Wolf Read Online Free

path. I glared at him, but his smirk didn’t add to my confidence. He was clearly not impressed by my determination. “You are injured, Hannah. Let me help you.”
    I turned and chose to ignore him. My feet ached with each step. The path I’d chosen had smooth rocks embedded within the moss. They felt good against my injured feet. If only I’d had time to…
    There were too many thoughts that would complete the sentence, and none of them would guide me toward what I should do. I needed to find my father, even though I doubted he’d care much about my plight. After all, he’d tried to banish me when I’d returned. Then again, in all fairness, the man wasn’t really my flesh-and-blood father. He’d been kind enough to take me in when he took my widowed mother as a bride.
    The footsteps echoing mine annoyed me. I turned. “Do you have any intention of leaving me be?”
    “In time, perhaps.” He smiled, and I expressed my frustration through a heavy sigh and continued my steps forward, my feet moving toward the smooth rocks of their own volition.
    I walked for an eternity, even though it was no doubt much less than that. My shadow continued behind me, his steps paralleling mine even though he didn’t speak. My mind was too jumbled with emotions to deal with conversation, and I think he sensed that was the case. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was glad for his presence.
    The path ended as a thick brush clung to life between two large trees. I tried to peer over the overgrown shrub I hadn’t expected to see. A large glade was on the other side, evident by the lack of trees for a wide distance that appeared almost symmetrical. Planned.
    “I suppose you’re going to continue following me?”
    His lips curved into a grin that sent a shiver of anticipation through me. My pulse quickened. “Perhaps.”
    I sighed and turned. I pressed through the brush and gasped as I stepped on the other side. Homes made of wood filled the area in small circular bands as far as my eyes could see. Billows of smoke drifted through the air from cooking areas outside most of the huts. My stomach rumbled at the thought of what they were cooking.
    A village.
    People.
    How had I not known this was here?
    I’d ventured farther than I’d thought. It was the only answer which made sense. I searched for the mountain range that signaled the enemy’s border. I was still within a safe region, even though I was much closer to Tash, which was perched on the edge of the land my people fought our enemy over. Many miles were left to travel, though. Many.
    I turned toward him as he approached. “What village is this?”
    His smile warmed me as a group of people approached us. I clung to his side without thinking. His arm wrapped around my waist and his voice danced in my ear. “Welcome to my home, Hannah.”

Chapter Three
    An older woman named Nalla took me from him shortly after arriving. Shock streamed through me swifter than the current of the river which flowed along the northernmost portion of the village. Realto. It was an odd name for a village, but somehow felt right.
    There was an entire village within the woods! Children chased one another, their laughter echoing across the glade. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen such joy. Hundreds of questions plagued me, though I doubted my voice would find words anytime soon. There was too much to see to speak. Too much to absorb and learn.
    These were Stephan’s people. I swallowed at the thought. Were they as kind as he was? Would they accept my presence?
    If I’d known how rare time alone with an alpha warrior was, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so abrupt with him. The home I was taken to was made of wood, sealed with an earthen compound I was unfamiliar with. I was tended to by Nalla, who kept me occupied with whimsical stories of people I didn’t know.
    A week had passed, and I was tired of whimsical.
    A warm blanket made of animal skin covered me as the healer Nalla treated my