Wolfsbane (Howl #3) by Jody Morse, Jayme Morse Page B

didn’t. She followed Kyana across the snow-covered ground and through a dark forest.
    She was about to ask how far they had to travel when a low growl came from behind the bushes. It sent Samara’s hair straight up. When she saw the large wolf that emerged from t he bushes, she began to panic.
    Akar, it’s okay. There’s no reason to be so defensive. I asked these wolves to come spea k to Papa , Kyana explained. Samara quickly realized that Akar must have been Kyana’s brother; they had the same orange eyes, and the same silky white fur, which closely resembled her own fur.
    Akar narrowed his eyes at Samara and the rest of the Ima before grunting loudly. Samara took it as a sign of his approval because Kyana continued to walk. She led them into a narrow opening inside a rock structure. It reminde d Samara of a human-made cave.
    This is our den , Kyana explained.
    You live in a den? Colby asked.
    Kyana turned to look at him, baring her teeth and prepared to snarl. Yes, we live in a den. We stick to old werewolf traditions here. Don’t judge.
    I’m not judging. I find it very fascinating , Colby commented as they approached what looked like a tiny room with blankets and pillow s on the dirt-covered ground.
    Do all Alaskan natives live in dens? Samara questioned. She’d never been to Alaska before, but she was truly curious about her ancestors’ upbringing. All of her ancestors couldn’t have been werewolves, though, so she wondered if they had all lived in dens like Kyana and her family.
    No, they live like ordinary people. It’s just a werewolf thing to live in dens , Kyana replied. She glanced around the den. My father isn’t here. I’ll go find him .
    Samara watched as she strolled out of the den. She couldn’t tell if Kyana’s tail was just moving, or if it was wagg ing happily as she left.
    Okay, is anybody else creeped out? Steve asked. Why does t his guy want to talk to Samara?
    I guess we’ll find out soon , Luke said, lying down on the ground. The good news is that I didn’t notice any other pack members nearby, except for the son. I think we could conquer all of them if we had to.
    Samara instinctively let out a low growl. Don’t talk that way. No one’s going to conquer anyone here. We’re not here to fight anyone, especially not on their turf. We’re just here to talk. But I don’t know what we’re here to talk about.
    Before anyone could get another word in, the sound of paws hitting against the dirt floor filled her ears, and she turned around to see a white wolf standing behind them. It was the largest wolf she had ever seen; his shoulders were pressed back and he exuded an overwhelming sense of confidence—to the point where it could easily be mistaken as cockiness.
    Samara McKinley? Kyana’s father’s voice boomed, echoing throughout the den. His orange eyes scanned the area for her.
    That would be me , Samara s poke up nervously.
    Well, well, well. I d idn’t expect to see you in my neck of the woods anytime soon, the wolf said.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
    Who are you, and how do you know my name? Samara asked Kyana’ s father, who stood before her.
    Let’s just say that I was a good friend of your grandfather’s , the wolf responded. My name is Orkos. If you don’t mind transforming into a human, I’d like to offer you and your pack a cup of tea.
    Tea sounds good , Samara replied politely. The truth was, she definitely wasn’t in the mood for tea at that moment.
    The den filled with a cloudy smoke as the Ima, Kyana, and Orkos all shifted to their human forms. The cloud of smoke that surrounded Kyana and Orkos was a vibrant shade of orange, which matched the eye color that they had as wolves.
    Once she was back in her human form, Samara got a good look at Kyana and Orkos. They both had silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes, and their skin was on the tanner side.
    As Kyana handed each of them tiny cups of tea from a kettle in the corner, Samara noticed that she was really