He lifted his finger to his lips. “Shh.”
“There are at least ten wolves over there.” They were directly to the right of where we probably would’ve driven through. “But I don’t think they are near the witches. The tug was in the opposite direction.”
“The perimeter spell should hide the witches from the wolves.” Amethyst bit her bottom lip. “Which would mean they know someone is tracking them.”
“But how would they know …” Unless …
“The girl might know they’re hunting her, which means she could be part of The Hallowed Guild.” Aidan’s jaw clenched.
“You know how to get there, right?” Amethyst would need to help us locate the coven.
“Yes, but it’ll be harder since we aren’t on a road. I think we should rely on the connection you and Gabby have to her. The perimeter spell won’t dampen it, so if you follow the tug, we could get there faster.” Amethyst placed her hands on my shoulders. “It’ll be fine.”
“Do you think they know shifters are hunting them?” I hated the idea that the girl and coven thought they were safe.
“If they have a perimeter spell up, I’m thinking they’re aware.” Coral tapped her chin. “That could be why they didn’t want us coming here.”
“So, maybe they were being protective instead of rude.” Samuel looked at the ground. “This keeps getting crazier.”
“Now, that’s something I can agree with.” Logan nodded. “The longer we’re out here, the more likely they may stumble upon us.”
“Especially given the fact that our scents intermingle with theirs now since we found them.” Aidan turned toward me. “We need to get moving.”
“We also need to stay slow and quiet.” Hopefully, the witches would understand this was important. “It’s not the coven we need to worry about right now; it’s the wolves.”
“Got it.” Amethyst glanced at the others. “We understand.”
“Gabby and I will hang back.” Logan touched her arm, tugging her behind Samuel.
It was odd that she didn’t put up a fight.
“And I’ll be in the middle in case they try to attack from either side.” Beth wedged herself between Coral and Amethyst.
“Good, it’s settled.” I hurried back in the direction of the tug, making sure to stay clear of the other wolves’ scents.
The forest was still quiet—like something bad hovered over us. My nerves were on edge, which didn’t do me any favors. I worked to calm my ass down.
With each tree I passed, I waited to hear something, anything that would alert us to what was right in front of us.
Are you okay? Aidan’s concerned voice popped into my head. Is something wrong?
No, I’m being ridiculous. I’d never been afraid of the woods. I’d always felt like a part of them, but things were different. I didn’t know what I was a part of now, only that destiny had chosen me—rather, me and four other girls—to right the wrongs from so many damn years ago.
You’re not being silly. Aidan sighed behind me. Your world got turned upside down, and you haven’t had time to process.
Maybe. But it didn’t matter. There were more important things at play than my feelings.
A new musky scent hit my nose. I didn’t know why, but I hadn’t been prepared for it. I’d hoped we were in the clear. Aidan, there’s a wolf close by.
It was faint, but with each step, the scent got stronger.
We have to continue. There’s no choice. We have to get to the girl. Aidan inhaled sharply behind me. It’s only one wolf.
Until he alerts the others. I stopped and turned around, making sure Beth, Logan, and Gabby were on the same page.
Their eyes met mine, and they nodded.
Well, okay then. I continued forward, breathing rapidly.
“We’re almost there,” Amethyst whispered. “I can get us through the perimeter.”
She fucking spoke. What the hell was she thinking?
I tensed, waiting. The wolf was close enough to have heard her, and it must be on its way to find us. We’d lost our advantage of being downwind.
I pressed forward because why the hell not at this point. I picked up the pace, hoping to get through the perimeter before the wolf caught up with us. Silence was no longer a priority.
The pounding of paws against the forest floor raced toward us. It didn’t give a damn that it was outnumbered. It was running, tearing through the woods.
A brown wolf jumped through the trees, its eyes locking on me.
“We’re here.” Amethyst pushed past Aidan, not realizing that a wolf stood only five feet away. Her eyes turned toward me, and she froze the moment she saw the wolf. “Shit.”
“Go work on the perimeter,” Aidan called to her. “We’ll hold him off.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the wolf hunkered, ready to fight. It lunged right at me, aiming for my neck. It was going for the kill.
I spun to the side, and it only caught air.
It stumbled as it landed on its feet, and Logan punched it in the snout.
A loud whimper escaped the wolf, and blood poured from its nose and into its mouth. Its nearly green eyes glowed as it bared its teeth at us.
“How’s it going over there?” Gabby snapped.
“I need more time.” Amethyst flinched but continued to work.
The wolf dug its paws into the ground and opened its mouth to bite Logan’s arm. I kicked the wolf, nailing it in the side before it could clamp down.
“Don’t hurt my mate,” Gabby growled as she ran straight toward the animal.
When she was only two feet away, the wolf dropped to the ground. She tripped and fell to her knees. It rounded, its focus back on me.
The wolf jumped, and Aidan sprang forward and knocked the animal out of the air. It hit the ground with a thud.
Amethyst was holding her hands up against an invisible wall, speaking quickly and silently.
Coral and Samuel joined her in the spell.
Hopefully, their combined efforts would allow us through soon.
The wolf got back on its feet and growled. His eyes went straight to the witches.
That was strange. Why would he focus on them instead of us?
It ran toward the witches as their backs were to it.
No, they trusted us to protect them. I tried to be patient and waited for it to lunge. It leaped into the air, and I tapped into my wolf and charged toward it. I planned to steamroll him into the invisible wall, but as we collided, we both blew past the witches and into the protected area.
Great. I’d just let in a wolf the witches were hiding from. This would go over so well.
Chapter Fourteen
I tumbled over the wolf and landed right on my chest. I struggled to catch my breath as I rolled onto my feet, ready for the wolf to attack again.
But the wolf wasn’t interested in me. It stood, glancing around the place.
The rest of my group hurried through the perimeter, and Aidan raced over to me. Are you okay? He bent down next to me and brushed my blonde hair out of my face.
Logan, Gabby, and Beth raced straight to the wolf and pinned it to the ground. Logan held the wolf’s head steady as Beth and Gabby each grabbed its legs.