Winter's Pack

The Cursed, Book 2

By: Lou Grimes

Narrated by: Megan Huggins

Louvette Blackwood is back in the second installment of The Cursed Series.

People being something other than what they appeared to be was a common theme at this table, Louvette thought sarcastically. With a table half full of wolves, the sheep still had no idea what ate alongside them. Nevertheless, one of the guests was a wolf in sheep's clothing, or at least he was attempting to be.

Unable to stop herself, her stare cut over for the millionth time to the long-limbed jet-black haired man who was sitting at the end of the table next to her mother. The wolf pretending to be a sheep, in other words.

Discovering her gift, struggling to tame her wolf, and finding out who ordered her grandfather’s murder are some of the things Louvette must face as the rest of her story unfolds. This time, she’s not facing them alone. Will Louvette and Arsen’s relationship last when secrets come between them?

Louvette has had a rough start to her semester at Whitefish Academy. After finding her missing father’s journal, Louvette Blackwood searches for the truth of what happened to the Blackwood men. From dealing with a perpetual mean girl, newfound secrets, and new foes, the rest of her semester is going to be a rocky one!

Excerpt

"Let's go for a run, then. I haven't been since the pack meet," Louvette decided. The two of them looked at each other, contemplating.

"Deal," Arsen said. The room went quiet for a second. The kind of quiet in an old western movie right before a gunfight, conveniently located in the middle of town for all the townspeople to gawk at. Louvette's eyes narrowed. . Pushing them out of the way, she barreled down the hall and out the front door, giggling. Loud footsteps thundered behind her. She checked over her shoulder for a second as the two of them were fighting to exit the house first.

Her body split into a thousand pieces and newly-formed wolf paws hit the earth. The reshaped muscles worked at maximum efficiency to reach the forest before the boys.

Louvette was conscious of her dark chestnut hair turning white. Her limbs, snout, and ears grew long.

All the human stress that had weighed her down dissipated. She had needed this more than she could have imagined. Everything faded away. Arsen's and Ian's presence were no longer known to her.

The one thing she did comprehend was that running, hunting, and being a wolf were the best things she had ever experienced. She could tell it would be an effortless thing to get lost in. It would be such a freeing concept to keep going into the forest, farther and farther. The need to find where the forest ended was so prominent that Louvette kept going. The sole thing on her mind was running. Not any thought of her family, friends, or Arsen missing her if she kept running. She could do it forever.

A giant furry mountain knocked her off her feet, forcefully making her bones ache. Louvette unsteadily stood up and took in the offender, recognizing it had been Arsen. Though the impact was rough, he had held back some.

Assuming that a wolf could look worried, Arsen's wolf achieved that and more. Being a grey wolf gave him the appearance of appearing far older than he was with his worry. In comparison to her smaller, stockier wolf, Arsen was twice her size. She took in her surroundings for the first time since she first started running. A large river flowed past her, but Louvette had no idea where she was. Wherever she was, it was far from Arsen's home.

Arsen's wolf flicked his nose away from the river. That was all the instruction she needed."

©2020 Lou Grimes (P)2021 Lou Grimes

good sequel

I liked this, but I feel like the main character got sidetracked a lot. There are a ton of things going on and the ones that were focused on weren't all what I thought would be the most important things from the first book. I do like the results of some of the things she found out and am curious to see what happens in the next book as a result.