Charmed Wolf

of belongings and shifted, launching myself upward into humanity so I could grab what I needed to ask for the Guardian’s help.
Behind me, I caught a rustle of fabric as Rune nudged the clothes I hadn’t bothered with. “The neighbors...”
“Can’t see into the backyard.”
There wasn’t time to argue with him, so I was glad Rune didn’t press the issue. Outside, I headed for the only patch of forest, the debris heap where previous owners had raked maple leaves onto a dormant flowerbed. There, I sunk my knees into the soil, unsurprised when no bite from the Guardian met my approach.
Its reach here was weak. Very weak. I’d need more than roots and fungi to connect with the Guardian amid paved suburbia. Meanwhile, the unicorn would be unable to carry me between worlds, not when the few trees in Natalie’s neighborhood were separated by large tracts of barren lawn.
There was one small patch of the Guardian’s tiny blue flowers, however. They were drabber here, just like Kale had pointed out. More of a weed than a wildflower. Still, some blood dripped on their faces was sure to get the Guardian’s attention.
I raised the knife to my throat, then yelped as Rune knocked the weapon out of my hand.
“WHAT. DO. YOU. THINK. You’re. Doing?”
Rune’s skin remained human on the surface, but this was his wolf speaking. Yellow eyes. Throaty growl. Words separated by anger so intense it raised hairs along the back of my neck.
I didn’t bother reaching for the knife. Rune would be faster than me with his beast at the forefront.
He would be faster than me and he’d smell it if I lied to him. There was no way I could dodge the issue by sending him away.
So, even though our family Bargain was supposed to be a secret, I shrugged and spilled the story in broad strokes. After all, Rune was half-fae himself. Surely he wouldn’t overreact when I told him—
“I’m asking the Guardian for help.”
He didn’t overreact. Just looked confused. “The guardian?”
“Capital G,” I corrected. “A fae that....”
“Fae?” Now Rune overreacted. With one sharp kick, he sent the knife spinning further away from me. Then he paced jerkily from one end of the yard to the other. “How long has this been going on?”
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t as cool with the Whelan secret as I’d expected. Still, I had neither the time nor the inclination to placate him. Instead, I told him the truth. “Not that it’s any of your business, but the Guardian has protected our pack for generations.”
“Generations?” He dropped to his knees so he could peer directly into my eyes.
And even though I should have been annoyed at him digging into my business, I found myself returning his gaze. Searching and finding questions in his irises. Also pain, as if I was shaking up his entire worldview.
Meanwhile, the wolf had faded. As if three passes across Natalie’s backyard had been enough to quiet a beast that had seemed far too strong to be quieted. That spoke to control born of extended practice.
And of a need for extended practice. A need related to being born half-fae then committing himself to hunting down his own kin?
“Your pack has been occupied by fae for generations,” Rune repeated as if giving me space to jump in with evidence of misunderstanding, “and the Samhain Shifters didn’t know about it.”
“Not all fae are dangerous.” Something made me reach out and press my palm against the back of Rune’s hand. Something made me smile when his fingers turned upward so they could clasp mine.
For a moment, we knelt there, connected by more than our fingers. A sparrow trilled from the bushes. Persimmon pushed up against my bare skin.
Rune was the one who broke the silence. “You believe that.”
“I do.”
“Your Guardian hasn’t harmed your pack during all those generations? There haven’t been unexplained losses? Dominance unaccountably drained?”
My head was shaking before he was halfway through his questions. “None of that. The Guardian has kept us safe. Other packs have gone under, but ours has had no problem fending off invasions. We’re never even troubled with infighting. You have to trust me on this one. I know the Guardian and you don’t.”
His fingers clenched, the gesture apparently involuntary. “And this Guardian is going to help you find the lost child?”
I nodded.
The wolf flared in his eyes for one split second. “Even though you need to slice your throat to request that help.”
“Not slice my throat. Make a scratch. Release a little blood.”
He raised the hands we had clasped. “You have blood here. In safer spots.”
“Throat blood is life blood,” I explained the same way my father had. “It’s powerful.”
This really wasn’t a big deal. I’d done it before and would do it again.
Only Rune disagreed. He released me so fast our separation felt like a recoil.
I blinked. Not a recoil. He was reaching for the knife.
His voice was a growl. “I’ll provide the blood if blood is necessary.”
“No.” My alpha order didn’t work on him, but the command caught his attention. “It has to be me,” I added more quietly. “The Alpha has a special connection to the Guardian.”
Rune’s nostrils flared. He wanted to deny me.
Could have too. He’d proven already that he could force me to bend to his will.
Instead, he closed his eyes again until the wolf receded a second time. Then he used words, as if we were mere humans discussing a difference of opinion. “Let me make the cut then. You can’t see your own throat. You could hurt yourself.”
Was it any safer to let a stranger slice inches away from my carotid arteries?
Yes, it was safer. For some reason I couldn’t put a finger on, I tilted my chin upward and bared my throat.

Chapter 13
Rune’s jaw clenched as the cold metal pressed up against me. I waited for pain, but nothing happened. Then the tiniest pinch. He’d barely made a scratch.
I reached up to push his wrist sideways so I could speak