Eddie knocked another chunk of frozen snow from the generator housing with her gloved hand. The unit hummed steadily beneath the metal casing, but she didn’t trust it. Her cousin had assured her that he’d had the generator checked before the first snow when he and his mate had used it.
But had he?
She just hoped it continued workingfine with the pressure dropping and that heavy warning in the air.
Another storm was coming soon.
She crouched to brush more off the intake vents, her breath clouding in the air. The temperature was certainly bottoming out. She was glad she had enough firewood to keep them warm for a while. She stood and paused.
The wind shifted. Her head snapped around. There was an eerie silence in the woods. Everything was too still. The hairs on the back of her neck lifted. She inhaled slowly and tried to place it.
The scent of the water.
Human fear.
Panic.
She turned slowly in the direction of the water. Liana wouldn’t have left the safety of the deck. Eddie had warned her that the area was dangerous for a human. She took a step forward and paused. Her ears only picked up one sound.
“Eddie!”
The sound of Liana’s scream punched through the trees like a gunshot. Eddie’s heart slammed against her chest. She was already sprinting before she could form a consciousthought. Her boots tore through the packed snow, a growl rising in her throat. Her bear surged forward, ready to take over. Eddie’s senses sharped as her bear pressed on.
Branches whipped past her. She pounded the earth, and snow exploded. She rounded the corner and found tracks leading to the water.
Dammit! Liana hadn’t listened to her. Eddie pushed faster until she came to the clearing. She skidded to a halt and saw her. Liana had hauled herself halfway onto the muddy bank, completely soaked. Her body was racked with tremors. Her hat was no longer on her head, and her wet hair clung to her cheeks.
“Eddie,” Liana gasped. “Something was in the woods. It was watching me?—”
Liana’s voice ended on a sob. The fear that radiated from her sent Eddie’s bear into a rage.
“Don’t move.” Eddie dropped to her knees beside her. Her voice came out much steadier than she expected. Her gaze swept the tree line. No movement, but?—
Her nostrils flared. Her bear gave a low warning growl.
Wolf.
A snarl tore through her chest. She couldn’tshift now and go after the animal. She had to attend to Liana who was soaked and freezing.
But her bear understood they needed to see to their mate first. That was their top priority. Hunting down the rogue wolf that had caused fear in Laina would have to wait.
For now.
“How did you fall in?” Eddie asked.
“I wanted to take a short walk to stretch out my muscles. I wanted to see the water. I could hear it. I couldn’t believe that it was not frozen. I slipped—” Liana’s teeth chattered, which made it hard for her words to come out clear.
Eddie’s jaw flexed. Stubborn woman. When was she going to learn to listen to her? She had given her specific orders to stay on the deck but she’d ignored her.
“You’re okay. I’m here.” Eddie reached for Liana and pulled her completely away from the water. She did a quick sweep of Liana’s form and didn’t see anything broken, but she was soaked and freezing.
“I know I saw something in the woods. It disappeared when I screamed.”
Eddie’s stomach dropped. Rogue wolves liked to hunt by scent, stalk the weak, and an injuredhuman who disobeyed orders would be a beacon for any who were nearby.
Eddie didn’t need to see what Liana had seen. The wind assisted her. The wolf had been extremely close to Liana.
“We’re getting inside. Now.” Eddie hooked an arm around Liana’s back and lifted her.