Chapter Twelve

Axe

“War is coming,” I repeated to the twenty wulfkin standing around me in the Romanian pack’s den. They encircled me, as if I were prey. Part of me had expected this group to live in a grand castle in Transylvania. Instead, they stayed in huts and trailers like commoners. Maybe that was me judging based on my old alpha’s expectations.

When no one responded, I continued. “I showed you on the map where the Varlac Tsar is, his bunker, and the location of his armed forces. You can launch a surprise attack. Eliminate the outer posts and weaken the main group.” I had zero idea if Enre would listen or just demand I die, but sharing intel was all I had to offer. If he was a smart alpha, he’d take advantage of this information. Yet, I still feared he’d take my life. And if that was how it ended, then I’d fight him as a true warrior—and die as one.

Despite sunlight streaming through the windows, flames curled and swayed in the hearth, crackling, overheating the room. They threw shadows over a dark rug, and I inhaled the smoke of burned wood.

Sweat rolled down my spine. I gripped the walking staff like an invalid to avoid falling over from my injured leg. Sure, my wounds were cleaned and bandaged courtesy of sweet Kalin, but each time I put pressure on my foot, I drowned in agony. Give me a few days, and I’d return to normal . . . assuming I had a few days left to live.

Not a sound came from the wulfkin filling the room, yet the heaviness of wolf smells smudged my senses.

Enre stood a couple of yards away with legs apart and arms folded across his chest. He towered over most of the others around him. In Russia, gossip had spread about the two brothers—Marcin, the golden-hearted Varlac of Europe, and Enre, the skilled soldier who never backed down from an adversary. But the stories about him being a wulfkin who just attacked were wrong. He studied his enemies, watched them and listened. My previous alpha wasn’t concerned with how a wulfkin measured up, only that he did what he was told without question. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost for the Europeans.

“I’ve told you all I know.” Including how Natalya’s spell had gone askew and the humans had killed Leo and Titus. I wasn’t sure I’d convinced Enre that witch sects existed, and it surprised me they hadn’t heard of the legends. Thinking about witches made me wonder whether Natalya had made it back home in time to save her daughter. I prayed to the Moon Goddess to keep her protected. If I survived the current fucked-up situation, I’d find a way to rescue her and her daughter. For now, if she reached the wulfkin compound in Russia, the Varlac Tsar would know of our failed plan. I pictured him swearing and throwing furniture around in a fit. Once he calmed down, he’d plan his strategy for finding me and attacking Romania.

Enre stared at me, darkness flooding his expression. I studied the wulfkin in the crowd, who held nothing but contempt in their gazes, ready to rip me to shreds if given the command. Fuck! The fact that I still breathed was a testament that Enre was a better alpha than the Varlac Tsar. He would have chopped my head off the moment he found me in his woods. But the true savior had been Kalin, convincing Enre to give me a chance.

Close to Enre stood a female in her mid-twenties, dark-haired and beautiful, with porcelain skin. Must’ve been Enre’s mate, because the two of them stared at each other with such admiration. I noticed the quick touch of hands, the exchange of knowing glances.

Enre paced from the fireplace to the center of the room. “My issue is that I don’t trust you, Axe Vuk. This could be a plot by the Russian leader to insert one of his own into my pack.”

“If that were true,” I replied in a strong voice, “he’d send someone without the Russian insignia on their neck. Someone completely unrelated to his pack.”

“Enre.” Kalin stepped forward, her arm wrapped in a bandage. She wore jeans and a V-neck top, the complete opposite of her gown the night before. Didn’t matter. To me, she was beautiful with her honey-blond hair cascading over her shoulders, her fresh face. Even amid the other wulfkin, her scent of citrus and timber found me, calmed me.

“No one”—Kalin faced Enre—“would have known that Lenuţa and I were wulfkin working at the castle. The fact that the Russians were there too is pure coincidence, or perhaps fate. This isn’t a setup.”

The cords in Enre’s neck pulsed. “Enough. For all I know, you’re lying too, and I won’t jeopardize our safety on a single wulfkin’s word.”

Kalin gasped, her hands pressing against her stomach.

I tensed, leaning forward on my staff, eager to wrap Kalin in my arms, to keep her safe, protected, and loved.

“The final decision is yours, of course,” I said, drawing Enre’s attention. “But what if I’m telling the truth? Would you remain unprepared only to make a point, or take a risk and believe me? The Varlac Tsar wants my head, and I have two options. Run—but he’ll eventually catch me—or stand and fight. Alone, I’ll lose, but with the Europeans, we might have a chance. Especially with your bravery and my insider knowledge. I know some of his weaknesses.”

Enre’s gaze kept wandering as he paced up and down the room. “We’re all in a shitty situation,” he said. “Trusting you goes against my better judgment, and I can’t endanger my pack. So, Axe, you will remain our prisoner and aid us in preparing for war, if that’s the case. If not, then your time will come to a swift end for coming onto our territory with the intention to claim land and put our entire pack in danger.”

“That’s all I ask.” If it weren’t for Kalin, I would have fought to escape and follow my original plan of returning to Siberia to cause havoc with the Varlac Tsar’s army. But that had to change, and the greatest satisfaction lay in keeping Kalin by my side for as long as possible.

With a wave of his hand, Enre said, “Take Axe to the dungeon and lock him up.”

Kalin dashed to my side, her warmth touching me, filling me, and I smiled at her caring nature, her passion. “It’s all right, little wolf.”

Her eyes glinted in the firelight, her chin trembling. “Enre!” she called out. “Will you make the trek to the dungeon each time you need intelligence? Give Axe a proper room.”

The alpha cracked his neck, and his voice boomed, “Don’t push me, Kalin, or you’ll share a cell with him.” Enre turned away and vanished deeper into the house with several wulfkin at his side.

Firm hands dragged me outside, and I stumbled onto a lawn, sunlight beating down on my shoulders.

If I intended to help save this pack and Kalin, I needed to prove to Enre that I was a wulfkin of my word. If that meant living in a prison until the Varlac Tsar attacked, then they could bring it on. But once the Russians attacked, nothing would stop me from breaking out to keep Kalin safe.