The draft from the truck speeding down the highway kicked up dead leaves and rocks as they made their way to the Essonite pack. Grey plumes hung in the sky, concealing the pale sky and frail sunlight. Annalise ended the call with her uncle, returning her phone to her pocket while Landon kept his gaze set ahead on the blacktop.
Having just spoken with Alpha Isaiah herself, she knew two things for certain. One, the Essonite pack was attacked earlier this morning and there were multiple injuries but no casualties. Two, the red eyed wolves appeared and disappeared within minutes, meaning the pack had been cleared of the threat for almost eight hours by now, so it should be relatively safe. However, this most recent attack left her with more questions as to what she thought she had known about the Crimson Wolves.
Initially, she had assumed she was their sole target, or at least one of them. But if she was right about the Crimson wolves also being behind the attack on the Virescent pack, it was clear they had a large array of targets in mind with no foreseeable pattern. But she continued to hold her tongue on coming forward to either Landon or her uncle about what she thought she knew, because either way, she did know somehow, this had something to do with her.
The ring worn by the man who killed her parents, the Crimson wolf who attacked her outside the motel, and the wolf who targeted her inside Ember pack territory. She'd been a direct target of theirs at least three times now, and she needed to know why. Why were they targeting her along with other nearby pack suddenly? The attacks hadn't started until she returned to the Ember pack, and they started with her for a reason.
"You okay?" Landon glanced over to her, "You look like something's bothering you."
Annalise immediately pushed her apprehensions aside to focus on the present, her eyes sharpening to define the ashy tree limbs gliding by. She frowned, glancing to the rear of a car that was ahead of them.
"Yeah, I just wish we know why these packs are being ambushed," she admitted, consciously keeping the rest of her thoughts to herself.
He was quite for a moment, briefly meeting her eyes before he spoke, "Hopefully the Essonite pack will have some ideas for us."
The Essonite pack, another werewolf pack allied with their own that was located northeast of the Virescent's. She knew it wasn't far, just under two hours from the Ember pack, yet she found herself longing to return to her own. While other werewolf packs were similar to one another, almost interchangeable with layouts and details, she still wasn't used to visiting foreign domains. She was certain any of them would feel the same way if they found out what she wasn't telling them.
The remainder of the drive went by at a steady pace, accompanied by the tense atmosphere due to what they knew they'd be walking into. While everyone had survived the Crimson attacks, this was the first pack that had attained injuries, near casualties. Annalise knew this atmosphere would be much different than the upbeat ceremonial proceedings within the Virescent pack.
Landon made a final turn, driving the truck down a paved road that winded into the woods, along a cliffside. The ledge slowly began to pull away as they continued down the road that expanded into more even territory, partnered on either side by tall, dense pines. Their once bright, green needles having faded to a dusty brown while still holding the palest shade of green. Annalise felt a familiar sensation come over as her wolf recognized they were entering another pack's domain; the Essonite pack.
They turned into an unmarked, gravel driveway. The rocks and uneven layers of dirt causing the truck to jostle subtly while they pulled further into the woods. After a minute of driving, Annalise looked ahead through the windshield, spotting a wide, gravel clearing with a few other vehicles parked nearby. Landon slowly pulled up beside one of the cars, putting the truck in park before he swiftly turned off the engine, exiting the vehicle.
YOU ARE READING
Rising Embers
Werewolf"Death was something she hadn't thought of much before. Which she heard was normal for her age. In your twenties, even as a teenager, you never envision yourself dying. You think you're invincible. But with the heaviness of her body, the acute pain...
