Chapter 116

Nicholas

The forest was quiet as I padded through the trees in wolf form. My breath came out in white puffs, the cold air biting at my nose.

How could she be so stupid?

She knew it was a bad idea, knew it could lead the guild straight to Grace. And yet, she had left that damn note, saying she was going to the cabin.

My frustration seeped out of me in the form of a low growl. Kayla’s stubbornness was one of the things I admired most about her, but it was also one of the things that drove me absolutely insane. She never backed down, never thought twice about putting herself in danger if it meant helping someone else.

And while that was admirable, it was also reckless sometimes. A lot of the time, actually.

I picked up my pace, my wolf form moving swiftly through the forest. The cabin wasn’t far now, and I needed to get there before anyone else did, just in case Kayla had been followed. The snow was coming down heavily today, an impending blizzard.

I doubted the guild would be out searching in this kind of weather, not to mention the fact that they had followed the false trail we’d left to the docks, but still. It was always a possibility.

But then, just as I was about to break into a run, I caught a scent that made me freeze.

It wasn’t Kayla.

I crouched low, my ears twitching as I listened for any sign of movement. The scent was faint, but it was there—two other males.

It didn’t take long to find them—two males, standing side-by-side in their human forms. They wore no insignia on their dark jackets, but I could tell they were from the guild immediately just judging by their buzz-cut hair and hard-as-nails expressions.

I hid behind a thick tree, watching them carefully.

“The trail leads this way,” one of them said in a low, gravelly voice. “If we’re lucky, we’ll find her before nightfall.”

My heart sank. They were on Grace’s trail. Which meant they were on Kayla’s, too.

I couldn’t let them find them. Her.

I moved quickly, my mind racing as I came up with a plan. I needed to draw them away from the cabin, lead them off the trail.

So I stepped out from behind the tree, my presence immediately catching their attention just as I’d intended. I tamped down on my wolf’s power, temporarily masking his scent—one that would immediately give my identity away as an Alpha—with something more primal, more feral.

They turned, their eyes narrowing as they spotted me.

“You! Halt!” one of them barked. He was an older man with deep furrow lines etched into his brow, and his eyes were like steel. “Who are you?!”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned and bolted into the trees, my paws digging into the snow as I ran.

They shifted and followed me, of course. I knew they would.

I led them deeper into the forest, weaving through the trees and doubling back on my trail to confuse them. It didn’t take long for them to get lost and for the fresh snowfall to cover my prints and my scent, as indicated by their growls of frustration.

By the time I finally lost them, the sun was starting to set, casting long, purplish shadows across the snowy forest floor. I didn’t see, smell, or hear them for a while, and only then did I finally make my way to the cabin.

The warriors—I’d chosen two women, Nina and Emerie, not only to ensure that Grace felt comfortable, but they were also my best warriors—stationed outside immediately straightened as I shifted back into my human form.

“Alpha,” Emerie said. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“We had visitors,” I said as I approached. “Two guild officers. They were on Grace’s trail.”

The warriors exchanged worried glances, but I didn’t give them time to respond.

“I want you to intensify your patrols,” I said firmly. “Add more wards to the boundary of the cabin, too. No one else finds this place. Understood?”

They nodded immediately. “Yes, Alpha.”

I watched as they shifted and headed out into the forest, their footsteps utterly silent in the snow. Once they were gone, I turned and headed inside, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

I was going to give Kayla a piece of my mind for coming here. For potentially not just putting Grace in danger, but all of us, and most importantly… herself.

But when I stepped inside, the cabin was quiet. Grace was sitting by the wood stove, her hands busy with a knitting project in her lap.

She looked up as I entered, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Nicholas,” she said, setting aside her knitting and rising to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

I frowned, my eyes scanning the room. “Where’s Kayla?”

Grace looked confused. “Kayla? She’s not here.”

My heart sank. “What do you mean she’s not here? She left a note saying she was coming here.”

“I haven’t seen her. She hasn’t been here at all.”

I stared at her incredulously. If Kayla hadn’t come to the cabin, then where was she? And why had she left that note?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I tried to make sense of it all. At least I had been able to find those two guild wolves and lead them astray before they found Grace. I didn’t want to have to take prisoners, which would have been unavoidable had they located the cabin.

Although there would have to be some clean-up work done to ensure they didn’t return with more officers.

Grace scanned me, noting my snow-damp jacket and exasperated look. She gestured to the other armchair beside the wood stove. “Since you’re here, will you stay awhile? I’ll make some tea.”

I hesitated, figuring I should return to the estate as quickly as possible to see if Kayla was there. I would have just called, had I not left in such a rush that I’d forgotten my phone. Hell, I’d left in such a rush that I hadn’t even considered calling her to begin with, which was entirely on me.

Still, I sat down across from Grace, my frustration slowly giving way to exhaustion.

“How are you holding up?” I asked, my voice softer now.

Grace managed a thin smile as she placed a kettle on the stove. “I’m doing well, thank you. This place… it’s been a blessing. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so at peace.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She looked up at me. “I mean it. Thank you, Nicholas. For setting this up for me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” She paused, then added with a wry chuckle, “I mean, I know what I would have done.”

She didn’t need to say it out loud for me to know what she meant: rotting in that cell. Until either the guild decided she was of no use and finally put her out of her misery—because of course they couldn’t release her after her years in there, since she would just tattle on them—or let her wither away to bones.

Likely the latter.

I shrugged, waving a hand. “It’s the least I could do.”

Grace hesitated as she plopped a couple of teabags into two mugs, then said, “Could I buy this place from you someday? Once this all blows over, I mean. I don’t have any money now, obviously, but I could work and earn some—”

“Buy it?” I almost laughed out loud. “Grace, I’ll give it to you. Once I’m a chairman and you’re officially free to go, it’s all yours if you really like it that much.”

Grace’s cheeks flushed, her expression brightening as she glanced up at me. “Really? That would be wonderful. So long as I get lots of visitors, of course.”

“I’m sure Kayla would visit every day if she could.”

Her cheeks reddened a little more. The thought of Kayla being so insistent on seeing Grace regularly filled me with a softness I hadn’t felt in a long time. She had such a big heart, even if it sometimes led her to make reckless decisions.

Or not. Apparently she hadn’t come here after all. She’d just led me on a wild goose chase instead, that damned woman.

I stayed with Grace for a little while after that, warming myself with some tea while we waited for the warriors to return. Grace chattered on about wanting to plant a garden in the spring, and I suggested building a small greenhouse, which seemed to excite her.

She apparently had an interest in botany, and I was more than happy to provide. After all, it could be years before it was safe for her to leave this place. No matter how much better this was than a cell under the guild hall, it was still essentially a prison. The least I could do was give her as many distractions as possible.

Eventually the warriors returned.

“The area is secure,” Nina said. “We’ve added more wards to the boundary. No one will find this place.”

I nodded, my shoulders relaxing slightly. “Good. Thank you.” I’d still have to figure out what to do to ensure that the guild didn’t try anything else, though. A fresh trail for them to follow, perhaps. One that would convince them that if Grace was here, she had left. For good.

With that, I left the cabin and made my way back home. I found Kayla in the shed, her telescope pointed at the night sky. She was standing there, her back to me, her silhouette framed by the soft glow of the moonlight streaming in through the skylight.

As I stepped inside, I felt my frustration bubbling over once again. I was going to scold her for leaving that note, for making me think she had gone to the cabin when she hadn’t.

But then she turned around, her big green eyes sparkling as they met mine.

And just like that, all my anger melted away.