Was he imagining it? He took another inhale. It was her, no doubt. All his instincts flared, and his focus homed to one critical task—to find her.
He took a deep breath to steady himself and tried to calm his excited wolf. He would go after her, yes, but simply because it was his job. He had to make sure this woman was safe—if she was even in the woods.
The scent was fresh though, and as he followed her ski tracks into the woods, it grew stronger. His wolf clamored inside, hyped up with tremulous anticipation.
She’s close. Our mate!
Damon grunted and refused to acknowledge his wolf.
The terrain was steep. She had to be an expert skier to navigate the tree line. Hmm. Maybe not. No tight turns around the trees. The path veered off to one straight line through the trees, indicating that she might have lost control.
Sophie could be hurt. Or worse.
Damon’s throat felt tight and parched. He swallowed. He would find her.
He had to find her.
The ski tracks ended and were followed by footprints. She must have removed her skis and attempted to walk. But where was she going?
Shit. The direction was bad. She was heading diagonally across the mountain toward the Sacco pack’s territory—which was off limits to his pack.
Not good.
Damn it. Damon had to go after her.
He took off his skis as well, since it was far too dangerous to try and navigate this pitch through the dense forest. Her scent grew stronger. His wolf romped inside. We’re close.
And so was the boundary to Sacco lands.
Her footprints crossed it.
Damon’s heart thumped like a warning signal. He stared at the invisible boundary line between the mountains that every pack member knew not to cross. To end territorial battles, the Sacco and Franconia packs had come to an agreement ten years ago, dividing the mountains.
The differing pack mentalities had exacerbated their differences. While the Franconia pack led by their alpha Rafe developed their lands into a massively successful ski resort with a flourishing village that welcomed humans, the Sacco pack chose to live in solitude, embrace a simple life in nature. The peace treaty agreed to live and let live, and that meant staying off each other’s lands.
A breach would break the treaty. Breaking the treaty could lead to a renewed battle over territory. A battle over territory could lead to full out war between the packs.
Damon had a choice. He could turn back to keep the peace and stay off Sacco land. Or…
Find her, find her, his wolf insisted.
She was in Sacco territory. What dangers awaited her there, he didn’t know. With their aversion to humans, he couldn’t risk it.
Or one of the wolves could try to claim her himself.
Damon growled. He wouldn’t let that happen. He’d never let that happen.
In the end, he didn’t have a choice at all. Instinct took over, and he leaped across the boundary, into forbidden territory, breaking the treaty with the Sacco pack.
He had to protect Sophie.
Chapter 3
Sophie
As the minutes passed, Sophie’s anxiety bloomed. The cold of night might be the least of her worries. She turned at every ruffle in the trees and sounds of movement throughout the forest. Animals lived out here. Predators?
Likely.
Hopefully, none with a penchant for human flesh.
She laughed to herself. You’re freaking yourself out. You’re just scared and cold and disoriented. Soon you’ll be down at the base with a refreshing cocktail and you’ll have a wild story to tell Tara.
Ahead, there was a break of white through the trees. It wasn’t artificial light, but a wide, open space covered with snow. Sophie cried in jubilation and she rushed toward it. She couldn’t wait to break free from these woods.
Once she exited the fringe of the forest, she trekked forward onto the trail and glanced around. It didn’t appear to be a ski trail. No ski lodge below. No chair lift over the trail. She searched for cables. None.
Where the hell was she?
She whimpered. All the anticipation of finding her way out plummeted.
She attempted to shake off the despair. No. Feeling overwhelmed wouldn’t help. At least, she was no longer in the woods. She was closer to getting back. She just needed to get her bearings and figure out the best direction to walk from here.
Movement in the trees on the opposite side from where she’d emerged caught her eye. What was that? Her heartbeat quickened. It was larger than a deer.
The shadowy creature then stepped out from the forest. A wolf as white as the snow but with piercing blue eyes. Only it was massive, much more so than any wolf she’d ever seen.
Any? It was the only one she’d ever seen.
But she never imagined they could be this massive, dwarfing her. It stared at her, eyes flashing as bright as a warning.
What the hell should she do? She was a city girl. Dealing with the insanity of driving in Boston traffic, fine. But surviving in the woods with a wolf staring her down?
Nope. No freaking clue!
The wolf took a few steps closer to her. She dropped her skis into the snow and clutched the poles like a weapon as she stepped backwards.
Although every cell in her body screamed not to go back into the deep, dark, dangerous forest, she had to get away from this predator.
The wolf curled its lip and growled, and the vibrating sound made the hair at the back of her neck rise.
Not good.
It leapt at her and she screamed.
She turned backwards, desperate to escape, but stumbled in her ski boots into the snow. As the wolf approached, she covered her throat.
It lunged past her.
What?
She turned and looked over her shoulder, following the direction of growls.
Another wolf. Shit.
The white one clashed with the newcomer, a gray one, in a vicious flash of fangs and claws. They barked and then growled before circling each other in the snow. While they were distracted, she stole back into the forest to
