Page 96 of Wolf's Vow

“You feel it?” Diesel asked.

Killian nodded once. “How could you not?”

Their voices dropped to a register just above instinct.

“What is it?” I asked again, louder. I couldn’t feel anything. “What can you feel?”

No answer.

I reached for the bond. It was there. But barely.Flickering. Thin as spider silk, stretched over flame. I couldn’t feel him, not fully. Not even his emotions.

Just static.

“Hey,” Diesel said, gripping my wrist gently. “I need you to come with me.”

He was serious. When I went to rebuke him, I saw something almost as chilling as Wolfe. Diesel wasscared. The protest died on my tongue. I let him lead me backward, my eyes locked on Wolfe the whole time.

Something’s wrong. Something’sbreaking.

Diesel stiffened beside me, and I realized I had spoken aloud.

“He’s not zoning out,” Diesel said under his breath to me. “He’s locking down.” Diesel squeezed my wrist. “Did he sleep?”

“What?” I felt my own shiver of fear. “Yes, he slept. I don’t understand, tell me.Please.”

Diesel was whispering now. “His Will is riding him. He feels it. All of it. The betrayal. The power. The pack is falling apart beneath him. He’s pulling it inward, trying to hold itin. But it’s too much.”

“What? Why now?” My heart was pounding. “You sealed the perimeter. The attackers didn’t get in; you said they were already here.”

Diesel shook his head. “Rowen, c’mon. You know that’s not right.” He looked at me—and what I saw in his eyes made my stomach drop. “They never came from outside,” he said. “They’ve been here. Inside.They’re of our pack.”

It hit me like a blow to the chest, because I knew it was the truth, knew I’d already begun to stop myself from denying it.

Then I felt it. Thecrackin the air all around us, not visibly, but the air was charged. As if the wind had died and every atom in the Hollow stilled to wait for his command.

Killian exhaled hard, then stepped directly into Wolfe’s space. “Here goes,” he muttered. He put a hand to Wolfe’s shoulder, “Alpha,” he said gently. “You have to let it go.”

Wolfe’s fist knocked him clean off his feet, and when I lurched forward, Diesel held me back. “No, Rowen.”

Killian got up, and Wolfe punched him again, and again. My hands were over my mouth, pressed tight to stop my shout as I saw Killian get back to his feet. Shaking his head, as if he could shake off the punch.

Wolfe blinked. Once. Twice. Then hegrowled.

Not low. Not warning.

It was a sound that could split the trees.

Power rolled off him in a wave—thick, scorching, ancient.

The Willexplodedout of him—no command, no direction. Just pure, raw alpha dominance that made the earth itself seem to hum beneath our feet. My knees buckled. Diesel swore and dragged me back faster, shielding me with his body.

Killian was on his feet and stayed rooted against the force of it. Barely.

“He’s detonating,” Diesel breathed, looking over his shoulder. “If I ask you to run, will you go?”

“Never.” I couldn’t take my eyes off him. “I’m not leaving him.”

Wolfe’s head was tilted back, silver burning in his eyes, his mouth parted as power kept pouring out of him like smoke from a collapsing mountain.