“Are you upset because you no longer get to?” I refuse to turn and acknowledge her.
“Unlike you, I have money of my own.”
“How nice.” I pick up an elaborate peach-colored teddy with a split crotch to rub salt in the wound.
“I want to know how you did it.”
“What are you talking about?” I turn confused.
“How you manipulated the Alpha. We all know you’re not worthy of the gift he granted you.”
I laugh, in a dismissive manner, internally seething. “Unlike you, my goals weren’t centered around finding the right wolf to settle down with. I was asked to come back here and help.”
“What could you possibly do?” Her voice lowers an octave. Instantly on high alert, I step into a fighting stance, body angled, and feet carefully placed.
Her eyes glow, signaling a shift.
“Control yourself.”
A blast of masculine power rolls over all of us. Andrea stumbles back. Thrown off balance, she trips over her feet and tumbles to the ground with a whimper.
“Don’t you ever approach my mate aggressively again,” Bo’s words are clipped, and his hands are balled into fists as he stands in front of me. “I should rip your throat out for the insult, and present your body to her as an apology.”
He hovers over her, a fierce wolf ready to attack. “Even if I wasn’t with her, you’d never have been my choice for a mate. It was nothing but a bit of fun. I made that very clear.”
I divert my gaze, feeling sorry for the girl who’d overstepped her place. One thing Bo didn’t do was toy with women’s emotions. They all entered into his arrangements with open eyes.
“Do you have everything you need, Ylva?” he turns to me ignoring her tears.
“Yes.” I rush to his side, eager to leave the mess behind.
Would I have to defend myself over a position I never even wanted? Jenny rings us out, and we leave.
When we reach the car, he opens the truck. The Volva appears beside me.
“The message is clear. The one who finds the amulet and wields its power will control the rest of the wolves.”
“How am I supposed to find it?” I tune into her otherworldly energy, careful not to miss any of the clues she might drop.
“Look for the signs.”
I bite back a curse. She’s speaking in riddles. “This is out of my wheelhouse.” I wonder if she can hear the desperation in my voice.
“You have a gift. Use it to guide you.” She looks at me expectantly.
I narrow my gaze. “I don’t understand.”
“You have an art degree, don’t you?”
“I do.” I’ve always thought the art of painting was kin to meditation. When you get invested in a painting, you hit a nearly trance-like stage.
“You understand what you need to do now, young one?”
“Yes.” Joy fills my heart. This is a world I know well. My fingers itch to hold a paintbrush.
The Volva focuses her attention on Bo.
“Everything you’ve been forced to endure has been for a reason. Remember that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll know when the time is right.” She flashes her Mona Lisa smile and Bo looks at me with an expression that screams constipation.
I shrug.
“There are supplies you must gather. You do not have much time. In order to prevail, you must let go of the past and see what is before you now.” Impatience darkens the Volva’s voice.
Anger twists in my gut, but I have no chance to respond before she walks away.
“Looks like she wasn’t interested in whatever you had to say,” Bo’s voice is tinged with snarkiness.
“There he is,” I gesture toward him with a wave.
“Who?” His brow furrows.
“The asshole I’ve known my entire life. Why even defend me back there?”
“Because you’re mine, and I protect what belongs to me.”
