Chapitre 16

Despite the rhythm of Astor's footsteps, I managed to catch a few minutes of sleep before the sun came up again. He had jogged the whole way as if he didn't feel any exhaustion.

If he hadn't held me, I would have slipped off his back a few times. That's how easily I got used to being near him. I reluctantly lifted my head from his shoulder to the birdsong all around us.

I stared at his neck.

That's where my marker would eventually rest. My wolf growled in agreement and I could feel her wanting to bury her teeth in him right now.

As if reading my mind, Astor swung me around once. I squeaked as I suddenly found myself in his arms and he stared at me. Apparently he had yet to find out for himself what he thought of it. I put my hand on his chest. Beneath it, his heart was beating hard.

Without saying a word, he put me on the floor and stopped for the first time. I didn't know a single tree around us and no smell clinging to the forest floor.

"How much longer do we need?" I asked.

"If we hurry, we'll be there in an hour," Astor replied, straining to look behind us. I followed his eyes, but couldn't see or hear anything. "Let's move on."

"Are we being followed?" I whispered, and to my horror, Astor nodded. "Who?"

"A wolf trying to hide from us. The wind betrayed him."

As if he had heard the words, there was a loud rustling sound in the distance. He came closer. I tried to catch the breeze around us. It was faint as a drop in the ocean, but even among the hundred other smells I recognized it.

"Hatch!"

Not a second later a brown wolf sprinted towards us through the undergrowth. He barked once when he saw me. His snout was open in a pant that looked like he had a grin on his lips.

"Not so blustery," Astor said, stepping in front of me. Luke braked hastily and began to skid across the ground. He came to a halt in front of us with some grace. His tail wagged excitedly and I came out from behind Astor. Luke barked excitedly as I scratched his ear and he panted and closed his eyes.

"Well, nuisance?" I said, laughing. Luke's wolf expression darkened and a growl gathered in the corner of his mouth. Suddenly someone pushed me away from him.

Astor.

"That's enough! I could throw you in jail for this," he growled. "Transform."

Luke flattened his ears and bowed his head before disappearing behind one of the thick trees. Only then did I see the uniform knotted around his leg. I glared at Astor, but he skillfully ignored it. He could have said it more kindly.

A minute later, a fully dressed Luke was standing in front of us with his hair disheveled. He bowed.

"I'm sorry, General Astor. I couldn't watch my friends go and put themselves in danger without me."

"It's not me you have to answer to. But if it's going back to camp, you'll need a damn good explanation for Delta Ivan," he replied, and I could hear Luke swallow. Still, I gave Astor a grateful look. "Now enough talking. We've got a few more kilometers ahead of us."

Luke nodded gratefully and he had regained his smile.

he asked and I shook my head. For some reason I felt lighter knowing Luke was here. Together we could help Ulf. Only one was missing.

"Where did you leave the brute?" I replied.

"He wanted to hold the fort in the camp."

I nodded and we started jogging. At least we could enjoy the shade of the trees that protected us from the relentless summer sun. Nevertheless, the sweat ran down my body like water and seeped into the uniform.

Only by sleeping on Astor's back was I able to keep up with the two wolves. Luke really suited the warriors. When he was a little older, and more serious, he could become a general himself.

The trees slowly cleared and gave a view of a slope. From up here we could see everything: a tent camp in the blazing sun, surrounded on both sides by meadows and forest. The warriors were already wide awake and hurrying about. A raging river separated it from the other side.

"Riverclaw," Luke muttered.

The body of water was at least fifty feet wide, a little too big for a wolf's leap. There was nothing on the other side but forest, but I didn't miss the figures standing between the trees, watching the camp. The warriors of Riverclaw tracked every move of the silver-blooded soldiers. A surprise attack was impossible.

"Come," Astor said, leading us down a dirt path. The rumbling voices from camp mingled with the rushing of the river. On our way we passed some wooden houses that seemed deserted. A pleasant breeze blew towards us from the water. Astor turned to face us, his brown eyes boring first into Luke and then into my soul.

“All civilians were taken from their homes to the nearest village. Soon you will meet the true warriors of Silverblood. Hold on to me and when I tell you something, you do it without hesitation. This is no longer a workout. A puppy has been kidnapped and we don't know what Silverblood is going to do with her."

"Are you trying to blackmail us?" I asked. Astor shook his head.

"It's too quiet on the other side. No demands came and we will not wait for any."

"Does that mean we're going to attack?" Luke asked, the excitement in his voice scaring me. Astor's face darkened.

“We will not attack. You stay in camp and leave the fighting to us, understand?"

My heart clenched as he stared at me. A storm was brewing behind his eyes. I nodded hastily to calm him down. I didn't feel the need to invade enemy territory anyway.

"Yes, General Astor," Luke answered almost dejectedly.

"Okay, come on now. We've got plans and you'll be able to help with that," he said. We marched through the houses of the small village. A few warriors came toward us. They eyed Luke and me strangely before bowing to Astor. Without him, I would be long gone running away in fear The warriors were exactly as they had been imagined: broad, tall, and with countless muscles.

"Kollins," Astor said suddenly, and one of the warriors immediately stopped and bowed. "How about the wood?"

"It's progressing, General."

"Very good, did your men get the plans?"

"Yes, General Astor," replied the warrior named Kollins.

“Make sure they are implemented as soon as possible. The mission depends on it. We want to be ready by dawn. It's enough if you're there for the big gathering."

Kollins bowed deeply before turning and walking towards the woods. I wanted to ask Astor what he was talking about, but I held myself back. A part of me barely recognized him. He seemed even more serious than usual.

"Lannis, come here!"

A broad warrior with a long mane broke free from a cluster of soldiers and immediately came over. However, Astor did not stop, but made his way purposefully into the middle of the camp.

"Did you catch him?"

"Yes General Astor. He tried to sneak past us through the woods, but we stopped him," Lannis said. He looked up for a moment, taking in Luke and me.

"Good," Astor replied. "Where is he now?"

"There in the tent. Shall we fetch his mate?" Lannis asked and Astor nodded sharply.

"I want her to come and calm him down, understood?"

The long-maned warrior nodded sharply and walked away. A part of me was overwhelmed by the new information, faces, and smells. If anyone here found out I wasn't a wolf...

We made a beeline for the tent Lannis had pointed to, but before we could go inside, Astor turned to us again. For a second, I thought his gaze was warming up a bit, but he froze right back.

"Remember my words."

Luke and I nodded. Then Astor pushed the entrance aside and my heart stopped.

"Ulf!"

***

"Ulf!"

I hardly recognized him. A dark shadow lay under his eyes. Someone had chained him to a pole in the tent floor. Before I could run towards him, a hand stopped me. I turned to Astor who was holding my uniform. I glared at him for a moment before noticing the other warriors in the tent already staring at me oddly.

I cleared my throat.

Ulf raised his tortured eyes. His gaze stabbed my chest and Astor's hand on my back turned into a support that held me to my feet. The tent opened behind us and the smell of a she-wolf mingled with it.

I widened my eyes as she walked towards Ulf. Some of his sorrow turned to relief when he recognized his mate. She fell to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. The cuffs on his hands made him unable to return the hug, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"They- they have Alice. I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything!"

Sobs shook the wolf's body. A lump formed in my throat as I watched her pour out her heart to Ulf with all the guilt she felt. Astor let go of my back and half stood in front of me so that the other warriors could no longer eye me. Otherwise they might have seen my glassy eyes.

"I- I'm so sorry."

Your complaint broke my heart. They had lost their only child, Alice, to the enemy without knowing if she was still alive. I grabbed Astor's forearm from behind as if he could give me stability. What if she...

"Shh," whispered Ulf and I could see how he suppressed his own sadness. "It's not your fault. You did everything to protect her. I know that. We can do it. We'll get her back, I promise. "

His voice was soft and his mate's sobs quieted a little. She slowly broke out of his embrace and turned to us. Her eyes were bright red and fresh tear trails lay down her cheeks. She turned to Astor. I immediately dropped my arm and he took a few steps forward.

"Untie him," he ordered the warriors. "We'll do everything we can to bring her back. But we need a picture and her age."

The iron chains loosened around Ulf's wrists and clattered to the floor. He wrapped his mate in a real hug before turning to Astor.

"Thanks," he said hoarsely, pulling the picture out of his breast pocket. "This is Alice Dohn. She's four years old."

At his words, his companion's lips tightened as new tears welled up in her eyes. Astor took it and I took a second look at the graphite drawing.

A smile was on the girl's face.

At that point the world was still fine. Astor stared at the picture for a few seconds before handing it to the long-haired warrior, Lannis.

"We still need something with her scent," Astor said, and Ulf's companion stepped forward. She pulled a baby-blue bow from the pocket of her dress. She hastily wiped away her tears before handing the hairband to the general.

"Here, she always wore these. That was her favorite..."

Her voice broke off in mid-sentence. Ulf came to a stop beside her and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest while he stroked her hair soothingly.

Astor eyed the ribbon and sniffed it. Then he passed it on to all of us. We picked up Alice's trail, young and fresh as the river water. I swallowed.

"We won't wait to see what happens. As soon as everything is ready, we'll attack," he said, and even Ulf was a little worried.

"Thank you...thank you," his mate whispered, bowing low to Astor. The latter nodded before turning to Lannis, who held the blue ribbon in his hands.

"Is everyone ready for the meeting?"

"No, General Astor. We're still waiting for Beta Talon," Lannis said. Astor let out a breath. My heart wasn't the only one that skipped a beat at the words. The real Beta Talon? Astor didn't give me time to think about it as he let himself turned us.

"You're going to stay with Dohn and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, understand? This is your first real assignment as a warrior," he said to Luke, whose eyes shone brighter than the stars.

"Yes, General Astor."

"Eschwald, come with me."

No matter how hard he tried, I could detect a small undertone that was softer than the other commands. I took one last look at Ulf before following Astor out of the tent.

"How many warriors are here?" I asked.

"A few hundred. I've already fought side by side with most of them," he replied while the fighters nodded at him from all sides. "We'll sleep there for the days."

He pointed to a small wooden house on the street. My wolf purred contentedly while my legs went weak. Alone with Astor wasn't a good idea. He opened the door into a cozy little living room. The summer sun shone through the curtained windows and bathed everything in a bright glow.

There were two leather armchairs in front of the fireplace and the smell of fresh food emanated from the dining table. My mouth watered at the sight of the sweet rolls, eggs and bacon. The door slammed behind me and I flinched at Astor.

Something was brewing in his eyes. He just stared at me, but with a look like he wanted to devour me instead of the food. My heart did a few jumps.

"I've had a lot of difficult things in my life," he finally said, slowly walking towards me. I stopped dead in my tracks, unsure whether to walk towards him or run away thought about the kiss..."

His deep voice vibrated through my body and I swallowed. Every night for the last few weeks I'd remembered his lips dancing on mine, his warm paws on my thighs, his heart against mine.

My body's response was not long in coming. Heat flooded my cheeks and made my stomach tingle just from his devouring gaze.

"Astor-"

His eyes darkened when I said his name. I didn't dare utter another word for fear that he would grab me and never let go.

"Every night I cursed the moon goddess," he said, cupping a hand against my cheek. He stroked my skin gently, a contrast to his harsh words. "I told myself I had no mate, that I didn't need one and that I don't want any. All three were probably lies."

The heart in my chest jumped along with my she-wolf, who howled happily. My eyes flicked to his lips, which were slightly pink, for a moment. I put my hand on his and the movements stopped. The longing was too great and devoured us both. Eventually she would blow our minds if we didn't give in.

"Astor-"

Suddenly he wrapped his arms around my lower back and elicited a surprised squeak from me. His eyes curled into an amused grin, with a fire blazing behind them. I was so close I could smell his strong scent. I would have loved to bury myself in it.

"Sometimes I think you really are a puppy," he said, grinning. I lifted my chin so my face was even closer to his. We played. We played with fire.

"You're just too big," I replied. He leaned down and the fun turned to desire.

"You are perfect for me."

I closed my eyes and sank into the kiss. Our lips moved against each other in a rapid rhythm. I couldn't see anything, only feel. I ran my fingertips down the back of his neck and into his golden strands. He gave me a dark growl that went through my body like a shock.

Suddenly his arms slid down my thighs and lifted me into the air. Out of instinct, I wrapped my legs around his muscular torso. His tongue began a hot torment while I could only sigh. He carried me with no problem, so I hardly noticed how we were moving.

The game with fire had begun.