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Old Miner roared in pain and twisted to maul the small wolf

Chapter 4

Slade dashed out the cavern exit and into the forest He needed to escape Rylee’sthe he wanted to do, but his beast had no qualer cared to be human It needed fresh air, the feel of rich earth as his paws raked the ground and the taste of game blood And her

The howls echoed through the valley Alerting all olves at LIA headquarters the mad prince had escaped Fools

Slade growled Let them come after him If they were lucky, they’d knock hiround He h so they would lose his scent Enter human territory But he couldn’t Not without her

There was no reasoning with the beast He wanted Cricket, his little pack submissive Not sure why the runt mattered, but she did

Slade stopped and twisted toward the building where he’d left her and whi scent, and that of horse Yes Not inside the building, but in the open air His tail wagged

Slade followed her aroma, a beacon of sweet honey and subtle fresh-cut roses, toward the direction of a meadow

A rider-less horse stampeded toward him

He gave the spooked horse a wide berth, and she galloped faster, heading back to the barn

The mare’s wet coat reeked of panic and terror The saddle embedded with Cricket’s scent Rose blossoms and warm honey

No Had Cricket fallen and broken her neck? Fuck

Guilt and rage drove hiained on hiht the scent of a grizzly Against a bear, his little ouldn’t have a chance Mauled

Cricket

Slade dashed to the hter