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“What do you need me to do?”
Her aunt’s grip loosened. “I need you to take your wolf on a little detour.”
“What? Why? What about all these humans?”
Gert rolled her eyes. “The humans won’t find them. But a wolf and nymph might. And we need you to … not.”
“You want me to lie to him?”
Gert laughed. “Don’t act like you don’t do it all the time, Fee.”
“What do you mean?”
The older woman dropped her arms and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I’ve lived a long life, girlie. And you think I can’t see the way you two look at each other? I’m old, Phoebe, not dumb.”
“I … we—”
“Save it.” Gert put up a weathered hand to stop Phoebe’s stuttering. “I just need you to stall. Give Knox a few more days with the seer. Let him convince her to help us.”
“So, you want me to lie to Theo and pretend I don’t know where Lena is, and just what? Let him ride around in circles for a week?”
“Exactly!” Gertie beamed at her like she was a child who’d just figured out a difficult math problem. “Keep the wolf busy. Shouldn’t be hard. Just blink those big doe eyes at him and he won’t know if he’s coming or going.”
“Auntie, I don’t want to—”
“Don’t want to what?” Gertie raised a gray brow.
I don’t want to hurt him.
The words never left her lips. To say them would be to confess her feelings for Theo, something she’d never do again.
“Rafe is going to the pack lands to talk to Knox.”
“He won’t find him there.”
Fee blew out a frustrated sigh. “Can’t we just explain things to Theo and Rafe and let them talk to Knox about it.”
Gert cackled. “Dear goddess, Fee. Let them talk to Knox? The last time they were all together they were trying to kill each other. The last time Rafe caught wind of someone trying to harm Ruby, he murdered three wolves. They are not capable of talking to each other about this.”
Fee wanted to argue but her aunt wasn’t wrong. The Channing brothers didn’t have a great track record for peaceful discussions. And Fee had seen Theo and Rafe’s reactions to Knox’s plan. They scoffed. They thought it was completely ridiculous. They’d never agree to let Knox keep Lena to further this impossible plan that they didn’t even believe in.
And what the hell did Lena want in all of this? Did she want to help Knox? Did she want to come home?
“Is she okay? Is she safe?”
Gert took her hand. “Of course she is. We wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
“And you really think Knox could help all of us?”
“I think he’s our best chance.”
But what did Fee think about it all? Did she really believe Knox was their best chance at keeping their homes?
What did she really know about Knox? If Theo was right, he was a ruthless leader. A man prepared to kill his own brothers just to secure his position in the pack. What would Theo say when he realized she had put her faith in his brother?
But what if Gert was right? Phoebe knew as well as anyone who made this forest their home that their wild space was running out. Out of space, out of time. She could feel it in the trembling of the trees, in the decidedly human scent in the air. It was like living in a room with walls inching closer every day. Eventually, they would be crushed, wolves and nymphs alike. Seers and witches had managed to assimilate into human society, but dryads needed trees, simple as that. And wolves needed space to shift, run and hunt.
It made sense that their objectives would align.
