The dire wolf pup wriggled harder, his ears pricked, and his nose twitching with the urgency of instinct.
A sound halfway between a whine and a growl rumbled in his throat.
Sera slowed, her boots grinding to a halt on the ice. She bent, setting the pup carefully on the ground. His paws spread wide, his dark nose pressed low, and he gave another sharp huff that carried meaning even Alexei could feel.
Something was out there. Something close.
Sera straightened. Her eyes cut to Alexei, cold and bright.
"You smell it yet?" she asked.
Alexei drew in a breath.
The air struck his lungs like glass, clean and sharp, but beneath it lay another thread. Musky. Heavy. Wild. It dragged across his tongue like oil and copper mixed. His mouth watered before he could stop it.
"Bear," he answered. His voice came out rougher than he expected, a growl underneath.
Sera's lips curved, not into a smile, but into something sharper. "Good. Then you know what comes next."
