Free Savage by Jenika Snow

knew it wasn’t Clay. She would have been able to sense him the moment he was near. But whatever was on the other side of that wood was dangerous enough that Alric and Sam felt the need to shield her. Maybe they were just being cautious? Deep down she knew that was just wishful thinking.

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    Alric moved towards the door while Sam stayed with Dalia. He kept his body in front of her, one of his arms behind him so he gripped her waist. She held onto him, her heart pounding as she watched Alric move closer and closer towards the door. This was the day she’d feared, the day she had been dreading. Was it a Clay follower? Sam sensed her unease and gripped her tighter. She wanted to bury her face in his back, wish away all the horrible things that could be on the other side of the door, but she couldn’t force herself to do that.
    Before he opened the door Alric stopped and looked at them. Silent communication passed between them. He turned, gripped the handle and opened it. The blast of snow and wind that entered the house took her breath away. A figure cloaked in black stood on the other side, his head bent low and a hood covering his face. His arm was propped in the frame, seeming to hold him up. A second passed then the stranger lifted his head and stared at Alric and Sam then her. He held their gazes for so long she found herself glancing away. She had never seen him before, but there was something haunting about the way he stared at her. Sam and Alric must have sensed it too because Alric stepped in front of her and Sam pushed her behind his broad back.
    “Please, I ask for refuge from the storm.” His voice was deep and sent a chill down her spine. She turned her head, burying it in the fabric of Sam’s shirt, and heard the door shut. The room immediately warmed, but the tension and silence were deafening.
    “Who are you and how did you find this place?” Alric’s voice was deep and accusing. Their cabin was high in the mountains and she had found it purely by chance. Could that be the same for this stranger? The chances were slim, especially in such a short time frame.
    “I’m sorry to intrude, but I was hunting while the storm was on hiatus. It caught me off guard. I had been hiking for an hour before I finally saw the lights from your cabin.” Dalia looked around Sam’s shoulder, feeling the hair on the back of her neck still on end.
    “I ask for a short reprieve in your home if you allow it. Just until the storm eases up again.” He pushed his hood down. His hair was dark and fell to his shoulders. A jagged scar ran from his eyebrow to his chin. He was a wolf, that much was clear by the smell of him, but there was an underlying odour that marked him as hiding something.
    Alric glanced over at them and Sam’s grip tightened on her for a moment before he turned around and started leading her towards the back bedroom. When the door of the room the three of them shared was shut, Sam turned and looked at her.
    “We want you to stay in here until that wolf leaves. Just to be on the safe side.” Sam ran a hand over his short hair and sighed. “The storm should let up shortly and then he’s out. Until then Alric and I would feel more comfortable if you weren’t around him since he is unknown to us.”
    That was fine with her. The stink that told her he was a wolf had been strong. He didn’t smell intoxicating like Alric and Sam did. “I didn’t like the feeling he gave me anyway.”
    “I know, baby. We felt there was something off about him, but the storm is fierce right now and sending him out there would mean his death. So far he hasn’t given us any indication that he is here to harm us, but be assured we are on high alert.”
    She knew there were packs that were caring and compassionate towards others. Her pack and Clay’s were not of that kind. She’d known right from the moment she had met Alric and Sam that they were part of those rare packs that didn’t only care about