“They were still acting as conduits.” Her knuckles whitened as her fingers clamped her rough-hewn walking stick. “It was Cord’s final thoughts blasting through their minds and out their mouths. It was Cord who thought of you as Bessemer ripped his mind apart. It was Cord who was desperate to get to you, to protect you. And that means it’s you the wolf is frothing at the mouth to find.” Pity touched her gaze. “All the wolf knows is the want of you. Not the why.”

“What about the others?” I rasped. “How are they?”

“They’ll recover in a few days, but they won’t open their heads for a long time yet. Minds are tender meat before the jaws of a slavering wolf.”

The slavering wolf being Bessemer.

“Your family is safe here. With me.” Meemaw at last went to her granddaughter and smoothed a gnarled hand over her hair. “My sweet child.” To me, she said, “You’ve done her a world of good. You’ve given her purpose, hope. She wouldn’t forgive me if I let you get caught.”

“Purpose?” So far it seemed all I’d done was get her into trouble.

“She has you fooled too.” A rusty chuckle moved through her. “Good.”

Pitched high and loud, a soul-rending howl rolled through the forest.

Meemaw’s amusement fled, and she paled beneath her tan. “Run,” she barked at me. “Run.”

I stumbled back. “I can’t leave my family.”

“I can protect them.” She waved her stick at me. “You have my word, it’s not them he wants.”

Another throaty call, this one closer, the plaintive song raising chills down my arms.

She ushered an overburdened Isaac and a protesting Aunt Dot inside before pleading with me, “Go. Run. Now.”

My feet knew what to do without being told. I flew down the path, flipping those mental pictures in reverse to get me home again. I left Silverback Lane in the dust. The urge to glance back was a twitch in my neck, but I kept my eyes forward and my legs pumping hard.

Imogen stepped casually into my path, unconcerned to find me barreling toward her. I altered course to run past, but she flung out her arms, corralling me on the trail. I slammed into her and bounced off, hitting my shoulder on a tree trunk.

“What are you doing?” I panted, rubbing the tender spot. “Get out of my way.”

“Sorry, shug, not happening.” Her lips peeled back to reveal gleaming white teeth. “Cord’s wolf has gone haywire. No one can reach him, not even the alpha.”

“And your first thought when realizing a rabid wolf was prowling the woods was to take a walk?”

“No.” Her razor laughter sliced at me. “My first thought was how grateful I was he brought you here and how perfect life will be when you’re gone.”