I ran for what felt like hours until we neared the caves. I dropped to my belly, and Erubus joined me. We inched under some bushes, and I magically muffled our voices. Even if we spoke, no one could hear us. “Cut off your scent,” I whispered, and he licked my face.
“I already did,” he said, shaking his head and leaning closer. “Did you use magic to create a bubble around us?”
I shook my head. “No… well, kinda. I used magic to ensure no one would overhear us.”
He tilted his head. “Then why are you still whispering?”
I opened my mouth, but Megan started laughing. “I don’t know.”
“Someone is coming.” Erubus moved closer to the cliff, peered beneath the bushes, and we waited. We were directly above the cave entrance. We could see the overhang and the rocky terrain leading down towards another dense forest, far from the pack lands. Running far enough would reach human territory—dangerous for wolves, worse for werewolves.
Someone emerged from the cave, pointing down the hill. “She went that way,” he said, turning back to the cave entrance. “No, I know the witchling went after her, but the tracker doesn’t fucking matter. The Brotherhood expects us at Vince’s pack by the end of the week.” A few others stepped out of the darkness. “Keep moving the explosives. Once the little alpha is mated to the whore, the Brotherhood is attacking the capital. They’re making their move on the Lycan king.” He pointed to the large crates stacked in the corners. “Those need to get to the cars. Carefully.”
“What happens if the witchling catches the tracker?” one of the others asked. “Can’t we stay here?”
The first man considered it. “I’ll ask, but the chances of no one else knowing are slim.”
Another man brandished a phone. “We have her phone. The only text she sent was that a rogue spotted her.”
The first wolf dialed a number. “Yeah, the boys want to know if the witchling catches the tracker, if we can stay in the caves?” He handed the phone to a third man. “No, she said nothing about the cave. Just that she was spotted by a rogue and she was going silent.” There was a pause. “I don’t know, man. They just want to know.” He sighed. “Okay. Tell the big man it doesn’t matter. Everyone is in place. We’re moving the explosives tonight. We’ll wait here until the mating ceremony. Are you sure the king won’t show up?”
Erubus looked at me, but I remained focused on the group. “Show up for what?” one man asked another.
“The mating ceremony, stupid. Brandon’s mating the whore, and he invited the king, thinking he’ll show up and it’ll be the easiest way to kill him.” The second man scoffed. “He’s as stupid as he sounds. He had the strongest she-wolf and lost her for the whore.” He shook his head. “Pathetic.”
The others nodded, but the first man raised his hands. “No, just the guys talking about everything. Has the king responded to the invitation? I’d rather save the explosives if the idiot is right and we can kill him with silver.”
A voice echoed from the cave. “Even if he doesn’t show up for the ceremony, won’t the other witch be able to kill him? She said she had him under her spell, didn’t she?” A one-armed man stepped out.
Erubus tensed. “Holy shit.”
“What? Who is that?”
“That man… was the head of the guard when my father was killed. He supposedly died trying to give my father a chance to escape.” Erubus vibrated with anger.
“Well, I guess we see how they got in that night.” I breathed, nestling closer to him, trying to soothe him. “Calm yourself. We will make them all pay.” He eventually nodded.
“Yes, I understand. We’ll watch for the she-wolf here, and if we can take her, we will.” The first wolf went back into the cave, followed by the others.
Chapter 522
I felt my stomach clench, but a plan formed in my mind. First things first. I nodded for Erubus to follow, then I moved away. I'd heard everything I needed to. They confirmed their work with the Brotherhood—we'd already suspected it, but confirmation was satisfying.
“Where are we going?” he whispered as we ran from the caves.
“Hunting.”