Wolf.
It was faint but distinct. A muskiness threaded with something off, something feral. Eddie’s jaw clenched tight. That was the same scent she had caught when she’d rescued Liana from the creek. She set the shovel aside and scanned the edge of the woods.
Eddie stalked her way through the thick snow back to the creek in the woods. The scent grew stronger. She bit back a growl as her gaze landed on a set of tracks near the creek. They were fresh and half-buried but unmistakable. Wide paws, too large for a regular wolf.
She released that pent-up growl. It was low and carried through the air. This was her territory. Her family’s land. And no rogue wolf hadany business stalking this close to her cabin or her mate.
She followed the trail a few steps into the trees. She allowed her bear to rise to the surface. Her breath was slow and steady. The prints weaved along the creek’s edge, leading deeper into the forest. It had been a least a few hours since the animal had come this way.
The idea that the feral beast had been watching them while they had slept set Eddie’s bear on edge. She knelt and pressed her fingers to one of the prints. It was deep and heavy. A male.
“You’ve made a mistake, wolf,” she murmured. Her bear surged forward, demanding to be released. Her animal promised violence if they ever came across the wolf. This was too close to their domain. Too close to their mate.
Her bear was in protective mode, as was Eddie. She would be ready to defend Liana at all costs.
She lingered in the area to scan and scent…but ultimately waiting. Would the wolf come back? She tried to inhale again to see if she could catch its scent, but the wind shifted, blowing down the mountain and carrying any trace of the wolf away.
She trudged back to the cabin. Tension was still coiled in every muscle. She needed to remain calm. She didn’t want to go inside and have Liana see her like this. By the time she’d made her way back to the yard again, the snow had started to fall. Big, fat lazy flakes at first, then thicker and faster.
She would have to work quickly to get everything she needed done. She hurried over to the generator and cleared away the snow. Everything looked to be working as it should. She breathed a sigh of relief that it was holding up. There was still the matter of the wood that needed to be split. She wasn’t in danger of running out yet, but she had wanted to split more so it could dry out on the porch with the rest.
She had lost track of time chopping the wood. Once she was done, she breathed a sigh of relief. She stacked the last of it on the porch and felt like she’d really accomplished something today. She glanced at the sky and saw those dark clouds were moving in fast.
What do you think about it?
Liana’s words echoed in her mind. Shehadn’t known how to answer at first. So she’d kept it safe and brought up fate. But she didn’t go into how she believed fate had brought the two of them together, or how she believed that Liana was her fated life companion. She’d remained silent on that and kept her answer generic.
What she felt for Liana would probably scare her. She was human, and Eddie didn’t know if she truly understood how mating worked. Yes, she was friends with Terri, a member of her clan, but that didn’t mean she truly understood what it would mean to be the fated partner of a bear.
Or an alpha bear’s consort.
Everything about Liana screamedmate. From the way she smiled at Eddie, to the way she’d made the cabin feel less like a refuge and more like a home.
Eddie sighed and pushed her damp hair from her face. She needed to get back inside before the snowfall got worse. She had made Liana a promise and she’d honor that. She’d ensured Liana was safe in the cabin and then shift and go to her car to gather her items.
Eddie reached for the door handle and froze.
The cabin was quiet.
Too damn quiet.
She snatched the door open and stalked inside. The fire still burned in the hearth; the blankets were folded neatly on the couch. The air was colder now, and the faint scent of Liana was still fresh—near the front door.
Her boots were gone, as was the coat she’d been wearing.
“Liana?” she called out, but she already knew there would be no answer.
Eddie’s pulse stumbled, then kicked into overdrive. She raced out the front door and paused. Her gaze swept over the yard. The snow was falling harder now and covering everything. No sound but the wind and her own breath.
A single set of footprints led away from the cabin.
Small, light, and headed in the direction of the road.
Eddie’s heart dropped.
“Dammit, Liana!”
Eddie’s bear roared. They would need to go after their mate.