Chapter 70 Lone Wolf
Lila rode through the forest without looking back. The horse's hooves pounded against packed earth, each stride carrying her farther from the palace, from Adrian, from the sacrifice they wanted to make of her.
Her mind spiraled backward to the first time she'd arrived at the Northern Kingdom. She'd been nineteen with bright-eyed, trailing behind Celeste like a shadow.
She remembered trying to leave after the wedding, desperate to escape the mate bond that had snapped into place at the worst possible moment.
Adrian had stopped her. Had found excuses to keep her close. Had threatened her with words that still echoed in her memory.
"I will tear down kingdoms to find you."
His voice had been rough, desperate, edged with the same longing that tore at her now. He'd meant it. She'd seen it in his ice-blue eyes. Heard it in the way his wolf had growled beneath his words.
Fear surged through her chest. Would he tear down kingdoms now? Would he send riders after her despite everything? Despite the plague and the council and the curse that demanded her blood?
But things were different now. His kingdom was in chaos. People were dying. She was the obvious cause. The curse itself. He wouldn't waste resources hunting her when every warrior was needed to contain the plague. When every moment counted. When her absence might be the very thing that lifted the curse.
“He won't come for me,” she told herself. “He can't. The kingdom needs him more than I do.“
The thought should have brought relief. Instead, it felt like abandonment. Like the final severing of a bond that had defined her entire adult life.
The sky darkened as she rode. What had seemed like a simple plan when Maya helped her escape suddenly felt reckless. Dangerous. She'd focused so completely on fleeing the palace that she hadn't considered the practicalities of survival. Food, water, shelter, safety.
Adrian had always been concerned about her safety. Had stationed guards outside her chambers. Had forbidden her from leaving the palace grounds without escort.
She'd thought it was control, possessiveness, the Alpha in him needing to keep his mate close. Now, alone in the darkening forest, she understood it had been protection.
The Northern Kingdom stretched for hundreds of miles. She was still within its borders, still technically under Adrian's rule, but far enough that pursuit would take time. If pursuit came at all.
She needed to stop. Needed to rest. The horse was flagging, its breath coming in harsh gasps. Her own body ached from hours in the saddle. But where could she camp? The forest pressed close on all sides, shadows deepening between ancient trees.
Fear crept up her spine like ice water. She was exposed out here. Vulnerable. A lone female without pack protection, without mate bond, without anything except a tired horse and the clothes on her back.
“I should transform,” she thought. “Red can protect me better than this human body.“
It had been so long since she'd shifted. Years, maybe. Her wolf, Red, was timid. Preferred to stay dormant. Preferred to hide beneath Lila's skin rather than face the world's judgment.
Because Red was different. some said she's wrong. Her fur was tinted red, not the normal grays and browns and blacks of healthy wolves. Some called her Blood.
Feared her coloring as a sign of corruption or curse. Her mother had been ashamed. Had hidden Lila away during pack gatherings. Had focused all attention on Celeste, whose golden wolf had been perfect and beautiful and fit for a queen.
Red's unusual coloring had disqualified Lila from any queenship consideration. What use was she to anyone? If she'd been a proper wolf, a proper daughter, the alliance between Northern Kingdom and Moonstone Province could have brought her a royal marriage after Celeste had been wedded. And could have brought power and prestige to her family.
But she was defective. Cursed, maybe, even before Adrian's bond. So she'd lived in her sister's shadow. Had hidden Red away. Had pretended to be fully human most of the time.
Now, alone in the darkening forest, hiding was no longer an option.
Lila dismounted. Her legs shook. She tied the horse to a tree, stroked its neck with trembling hands. The animal's warmth was reassuring.
She needed to scout the area before settling for the night. Needed to make sure she was alone. Needed to…
The bush moved.
Lila froze. Every sense went on high alert. She couldn't see what had moved the branches, but she smelled something. The scent was wrong, not friendly, not anything she recognized.
“Border patrols?“ She thought frantically. “Rogues? Has the plague spread this far already?“
Her senses sharpened with fear. The gross darkness pressed close. Sounds seemed amplified. Her heart hammered so loud she was certain anything nearby could hear it.
She wasn't alone in this forest. Something was out there, watching.
Lila's hands shook as she began removing her clothes. She needed Red. Needed her wolf's speed and senses and instincts. Her human body was too weak, too vulnerable.
She folded her clothes carefully, placed them at the horse's feet. The animal stamped nervously, sensing her fear. Or sensing whatever lurked in those shadows.
Then her bones began to snap.
The transformation hurt. It always did. Years of keeping Red dormant meant the shift was rusty, painful, her body fighting the change even as she forced it. Her spine arched. Her jaw elongated. Fur erupted across her skin in waves of copper-red.
Red emerged with a whimper. Small for a wolf. Her red-tinted fur caught the last rays of dying sunlight, making her look like she was covered in blood.
She'd been called Blood so many times that the name had stuck. Whispered in fear and disgust by pack members who thought her coloring was unnatural.
Red shook herself. Tested her legs. It felt strange to be in wolf form after so long. Strange but also right. Natural in a way her human body never quite was.
She lifted her nose. Scanned the area. The scent was stronger now. Multiple sources. Not just one watcher but several. They were downwind, which meant they'd scented her first. Had been tracking her. Had been waiting for her to stop.
Terror shot through Red's small body. She needed to move. Needed to mark her position so she could find the horse again, then scout the perimeter. Learn what was out there before it learned too much about her.
She scratched marks into a nearby tree. Three vertical lines that would be visible even in darkness. A trail she could follow back.
Then she moved east, deeper into the forest, away from the watching eyes. Her paws were silent on the forest floor. Her red fur blended surprisingly well with autumn leaves and dying undergrowth.
The scent grew stronger and closer, not one source but four. No, five. They were spreading out. Surrounding her projected path.
“They aren't patrols,” Red realized with growing horror. “They are rougues.“
She ran.