Claiming His Witch by Ellis Leigh Page A

the lonely sound ripped through the air, a feeling of rightness and purpose. The thread tying me to Pup drew taut around my heart. Pulling me. Leading me once more. And I refused to deny it.  
    I stood on shaky legs and walked toward the single window, moving faster with each step. Throwing open the sash and screen, I hurried to crawl over the sill. My feet slipped on the tin of the overhang below, but I held on to the edge and caught my balance before letting go. Before rushing to escape.
    I shuffled down the incline, careful and quiet. When I reached the edge of the little roof over the back porch, I hopped down and rolled through my landing. Relief washed over me as I felt the grass beneath me. Jumping to my feet, I looked over my shoulder. The house was dark, quiet in a way that spoke of death and not just sleep. The darkness made me shiver hard, the cold air not helping at all.
    Within seconds, I was running south. Through trees, over sand, along the lake—my pace stayed steady and my feet flew. The dark and cold didn’t matter. I needed Pup, the handsome man with the missing surname. I needed the warmth his presence gave me. Needed the quiet comfort I’d found with him.  
    Everything within my soul told me I needed to be with him.
    The camp was dark and quiet as I hurried through the tree line. And while I wondered briefly if I was intruding or trespassing where I didn’t belong, I also felt a sense of relief just knowing Pup and I were on the same property. And yet, I doubted. I stood and argued with myself over the best way to let him know I was there until a voice shattered the darkness.
    “He’s sleeping, but I know he’d love to see you.”
    Charlotte sat on the step leading to a cabin next to the one Pup was staying in. She wore a ridiculously large sweatshirt and pajama pants with what looked like dancing penguins printed on them. With her hair up in a ponytail and no makeup, she looked about sixteen.
    “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to bother—”
    She waved me off. “Sure you were, but you faltered there at the end.”
    I nodded. “I’m a little…confused tonight.”  
    She leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky. “I know that feeling. Like falling for them would be the absolute worst and best thing ever. Like being with them would be the hardest and best choice in your life.” She looked over at me once more. “Like your entire future is right through that door, but if you open it, you have to lose everything you’ve ever known and loved.”
    I crept closer, desperate to see Pup and yet intrigued by her view of my situation. “Like I’d have to give up my life to be a part of his and wondering how I could be so certain it would be worth it.”
    She nodded. “Like you’ll have to mourn the loss of your family and friends being in your life while celebrating the amount of love you have for him.”
    “I refuse to mourn for my sisters.”
    “As I refuse to mourn for my brother, the only family I have left, and yet here we are.” She stood, pushing her blond hair back as the wind caught it. “My name’s Charlotte Andrews. I found out I was the mate to a wolf shifter just seven months ago, so I’m no expert. But if you ever need an ear, you can use mine.”
    “Thanks. I appreciate that. And I’m Azurine Weaver, but everyone calls me Zuri.”
    “Well, Zuri, I can guess that there are two men wide awake right now. One of the downsides to this whole extravaganza is the heightened senses these boys have. You lose your privacy and your ability to have a secret.” She glanced over her shoulder at the door to the cabin and sighed. “They’re probably getting a little cranky, waiting for us to join them.”
    I looked over to the cabin where Pup was staying, butterflies taking flight in my stomach.
    “What if he doesn’t want me here?”
    Before she could answer, the door to Pup’s cabin opened and the man himself stepped onto the porch in nothing but a pair of tight-fitting