The Silver Wolf novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: Trespassers

They came up through the trees in a loose line, in human form, with their boots quiet on the needles.

Four of them.

Three were patrol men I knew by face.

The fourth was Alder.

He looked worse than he had the day before.

His shirt was buttoned wrong, his lips had a grey tinge, and he walked with one hand pressed under his ribs.

He stopped at the edge of the shelf.

"Calla," he said. "Thank God. We've been looking all night."

"You found me," I said.

"Dad wants to talk to you. He's sorry about the way it went. He wants to make it right."

"By sundown yesterday I was out of the pack."

"That was... a misunderstanding. He wants you to come home."

Cormick stood a step in front of me with his hands loose at his sides.

He hadn't said a word.

"This is Moon Guard ground," he said now.

The tallest patrol man shifted his weight.

"We were told the Guard was dead."

"You were told wrong."

"We're not here for you. We're here for the girl."

"She isn't yours to take."

"She's wolfless," the man said. "She's nobody's. The Alpha says she has no place to go, and he's been generous."

"Calla," Alder said, and his voice cracked. "Please. Just come down. It's cold up here. You'll catch something."

It was the same voice he'd used when we were nine and he'd wanted my cookie.

I looked at his face and saw that his eyes were moving past me.

He was looking at my right hand.

I'd forgotten about the claw.

It was still out, long and silver, caught in the morning light.

Alder's mouth opened.

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