Page 2 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf (Cursed Kingdoms)

M agic tingled across Rowan's palm as she held the bloody scrap of fabric. Her spell illuminated a faint red trail only she could see, weaving between the ancient pines. Beside her, Alder moved with predatory grace, his nostrils flaring as he caught scents she couldn't detect.

"Blood trail heads east," he said, voice low and rough. "But there's something off about it."

"The magic feels wrong too." Rowan frowned at the crimson trail. "Like it's been deliberately scattered."

“It wasn’t us.”

That remained to be seen. They moved deeper into the forest, following the twisted trail. Rowan was hyperaware of Alder's presence—the heat radiating from his body, the easy way he navigated the undergrowth. His power called to hers and it was disconcerting.

The trail led them through increasingly dense vegetation. Thorns caught at Rowan's cloak. Without warning, Alder's hand shot out, catching her arm before she stepped into a hidden dip.

"Careful," he murmured. His touch sent electricity racing up her arm.

"Thanks." She didn't pull away immediately. Neither did he.

Finally, Alder cleared his throat and released her. "There's a lot of old trails through here. Places my grandmother used to gather herbs for the pack."

"Used to?"

"She still does, sometimes. But she's getting older." Something dark flickered across his face. "After my parents... she's all the family I have left."

Rowan's heart squeezed unexpectedly. She knew about being alone.

The trail took a sharp turn, leading them into a small clearing. Alder suddenly went rigid. "Wait."

But Rowan had already seen it—a bloodied sneaker half-hidden under fallen leaves. Her tracking spell flared around it, indicating it was fresh.

Alder approached it carefully, scenting the air. "Same blood as the fabric. Human. Female. Young." His jaw tightened. "There was fear here."

Rowan knelt beside the sneaker, letting her magic probe deeper. "The pattern's strange. Like the blood was..." She hesitated.

"What?"

"Applied after. This wasn't where the injury happened." She met his gaze. "Someone's staging these scenes."

Alder's power flared, making the air heavy. "No one in my pack would—"

"I wasn't accusing." Not yet. Rowan stood, finding herself closer to him than she'd intended. "But someone is playing games. And they know these woods well enough to lay a trail."

He studied her face, surprise flickering in those green eyes. "You really mean that. You're not just looking to blame my pack."

"I go where the evidence leads." She held his gaze. "The last time I trusted an Alpha's word over what I was seeing, people died because I wanted to believe him." The admission cost her, but something in her needed him to understand.

Alder's expression softened fractionally. "Southampton."

"Yes." Rowan's hand drifted to her side, where the scars still ached sometimes. "The Alpha swore his beta wasn't feral. I believed him because I wanted to think the best. Because he seemed so certain." Her bitter laugh held no humor. "Turned out he was certain because he was helping hide the bodies."

She expected Alder to bristle at the comparison. Instead, he surprised her.

"My mother wasn't feral." His voice was rough with old pain. "The Red Hoods who came didn't even test her. Just took the word of—" He cut himself off. "They executed her. No trial, no chance to prove her innocence."

"That's not how we operate now," Rowan said softly. "We always try to save those we can."

"Did you try with the wolf a few days ago?"

She stiffened. "You knew about that?"

"Word travels."

"It's not always hopeless. Sometimes they can be brought back, if caught early enough."

Movement in the trees interrupted them. Serenity, Alder's beta, emerged with two other wolves.

"Alpha." Serenity's gaze flickered between them, noting their proximity. "Sorry to interrupt, but Mae's been trying to reach you. Says it's important."

"Mae?" Rowan asked.

"My grandmother," Alder explained. "She knows these woods better than anyone." He hesitated, then added, "Would you like to speak with her? She might have noticed something useful."

Rowan nodded, ignoring the way her skin still tingled from his proximity. She didn’t need this attraction. It was a distraction. They had a killer to catch. Everything else was secondary.

They found Mae Blackwood in her herb garden. She was a small, silver-haired woman with Alder's green eyes. She looked up from her gardening with a warm smile that didn't quite reach those sharp eyes.

"Alder, dear." She rose slowly, brushing dirt from her apron. "And this must be the Red Hood everyone's talking about."

"Grandmother, this is Rowan. She's helping investigate the disappearances."

"Please, call me Mae." The old woman's grip was strong when she clasped Rowan's hand. "Such a pretty thing. Not what I expected from a witch-hunter."

Something in her tone made Rowan's magic stir uneasily, but she couldn't pin down why. Mae seemed perfectly harmless—just a grandmother tending her herbs and worrying about her grandson.

"Mae knows all the old trails," Alder explained. "Places tourists might wander off."

"Oh yes." Mae's smile widened slightly. "These woods can be treacherous for those who don't know them. So easy to get lost or to run into something hungry."

Rowan felt Alder stiffen beside her. "Grandmother."

"Just teasing, dear." Mae patted his arm. "Though you really should mark those trails better. Humans don't know to stay away from wolf territory like they used to." She sighed. "Everything's changing. Not like the old days."

"Have you noticed anything unusual lately?" Rowan asked. "Anyone or anything that seemed out of place?"

"Well..." Mae's brow furrowed. "Now that you mention it, I did see something strange near the old quarry last week. Looked like someone had made camp there, which isn’t usually allowed on pack lands." She shook her head. "But when I went back to check, everything was gone. Even the ashes from their fire."

Alder's hand brushed Rowan's arm. "We should check it out."

The touch sent heat spiraling through her. From Mae's knowing look, the older woman hadn't missed their reaction to each other.

"Be careful out there," Mae called as they left. "Woods aren't safe, even for big bad wolves and clever little Red Hoods."

The quarry gave them nothing new. The sheer rock walls dropped away into darkness, decades of mining leaving deep scars in the earth. No sign remained of the camp Mae had mentioned.

"Dead end," Alder growled in frustration. "We're running out of daylight."

Rowan started to respond, but movement caught her eye. "Wait—there."

A flash of red—almost like her cloak—disappeared behind a boulder. They crept forward together, Alder's warmth steady at her back. The space behind the boulder turned into a narrow crevice.

"Tight fit," Rowan muttered.

"Ladies first?" Alder's smile held a hint of fang.

The crevice was barely wide enough for one person. Rowan had to turn sideways to edge through, the rough stone pressing close on either side. She heard Alder following, his breath warm on her neck.

Suddenly, the walls widened into a small cave. Rowan's magic illuminated the space—and her heart stopped.

"Alder."

He was pressed against her back, the narrow entrance forcing them close. "I smell it too."

The cave walls were covered with photographs. Missing persons posters. Newspaper clippings. And in the center, a collection of personal items that could only be trophies—watches, jewelry, keys.

"A werewolf den?" Rowan whispered. There was a sleeping bag and the whole place smelled like wolf. Shifter magic tingled along the walls.

Alder's hands gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. In the confined space, they were chest to chest, his power wrapping around her like a storm about to break.

"I swear to you," he said roughly, "I had no idea this was here. I don’t recognize the scent. It’s been altered by magic."

She should doubt him. Should step back, put distance between them. Instead, she found herself swaying closer, drawn by the raw honesty in his voice and something deeper—something that called to her very bones.

His head dipped lower. Her hands fisted in his shirt. For a heartbeat, she thought he might kiss her—

A howl shattered the moment. Close. Too close.

They burst out of the crevice as one, magic and claws at the ready. But the forest was empty. Only the howl's echo remained, and a new scent that made Alder curse.

"What is it?"

"Wolf." His eyes had shifted to gold, power rolling off him in waves. "But wrong. Feral."

Rowan's heart sank. Loup garou.

Their eyes met, shared horror reflected. Someone in his pack had turned after all. Someone was hunting humans for sport, collecting trophies, laying false trails to confuse them.

The trust growing between them cracked like ice in spring.

"Alder—"

"Don't." His voice was hard again, all traces of tenderness gone. "We'll find whoever did this. But not tonight. It's not safe after dark."

He was right, but it felt like surrender. Like failure.

They walked back in silence, the weight of discovery heavy between them. The attraction between them sizzled, demanding they bridge this new distance. But how could they, when one of his pack might be a killer?

At the edge of the pack grounds, Alder finally spoke. "Tomorrow. We'll start questioning the pack."

Rowan nodded, not trusting her voice. She turned to go, but his hand caught her arm.

"Rowan." His eyes held hers, intense and conflicted. "I meant what I said. I didn't know about the cave."

"I believe you." The words surprised them both with their truth.

He released her slowly, fingers trailing down her arm. "Be careful tonight. The killer knows we're hunting them now."

"You too." She managed a slight smile. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to my reluctant partner."

Something darkly possessive flashed in his eyes. "Partner, is it?"

"For now."

She left him there, feeling his gaze follow her into the darkness. Her skin still tingled where he'd touched her. Her magic reached for him like a flower turning toward the sun.

Partner. The word wasn't enough for what was growing between them. But with a killer to catch and both their pasts haunting them, it would have to do.

For now.