Shadowwyn Moor addir melek

Sulukinak turned her gaze to Wake again, her dark eyes narrowing with a blend of skepticism and reluctant curiosity. His words lingered in her mind—his true fate with the Saatsine. It sounded like conviction, but Sulukinak couldn’t see how this wolf, with his calm demeanor and soft words, might fit into the harsh rhythm of their pack.

The Saatsine don’t carry those who slow the hunt. She rose slowly from her crouch, glancing past him to where the caribou still struggled in the snow. He hadn’t followed it, hadn’t shown any intent to prove himself in the ways that mattered to the Saatsine. That puzzled her more than it should have.

Even as she spoke, she couldn’t quite shake the intrigue that clung to his words. There was something about his calm defiance of their way that both frustrated and fascinated her.

You’ll find no place here if you can't run with us. Sulukinak’s dark eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, weighing his presence, his words. He didn’t follow the caribou; he didn’t move as the Saatsine would. She couldn’t see his place among them now—perhaps ever. Still, she felt no urge to drive him off. He would either find his way or become another lesson in survival.

A flicker of dark humor crossed her mind, unbidden. She wondered idly what quality of pelt such a pretty man might make. The corners of her lips twitched, curling into a faint, sardonic smile. Something glinted in her eyes—a fleeting spark of something unreadable—as she turned and began to stalk away, her gait smooth and deliberate.