{"id":3798,"date":"2024-09-30T09:04:34","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T13:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/?p=3798"},"modified":"2024-09-30T10:27:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T14:27:27","slug":"packbound-excerpt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/?p=3798","title":{"rendered":"Packbound excerpt"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m very excited to have book three in the Rune Wolf series packed and polished and ready for readers! But please don’t read the excerpt below if you’re new to Elspeth’s world. Instead, start with book one<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u200b\"Packbound\"<\/a>Chapter 1<\/h1>\n

I clenched flat human teeth against the urge to shift as wolves brushed past my legs in the dark, the tide of togetherness threatening to drag me into my fur. But I couldn\u2019t give in. Not with Luna\u2019s small hand trembling in mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElspeth,\u201d murmured the girl we\u2019d recently rescued from the Council. \u201cAre we really going to become part of this pack?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you want to,\u201d I answered, drawing her a little closer in case the proximity of Orion\u2019s wolves was part of the reason for her nerves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo pressure,\u201d my mate added. His role of alpha meant his words were more effective than mine had been. Meanwhile, he jerked his head to win us a little personal space, and Luna\u2019s rigid fingers gradually loosened in mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Glancing sideways in what was intended as a <\/span>thank you<\/em><\/span>, my eyes found beauty and stuck. Orion\u2019s muscles were gilded by starlight, begging to be traced for the very first time. No wonder the mere sight of him made my insides thrum.<\/span><\/p>\n

For one long moment, I forgot where I was and who I was with. There was only him, me, us\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Then our moment was broken by a whisper from the five-year-old Orion carried. \u201cMe too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou too,\u201d Orion agreed, one large hand reaching up to cup the back of Billy\u2019s head. With two children soothed, Orion\u2019s hot gaze swept across me before cooling and continuing on across the starlit desert expanse toward the two young men rescued at the same time as Luna and Billy.<\/span><\/p>\n

They seemed fine, but Luna\u2019s age mate, Nova, was less so. She walked stiff-legged and high-chinned before us, trying to pretend we didn\u2019t exist. Still, her eyes kept darting in our direction and I caught the glint of a knife in her right hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t surprised by her standoffishness. At the girls\u2019 age\u2014ten\u2014I\u2019d already been fully indoctrinated into believing the Council was good and shifters were evil. From the little I\u2019d heard, Nova\u2019s childhood sounded very similar to mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

No wonder she\u2019d decided a midnight outing among werewolves was something better undertaken armed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Orion\u2019s lips quirked as my attention made him aware of the weapon. <\/span>\u201cTransplanted pack mates can be like transplanted vines,\u201d<\/em><\/span> he rumbled via the mate bond, his words reaching my mind but no one else\u2019s. <\/span>\u201cFirst they sleep. Then they creep. Then they leap.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026at you with a knife?\u201d <\/em><\/span>I countered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Orion\u2019s silent shrug was full of amusement. He was confident in his ability to handle Nova.<\/span><\/p>\n

I, on the other hand, was suddenly full of doubts looming like the massive sandstone outcropping beginning to block out the night sky before us. I\u2019d prepared for this crisis of confidence, though. Was prepared to air my doubts then let them go.<\/span><\/p>\n

The painful truth: Thoughts of joining a pack reminded me of trust and bonds that had gradually grown between myself and my aunt during the short period I\u2019d spent as a member of Vega\u2019s pack\u2026only to have that bond severed in a searing instant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The counter-argument: It had been my choice to break free from Vega\u2019s leadership, and she\u2019d let me go when I asked her to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, I trusted Orion implicitly. This new bond wouldn\u2019t be like that old one. I had no expectation of ever wanting to leave the pack I intended to become part of tonight.<\/span><\/p>\n

My nerves should have settled as soon as I ran through that familiar litany of worry and rejoinder. But my past pack bond wasn\u2019t the only thing that came to mind as the rocky outcrop materialized into a flat-topped expanse wide enough for a helicopter to land on, the top glowing despite lacking a natural light source.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d been here in daylight and had found altar rock a suitable spot for a full-pack gathering. On a night without a moon, however, the unnatural roundness and strange illumination proved eerily familiar. Together, the combination of features reminded me far too much of the smaller stage I\u2019d stood upon when swearing my allegiance to the Council, binding myself to an organization that pulled my strings for much longer than Vega had.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back then, harsh spotlights had made my eyes water. The oath I\u2019d sworn tasted sweet during the swearing then turned to ash on my tongue. My decision to become part of the Council had led to dark trails walked with the best of intentions, trails that dished out untold pain and suffering to the werewolves in my path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the real world reasserted itself, scented with sage and wolf fur as Orion spoke within my head. <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to do anything you don\u2019t want to,\u201d <\/em><\/span>he rumbled, reassurance pulsing down the mate bond between us. It wasn\u2019t lost on me that he was offering the same gentleness he\u2019d used on the ten-year-old whose hand I held.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d<\/em><\/span> I answered, not quite able to add on the obvious rejoinder\u2014that I <\/span>did <\/em><\/span>want this. That I <\/span>was<\/em><\/span> ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because I\u2019d been ready an hour ago. Now I wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

As if they smelled my uncertainty, the wolves around me skittered sideways, taking the sensation of pack togetherness with them. That loss of connection, so similar to what I\u2019d experienced when leaving Vega\u2019s pack, hit harder than I\u2019d expected. I could barely keep my feet moving forward rather than letting them do what they wished\u2014breaking and running back the way I\u2019d come.<\/span><\/p>\n

I needed to get my head on straight before I blew this for my mate and for the kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I reminded myself of the facts yet again. The formality of the upcoming binding was for the sake of the children. They<\/span> needed <\/em><\/span>this connection, needed pomp and circumstances they could look back upon to mark the end of one phase of their lives and the beginning of another. And I <\/span>wanted<\/em><\/span> to once again be part of a pack, wanted to be part of my mate\u2019s pack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, my upcoming decision loomed as large and dark as the ominous landscape feature that now covered up nearly all the stars.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d tried to keep most of those thoughts to myself, but part of my inner turmoil must have slipped down the mate bond along with the words I\u2019d purposely broadcast. Because Orion\u2019s already square chin firmed up further. Billy made a tiny whimper of complaint as if he\u2019d been squeezed too tight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, buddy,\u201d Orion said aloud. Then he was setting Billy on his feet and leading us all up steps carved into sandstone, steps worn by so many pairs of feet that they dipped down into moon-like crescents in the center. Nova would need to go slowly since she had only the barest hint of incipient wolf inside her, not enough to boost her night vision. So I hung back, letting wolves push past me and Luna, my own doubts growing along with the distance between myself and my mate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, though, the way was clear. I picked my way upward while listening to snippets of conversation from those who\u2019d shifted back to humanity. A teenager jostled his friend, laughing about a recent hunt some had bombed and others excelled at. A young woman steadied a much older one, murmuring words of encouragement. Orion rumbled further reassurance to Billy, whose silence warmed as his alpha spoke.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we were all at the summit\u2026well, no, not quite all of us. Peering down, I saw Nova hadn\u2019t even attempted the ascent. Did she need help?<\/span><\/p>\n

I raised my eyebrows in question, but the girl didn\u2019t notice. She\u2019d turned to stare off into the darkness, probably as a way to avoid Luna\u2019s frantic beckoning. The latter itched to turn the pair into sisters while Nova had absolutely no interest in forming a connection of that sort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then my own sister was naked and laughing beside me. There at the back of the crowd of jostling werewolves, Celeste pulled her mate up behind her and emoted: \u201cWe\u2019re really doing this!\u201d As she spoke, her hand squeezed Finnegan\u2019s so hard the skin of their knuckles whitened.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are, I am,\u201d he agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Celeste was so exuberantly excited and Finnegan was so willing to follow her lead. I envied their ability to ignore what we\u2019d been taught, to forget the way Celeste\u2019s own father had betrayed her and the fact that neither had even known they could shift into wolf form until a week ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to share in their joy, to cast aside my doubts as easily as they had done. So, forcing a smile, I agreed with my sister.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
***<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It took a few minutes for the pack to calm down enough for words to be heard, and when that happened it was Donovan rather than Orion who spoke. \u201cA pack bond is a sacred vow,\u201d Orion\u2019s brother-in-law intoned from a pedestal upon which he sat in his wheelchair. He hadn\u2019t run here alongside us. Had arrived early, presumably so he could take his time getting up onto altar rock without working legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, he was 100% part of the pack as he eased us into a ceremony that almost felt like it emerged from the desert itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlpha,\u201d Donovan continued, addressing Orion with a faint smile on his lips. Nothing about his tone suggesting he resented the role not falling to him as everyone expected, passing to his best friend instead. \u201cDo you accept the burden of these newcomers? To guide them and shield them every season until one of you dies?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I blinked, and in my mind\u2019s eye I was atop another raised platform, hearing similar words spoken by the man I\u2019d thought of as my adopted father. <\/span>\u201cDo you accept the burden of safeguarding humanity?\u201d<\/em><\/span> Julius had asked me. <\/span>\u201cTo use any means necessary to vanquish unnatural evil, never resting until all innocents are safe?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The bite of Luna\u2019s small nails into my palm combined with Orion\u2019s verbal response brought me back to the present. \u201cI welcome all those who embrace the ways of the pack,\u201d my mate intoned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the similarity of wording, this ceremony and the one I\u2019d been part of seven years ago bore little else in common. Then, the only special effects had been spotlights that made it hard to see my adopted father and the other Council members. Now, flickers of magical light billowed out between Orion\u2019s lips as he spoke, rolling slowly across the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

One pocket of wolves after another wriggling like pups as the magic broke across them. This was the reason we\u2019d traveled away from pack central to complete the ceremony, the reason we\u2019d come beyond the edge of Orion\u2019s territory and into unclaimed outpack. Because the land itself was powerful here, capable of creating effects like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Effects I didn\u2019t entirely understand or trust. Shifters ahead of me jostled against each other in their impatience to be treated to the light show, and even moths fluttered closer. But I found myself leaning backward. It took all of my self control not to step sideways and avoid the onslaught.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then magic struck my face and I understood why everyone else had been so glad to immerse themselves in it. Because the electrified sparks carried with them a warm wave of acceptance, exactly like the look in Orion\u2019s eyes last week when I\u2019d admitted I meant all those soppy statements declared while trying to save his life. The magical light reminded me of my joy when Orion and I had solidified our mate bond. It felt like the sure knowledge that we were better together than we\u2019d ever been apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining Orion\u2019s pack wouldn\u2019t be a hardship. I knew that with my heart\u2026just not with my head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who wishes to bind yourself,\u201d Donovan intoned, \u201cstep forward now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The word <\/span>bind<\/em><\/span> popped the sweet bubble the glowing magic had enfolded me in. Julius had talked of binding also when I swore myself to the Council. No wonder my feet failed to move in the direction Luna indicated when she tugged on my hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

For once, the girl didn\u2019t cling. Just released my fingers and pushed through the crowd of wolves, stealing Billy\u2019s spot even though the boy was ready and willing to go first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe,\u201d demanded Luna. \u201cI want to be part of your pack.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLuna, do you swear to obey your alpha?\u201d Donovan asked, once again using words that reminded me of Julius\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you swear to obey the Council without question?\u201d<\/em><\/span> my adopted father had asked me. Seven years ago, even my starry-eyed self had hesitated over that one. Obeying without question seemed like a lot to promise\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Julius had graced me with one of his rare, proud smiles and I\u2019d raised my chin just like Luna was doing then proclaimed just a little too loudly\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Someone chuckled within our audience atop the raised rock outcrop while several wolf-form shifters yipped out pleasure. They weren\u2019t laughing at Luna\u2019s exuberance or chiding her for it. Instead, they were joyfully agreeing with the sentiment behind her affirmative shout.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Orion\u2019s two hands settled onto Luna\u2019s two shoulders. \u201cThen you are pack. Welcome, Luna.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A visible surge of magic pulsed between them. As it did so, the brittleness and fragility that had seemed to cling to the girl ever since I met her eased. Her lips stretched so wide I thought she might pull a muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n

I should have been glad to see Luna\u2019s pleasure. Still, in the ethereal glow of the magical lights, her facial expression looked not quite sane.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Celeste and Finnegan were lining up behind Billy, with the rescued young men shoulder to shoulder behind them. One by one, each of the five was welcomed, every pack mate silent and still as they watched the proceedings with an intensity usually reserved for stalking prey.<\/span><\/p>\n

My attention, in contrast, had wandered to the darkness beyond altar rock. Where was Nova?<\/span><\/p>\n

It was harder to see her now with the magical glow around Orion ruining my night vision. Still, I caught a glimpse of motion that I suspected was the other ten-year-old transferring her weight from foot to foot in the shadows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould anyone else like to join this pack tonight?\u201d Donovan asked. Only a few minutes had passed, but Orion had already worked his way through the lineup. Oddly, each of those newly bound to the clan leaned toward their alpha in an eerily similar manner. All six chins were canted upward; all six pairs of eyes were as wide as their smiles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The change in their demeanor grated on my nerves. Those first few years after vowing to do the Council\u2019s bidding, I\u2019d looked like that also. The organization was all I\u2019d talked about to Celeste during our daily phone calls, squeezed into her busy freshman year at college and my first jobs inserting myself into problematic packs.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until much later that the rot at the heart of the Council made itself clear to me. It wasn\u2019t until much later that I\u2019d realized the error of my ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Old mistakes don\u2019t have to darken a bright future, <\/em><\/span>I reminded myself, forcing my legs to move me forward. <\/span>I\u2019ve learned from the past. I won\u2019t repeat it.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, I\u2019d made a calculated decision to bind myself tonight. I just needed to get the job done.<\/span><\/p>\n

As if he could sense my reluctance, Orion didn\u2019t reach out immediately when I made my way down the aisle of parted wolves toward him. Instead, he peered past me, at the girl still lost in darkness. \u201cNova?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Light flowed across the rocks toward her, illuminating the way the girl\u2019s arms crossed protectively. She looked so alone down there, exactly the way I\u2019d felt as the sole person able to shift within Julius\u2019s household. The sole person\u2014I\u2019d thought\u2014who had within me the same sort of evil I was being trained to fight against.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot interested,\u201d Nova bit out.<\/span><\/p>\n

And my mouth opened before I could think my own words through. I wasn\u2019t quite sure if it was for Nova\u2019s sake or my own that I said the opposite of what I\u2019d intended.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not quite ready either,\u201d I said to my mate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Werewolves<\/h1>\n

\u200bChapter 2<\/h1>\n

Behind me, a wolf huffed out something that didn\u2019t sound complimentary. Claws clicked against stone as feet shuffled. Orion had said there was no pressure, no time limit. But his pack clearly felt differently, at least when it came to their alpha\u2019s mate.<\/span><\/p>\n

So my first thought was relief when a distraction intruded. Information flowed down a pack bond to Orion, who opened our mate connection wider so I could be privy to the exchange as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlpha!\u201d <\/em><\/span>This was Ari, a teenager a couple of years younger than I\u2019d been when I swore myself to the Council. Three nights ago, I\u2019d been by Orion\u2019s side when this same teenager had stood tall in front of his alpha, asking for permission to head up a patrol.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot as an ambassador,\u201d <\/em><\/span>Ari had said then, eyes shining with a mixture of determination and nervousness that reminded me of my own early days with the Council. Had I ever looked this young, though, pimples dotting my forehead and limbs gawky with new growth? <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve been practicing,\u201d <\/em><\/span>he continued. <\/span>\u201cPlus, Sue said she\u2019d be willing to follow where I lead.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/em><\/span> Orion nodded then set up a first assignment that was entirely safe. Far from enemy territory, close to the entire clan as we gathered atop altar rock. Ari could be bailed out in the unlikely event his patrol ran into trouble. It was intended to be training wheels, but those training wheels appeared to have fallen off.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because now, via the mate bond, I received a flood of information including the current view through Ari\u2019s eyes. <\/span>\u201cWe need your help!\u201d <\/em><\/span>the teenager managed as he tried to push himself across the desert faster than even a wolf could run.<\/span><\/p>\n

His thoughts were a muddle, nothing like the carefully memorized speech he\u2019d presented to Orion when requesting this chance at leadership. Was there some sort of trap he\u2019d missed? He\u2019d walked right across that patch of sand and noticed nothing. If there\u2019d been a trigger, why hadn\u2019t it caught him? He wished it had. He was in charge. Sue was his responsibility. He had to save her\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, close enough to be visible yet far enough away so Ari could have no impact on the outcome, a scene unfolded that was almost too horrible to comprehend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue was falling, the previously solid desert floor betraying her. Flat sand transformed into a voracious pit, steep sides collapsing inward like the merciless jaws of some colossal desert beast. In her wolf form, she scrabbled for purchase, claws raking uselessly against the treacherous incline. Then, in a last-ditch effort, she shifted to humanity. But her middle-aged body was less adept than her lupine one had been. Fingers only grasped at air as the pit deepened, swallowing her inch by excruciating inch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo back!\u201d<\/em><\/span> she yelled at Ari, trying to save the boy a third her age who she\u2019d willingly obeyed until this point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blinking back to the reality of my own location, I found the organized chaos of the pack\u2019s response both impressive and alien around me. Orion must have opened up the pack bonds to let everyone see what I was seeing, because instructions were being barked in a manner that felt far more organic than what I was used to within the rigid hierarchy of the Council. Wolves were as likely to volunteer as to be assigned to roles; children were being handed over to temporary guardians or were becoming guardians themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take Billy,\u201d Luna offered, opening her arms to the small boy who hadn\u2019t willingly parted from Orion in the week since we\u2019d found him. But right now, the alpha needed to be where Sue was. Every available adult needed to be there. And these children were too young to shift and run with the pack\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

It was almost impossible to make myself retain my human skin long enough to speak. Still, I forced focus, not wanting to be like Julius when he barked out demands and expected unquestioning obedience. \u201cYou\u2019ll be okay staying here with Maya and Donovan?\u201d I asked both Luna and Billy, expecting a tantrum from one or the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

To my surprise, Billy\u2019s hands released his preferred person and reached in the opposite direction without protest. Luna was part of Orion\u2019s pack now, and that meant she was an acceptable substitute for the alpha who usually kept the boy safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d I told Luna, who was also prone to clinging but who had stepped up when needed. Hopefully she understood how proud I was of her without additional conversation. Because my final word had been swallowed up by my shift as I joined the pack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sprinting to catch up to my mate and the other wolves, the exuberance of fur form washed over me. Senses sharpened while past and future were replaced by one endless <\/span>together now<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The simple joy of running with the pack momentarily overwhelmed my fear for Sue. But Orion had stayed focused. He led the way, knowing where the patrolling duo was located without needing to wrest information out of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which was good since neither had the head space to offer further words. In the seconds that I\u2019d spent speaking with the children, Ari had ignored Sue\u2019s orders to back off and had reached the edge of the still deepening sand pit. Now the scene bounced back and forth between their perspectives in dizzying flashes as both pack mates opened themselves fully to their alpha.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through Ari\u2019s eyes, the world took on a frantic, skittering quality as his gaze pinballed between Sue\u2019s rapidly sinking form and the terrain around them. Panic amplified the musty stench of earth, the slither of displaced grains, his own frantic panting. He had to focus, had to find a way to get Sue out of the quagmire that showed no signs of stabilizing. He needed a branch, a rope, something to reach her. But he\u2019d been lupine and had carried nothing with him while patrolling. Stupid, <\/span>stupid<\/em><\/span>! Why hadn\u2019t he thought ahead?<\/span><\/p>\n

From Sue\u2019s perspective, the world was contracting, compressing. She blinked back tears, both because something was stuck beneath her left eyelid and because she knew the boy would be broken by this. Oh, bother, the earthen tide had reached her mouth now. She gulped in one last deep breath, still worrying about Ari. He\u2019d needed to rebuild his confidence ever since the old alpha was killed in front of him. Orion had promised this patrol passed through territory where the greatest danger was a thorn in a paw, which made it a good bet for a teenaged attempt at leadership. Now Ari would lose all of the momentum he\u2019d\u2014ah, now her nose was covered as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time but instead I stretched my muscles and ran harder despite the fact that, yes, I <\/span>did<\/em><\/span> have a thorn in my paw. The pang each time my foot landed matched the pang from my own memories of the few fleeting moments I\u2019d spent with Sue.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d deceived everyone in Orion\u2019s pack when I first infiltrated, but Sue was the one I\u2019d deceived most of all on that initial day. Unlike others, though, after I\u2019d moved in she\u2019d embraced me fully with no reservations due to the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just yesterday, she\u2019d let me pick through her closet, doling out insight as well as clothes. <\/span>\u201cSome things take time,\u201d <\/em><\/span>she\u2019d murmured as I paused to consider the stationary tattoos on my arm before pulling on another top better suited than mine to the desert heat. I hadn\u2019t wanted to talk about my worries that the matebrand\u2019s magic might never fully reawaken, and Sue hadn\u2019t pushed the matter. But her few words had soothed something inside me that needed soothing. Like Ari, it wasn\u2019t long before I considered Sue an honorary aunt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, I wondered if she\u2019d been right about the tattoo. If, perhaps, my matebrand might be the solution to what seemed an unsolvable problem. If Orion and I were able to use our connection the way we had before, we could tap into the deep power of the desert and eject Sue from the deepening pit\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

But the magical ink on my foreleg that had been dormant all week remained unwilling to respond to me. And my honorary aunt kept disappearing into the sand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was still running when Sue\u2019s burning lungs forced her to accept the fact that she wasn\u2019t making it out of this one. Her last thought was another round of regrets that she\u2019d failed Ari.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then her thoughts were replaced by a choking void.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Running<\/p>\n

\u200bChapter 3<\/h1>\n

As we lost Sue from the pack bond, Ari lunged forward even though the pit walls continued growing steeper and deeper before him. His right front foot slipped and\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack away!\u201d <\/em><\/span>Orion demanded, alpha order evident in the words he sent silently to the youngster. I was pretty sure I was the only one who felt the deep thread of guilt and loss spiraling through my mate as he added: <\/span>\u201cMark the spot. We\u2019re close.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

There was no longer any information flowing toward us from Sue. Depth of earth, unconsciousness, or worse had severed her experience from her alpha\u2019s. Meanwhile, through Ari\u2019s eyes, we saw the earth shiver\u2014a shiver I also felt the tiniest bit beneath my own paws. Then the hole that had eaten Sue disappeared completely. It was as if someone had shaken a pan of mounded sand and flattened it out into a perfect expanse without a single plant or stone left to mar the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through all this time, I\u2019d been running as fast as I could, side by side with Orion while the rest of the pack traveled close behind us. Now, we rounded a cluster of cacti and the unnaturally smooth sand came into view with Ari pacing its perimeter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStop,\u201d <\/em><\/span>Orion ordered, commanding the entire pack as easily as he had one teenager. <\/span>\u201cCome,\u201d<\/em><\/span> he added, this time to Ari. And as the teenager retreated to join us, his alpha traced the teenager\u2019s footsteps in the opposite direction, back to the spot where Sue had been swallowed up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone except me seemed to accept Orion\u2019s decision to put himself in danger without backup. Some ranged out around the perimeter, sniffing for clues. Others simply watched Orion pick his way across ominously smooth sand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t accept it. Instead, I sped up until I was matching Orion step for step. This close, our proximity felt like an open circuit. Electricity raised his fur and my fur. Our bodies curved toward each other without conscious volition. The yearning that always flowed between us turned into an imperative to come together. Starlight made our shadows intertwine.<\/span><\/p>\n

We ignored the pull that tried to draw our bodies closer though. Now wasn\u2019t the time with Sue lost somewhere beneath us, her body growing more starved for oxygen by the second. Instead, we focused on the sand in front of us. Where Ari\u2019s footsteps ended, the strangely unblemished earth created a circle more than fifty feet in diameter. But Orion stalked to the center as if he knew exactly where Sue had disappeared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can sense her via the pack bond?\u201d <\/em><\/span>I asked silently.<\/span><\/p>\n

My mate shook his head, a wordless explanation flowing toward me via our own intangible connection. He was guessing. He could no longer feel Sue, the same way he couldn\u2019t feel sleeping or unconscious pack mates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or dead ones. Rather than shivering, I used my forepaws to scuff sand away from the surface. Then I dug frantic as a dog searching for its favorite bone, flinging a spray of earth away from the spot Orion had indicated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than joining my efforts, Orion stood tense and still above me. He was waiting for whatever had swallowed Sue to reawaken. I don\u2019t think he meant to send the thought toward me, but I saw his intention to grab me by my ruff and fling me away at the first hint of danger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDig,\u201d <\/em><\/span>I countered as gritty sand filled my mouth, the taste of minerals coating my tongue. One wolf wasn\u2019t going to get Sue out of this, not if the third-hand mental image I\u2019d seen was any indication. She\u2019d plummeted such a great distance before the earth closed back up above her. It would take me hours to disinter her alone, hours Sue didn\u2019t have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Orion still failed to move. I knew this about him\u2014his pack had been his entire world until he met me, then he\u2019d placed me above them. My safety was now his top priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which might have been sweet if mate protectiveness wasn\u2019t about to get Sue killed.<\/span><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t send words down the pack bond the way Orion could. But when I yipped, my sister understood me. She and Finnegan trotted forward, eying their new alpha warily. When Orion didn\u2019t argue, they settled down nose to nose with me in a three-point pattern. Then we were digging, digging, endlessly digging\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

The rhythmic motion was hypnotic. My world narrowed to the scrape of claws against sand, the burn in my muscles, the desperation driving us forward. Eventually, my pads began to bleed and someone nudged me out of the way. Bleary-eyed, I saw that Finnegan was pushing Celeste into giving up her spot while Orion had already taken over Finnegan\u2019s. Each one of my mate\u2019s paw strokes moved twice as much sand as anyone else\u2019s. No wonder the hole had expanded outward, wolves in a larger circle behind us working the loose earth further backward so it wouldn\u2019t cave in on top of the diggers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, we might reach Sue in time.<\/span> Perhaps.<\/span><\/p>\n

I gasped in much-needed oxygen, oxygen Sue wouldn\u2019t have access to. The night air, previously cool against my fur, now felt oppressively hot after my bout of frantic digging. The hole appeared so small compared to the circle of unnaturally smooth sand that hid our pack mate. It would be so easy to miss our target.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was time to think of alternatives, to reconsider the faster solution I\u2019d tried earlier. The matebrand had failed me then. But perhaps it wouldn\u2019t fail us now?<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Keep reading Packbound here!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m very excited to have book three in the Rune Wolf series packed and polished and ready for readers! But please don’t read the excerpt below if you’re new to Elspeth’s world. Instead, start with book one.\u00a0 *** \u200bChapter 1 I clenched flat human teeth against the urge to shift as wolves brushed past my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,168],"tags":[14,7,27,23,8],"class_list":["post-3798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excerpts-aimee-easterling","category-series-rune-wolf","tag-paranormal-books","tag-shifter-books","tag-urban-fantasy-books","tag-urban-paranormal-romantic-fantasy","tag-werewolf-books","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3798"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3804,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3798\/revisions\/3804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}