Blood Bound [Book Two, Lady and the Wolf] (EDITING)

Chapter Eight: The Real Wolf

Drake stood behind Aiden and Jarret; his arms folded as he watched the boys talking softly while they crouched behind the trees. If he were human, he wouldn't have been able to make out what they were saying above the music blaring from the house.

"I can't see her," Aiden whispered, slightly panicked.

Drake rolled his eyes. If they were using their ears and noses, they would have noticed him by now.

"I think that ugly bald dude took her somewhere," Jarret responded, growling low.

Drake coughed to catch their attention. They both jumped up, staring wide-eyed at him.

Drake rolled his eyes once more. "If you had been using your ears and noses, you would have heard me coming. I'm assuming you're looking for Aira."

Aiden and Jarret both nodded their heads, their expressions darkening with worry. "Yes, we can't find her," Jarret muttered, his tone serious.

"Something's wrong," Aiden muttered, "I can smell something different from behind the house. She's not alone."

Drake sighed, his expression irritated and his tone incredulous. "It's called a party. Of course she won't be alone."

Aiden shook his head. "No, this is different. These kids all smell drunk, but what I'm smelling is... wrong."

Drake's expression changed.

His golden eyes narrowed; his expression serious as he sniffed the air. He froze for a moment, his nostrils flaring. "I smell it too. Something's wrong."

"You can't possibly expect us to believe-" Jarret paused as he sniffed the air, his eyes widening in surprise. "Holy shit, I smell it too..."

Aiden raised a hand, feeling the rush of emotions that had started to overtake him. "There's fear, and something... dark."

"Dark?"

Drake spun around at the sudden familiar voice behind him. Van stood there, no longer looking as weak as he did a few hours prior. His dark hair was tousled, and his eyes looked tired, but other than that he seemed to be okay. He had been so focused on the boys that he hadn't noticed Van's approach.

Van's presence was unexpected and unsettling.

"Drake?" Van tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Some pups snuck off and I had a feeling where they would be," Drake answered. "But why are you here?"

That was probably a stupid question. Drake knew that even though Van was rejecting Aira, she was still his mate, and the urge to check on her would have gotten to him.

"I couldn't sleep," Van muttered. "When I saw these two sneak off, I had a feeling I knew what they were doing, and I wanted to make sure they were safe." His face had a stoic expression, but Drake had seen through the tough appearance and knew there was concern in his eyes.

It was then Drake noticed Ivan and Nikolai move around them in their wolf forms, growling low as they too picked up the same scent. They came to stand beside Van, towering over him.

"Ah, Ivan and Nikolai. I see they smell it too." Drake noticed the two wolves growling next to Van, their eyes narrow and their tails lashing. Their behaviour seemed more aggressive and protective. Ivan's fur stood up and he was baring his teeth in a snarl. "Something's definitely wrong."

"Told you," Aiden muttered.

"Great," Jarret mumbled, his voice trembling as he saw the wolves' reactions. "You think there's danger...?"