Chapter 22 Fucked In The Woods (1)

Chapter 22 Fucked In The Woods (1)
—•LUCIA•—

“Lucia! How many times have I warned you not to wander into the woods alone?” my father, the Alpha King, thundered. 

His voice echoed through the throne room, rattling the walls.

I flinched but lifted my chin, forcing my voice steady. “Father, it was just a short run. Nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened?” he roared. “Goddess, Lucia, the woods are full of rogues! What if one of them had attacked you?” His fist slammed against the arm of his throne.

“Your father is right,” my mother added, her voice tight with worry. “The woods are dangerous.”

I bit back my frustration. “Sorry, Father. It won’t happen again.” 

The words came easily, a lie I didn’t even bother hiding. 

Tomorrow, I would probably slip into the woods and run again.

The woods were my only escape from the rules, from the weight of my duties as a princess.

The only place where Skylar, my wolf, and I could truly breathe. 

“Of course it won’t happen again,” my father said, his tone dropping to a low, dangerous growl. “Because you are grounded until further notice.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Grounded?

No.

Anything but that.

The last time he grounded me, I spent three months confined to my rooms.

I nearly died of boredom. 

“Father, you can’t—”

“I can, and I will!” my father yelled, cutting me off. “Until you learn to follow my rules, you will stay there. You are the heir to this throne, and I cannot have you misbehaving whenever you please!” 

“Dad…” I began, but he turned his face away.

Desperately, I looked to my mother. “Mom… please. Beg father not to ground me.”

She folded her hands in her lap, avoiding my eyes. “Do what your father says, Lucia. He knows what is best for you.”

Argh! 

There she went again, always on his side. 

Never on mine. 

I let out a sharp, angry sigh, turned on my heel, and stormed out, stomping all the way to my room.

The moment I stepped inside, I slammed the door behind me. “Goddess, why does no one understand me?” I muttered, collapsing onto my bed.

The cool sheets did little to soothe me. 

My father was always going on about rogues, about how dangerous they were—but in all my runs, I’d never seen a single one.

So… we’re really getting grounded again? Skylar whimpered inside my head.

“Yes… I guess we are,” I murmured aloud.

“Not another month, or even worse, months of being stuck,” she whined.

“I know… I hate it too,” I whispered. “We’ll just have to get through it.”

I rolled onto my side and stared out the window, gazing over the entire kingdom.

The palace perched atop the highest hill, giving me a clear view of everything, including the neat rows of pack houses, the guards on patrol, and the dark, sprawling edge of the woods. 

Our territory wasn’t what it once had been.

Years ago, the Rogue King had seized much of it, killing our people and taking over large portions of our lands.

He was ruthless, feared by every Alpha across the kingdoms. 

Just thinking about him sent a cold shiver down my spine. 

I never wanted to cross paths with him.

I turned to stare at the ceiling, and eventually, sleep dragged me under.

~~~~~~~

Howl!!!!

A loud howl pierced my dreams.

I buried my face in the pillow, trying to ignore it.

Howl!!!!

Howl!!!!

It came again, louder and more insistent. 

I groaned and sat up, trying to find the source of the sound, but it never came again.

The howl had vanished.

“Was I dreaming? No… it couldn’t have been a dream. I’m sure I heard that howling loud and clear,” I whispered.

I stretched and started to lie back down when a sudden flash of light outside my window caught my eye. 

Curious, I moved to the glass—and gasped.

A meteor shower.

A real, flashing, streaking meteor shower. 

It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

The lights seemed to be falling somewhere deep in the woods, near the Blue River.

I needed to see it up close.

I turned, a smile on my face, and took two steps toward my door—then froze 

“Oh, right,” I muttered. “I’m grounded. I can’t leave my room.”

“We have to see it before it’s gone!”

Skylar urged, her excitement prickling under my skin.

“We can’t. I’m grounded.”

“We can sneak out. Just for a little while.”

“No. We’ll get into so much trouble if father finds out.”

“He won’t find out,” she insisted. “We’ll run fast, see the lights, and come right back. He’ll never know.”

I chewed my lip, eyes fixed on the distant, fading streaks of light. “But… how? We obviously can’t go through the front door.”

“The window.”

I stared at it for a moment.

Of course—Skylar was right. 

Why hadn’t I thought of that? 

We could definitely sneak out through the window.

“Alright, we’d better get going,” I said. 

“Yeeehhhh…” Skylar purred with excitement. 

I moved quickly, pulling on a dark hoodie and tying my hair back. 

I shoved a pair of pants and a t-shirt I’d need later into my small emergency backpack, then slung it over my shoulder.

Then I pushed the window open, checked for guards below, and, once I was sure none were in sight, I climbed out. 

Using my wolf’s agility, I dropped silently onto the grass.

I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head, hiding my face, and hugged the shadows, slipping past patrolling guards and some maids. 

The main gate was out of the question, so I headed to the high back fence, scaled it, and dropped onto the open ground beyond.

The moment my feet touched the earth, I let the shift take me. 

Bones cracked, fur sprouted, and my senses ignited. 

Skylar surged forward, my white wolf form taking over, the backpack secured firmly on her neck. 

Together, we ran.

The wind tore through my fur, the ground a blur beneath my paws. 

We tracked the dying trails of the meteors, moving deeper into the woods past thick trees and rustling leaves. 

After a few minutes, we emerged into a clearing by the Blue River.

The sight before us took my breath away.

The last of the meteors streaked like silver tears across the night sky, their light shimmering on the still water. 

It’s so beautiful.

I couldn’t believe I was seeing them up close. I was so happy.

I padded closer to the water’s edge, my wolf panting softly from the run.

Crunch!

A sudden rustle of leaves came from behind me.

I whipped my head around.

Nothing. 

The rustling stopped.

“It’s probably just the wind,” I told myself.

A few seconds later, the final meteor faded.

“We should head back now,” I said to Skylar.

“Yes, we should,” she replied.

I turned, ready to run back to the palace before anyone noticed I was gone.

Just then four massive, scarred wolves stepped from the behind the trees. 

Their eyes glowed a sickly, hungry yellow.

I knew immediately—they were Rogues.

My breath caught. “Shit!”

I spun around to run the other way, but three more emerged from the opposite side. 

I turned again. 

Another two. 

I was completely surrounded. 

They began to close the circle, their low growls filling the air.

What am I going to do?

Panic seized me. 

I couldn’t fight all of them. 

What do I do now?

I should have listened to Father and stayed in my room. 

Coming here was a mistake, and now I’m trapped in this mess.

The Rogues pressed closer, their matted fur bristling.

The stink of blood and rot hit my nose. 

I curled my lip and snarled, baring my teeth.

“Back off!” I growled, the sound vibrating through my chest.

One of them, a huge brute with a torn ear, let out a rough, choking laugh. “Feisty little royal,” his voice grated in my mind.

As I gathered my legs to lunge at him, a rogue in human form burst from behind the trees and shot a small syringe into my thigh.

A sharp, stinging pain shot through my leg.

I yelped and stumbled back.

Wolfbane.

I’d just been hit with Wolfbane.

Cold numbness surged through my leg, spreading fast.

“No… no!” I tried to howl, but my voice came out as a weak, slurred whimper. 

My legs buckled. 

Everything around me tilted, the trees spinning around my head. 

The rogue’s faces blurred into monstrous shadows. 

A deep, ringing silence filled my ears, and then everything went black.