse on the ground in front of it, someone had used a blood sacrifice to open— No, not one sacrifice there were two heads… except there weren’t enough body parts for two people.

A growl bubbled in my throat. The man who’d tormented my mate, even tormenting her in her dreams, was back, and if he was powerful enough to open a rip between the realms, I had no doubt he’d actually come to our realm.

I wasn’t sure if I could take him out. But I would. I had to.

Because that was the only way to protect Audrey.