I stare after them into the shadowy trees long after they’ve vanished, breathing shallowly as I try to claw my way back from the abyss of pain that hollows out my chest and threatens to swallow me up like a black hole.
I know now, of course, why the men were so hard to track before. Their shadow wolf forms are literally shadows—they don’t even leave a scent trail.
They’re gone.
My eyes sting, and I let out a wild, furious scream. Birds scatter from the trees as the sound bounces off the mountain’s surface and echoes back to me. When the echo finally fades, I go quiet.
Birdsong fills the clearing again after a few moments, and the steady thrum of the Tree of Life’s heartbeat brushes gently at my skin.
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I manage to sit up. The worst of the agony is passing, and I manage to stumble to my feet. The Tree beckons me with that pulse of power, so I walk slowly over to it, dipping beneath the low-hanging branches. I lean my forehead against the bark and press my palms to the trunk, taking a few deep breaths of the ancient energy.
Within moments, I’m more clear headed.
A few more minutes after that, I feel strong enough to stand on my own.
Shoving away from the tree, I rub a hand over my chest and square my shoulders.
I may not be able to track the men in their shadow wolf forms, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll still find them.
And this time, I won’t have any distractions. They broke the mate bond, but that goes both ways. I won’t feel that soul deep pull toward them anymore.
I won’t have any soft feelings or affection for them.
Nothing will hold me back from my goal.
This time, when I hunt them down, I’ll fucking kill them.
To be continued…