Chapter 27 Chapter 27
Anya’s POV
"Of course, I'm coming," I whispered, swallowing my guilt. "We're in this together. Remember? I was the one who dragged you out of that fortress."
Carla let out a dry, nervous chuckle as she unlatched the paddock gate. "Oh, now you remember that part."
We moved quickly. We chose the sturdiest-looking mare, and with a silent prayer of apology to the woodcutter, we scrambled onto her back.
Carla took the reins, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, burying my face in her shoulder.
We rode for hours. The world became a blur of dark trees and rushing wind.
My eyelids grew heavy, gravity pulling them down as the adrenaline finally wore off, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion.
I felt Carla slump forward slightly against the horse's neck.
Panic jolted me awake. I tapped her shoulder frantically. "Carla! Hey! We can't sleep now. We have to keep moving."
"The horse is blowing, Anya," she murmured, her voice slurring with fatigue. She pulled back on the reins, slowing the mare to a walk. "We're... we're miles away. We have to stop. The horse needs water, and so do we."
We found a small stream near a ridge and slid off the mare's back. My legs were so numb they buckled when I hit the ground.
We let the horse drink, and I splashed freezing water on my face, trying to wash away the sleep.
I looked around, blinking in the moonlight. The forest had thinned out, replaced by rocky terrain and scrub grass. And then I heard it—the rhythmic, crashing sound of waves.
I walked to the edge of the ridge and gasped.
Below us, a sheer cliff dropped away into darkness, and beyond it stretched the endless, shimmering expanse of the sea. The scent of salt and brine filled the air.
"Look," I breathed, pointing. " The ocean. We made it to the coast."
A wave of relief washed over me. The ocean meant the end of the land. Surely, this was the edge of Alpha Kai's territory. We were so far away now. We were finally safe.
We led the exhausted horse down a winding, rocky path until the cliffs gave way to a small, craggy inlet.
My heart soared. It wasn't just a beach; it was a settlement. But there were no grand stone walls, no patrolling guards with glowing eyes.
Just a cluster of rough-hewn wooden shacks, nets drying on poles, and weathered boats bobbing in the harbor.
Fishermen. Humans.
"Look," Carla whispered, a grin breaking across her tired face. "Wolves hate the salt spray. They hate the open water. They never come this far out."
We tied the horse near a trough and wandered into the small community. The air was thick with the scent of salt, seaweed, and... something heavenly.
My stomach gave a violent growl. An old woman was hunched over a black iron skillet set on a brazier outside her shack, frying fresh, whole fish in bubbling oil.
We stood there, practically drooling.
Carla dug into her pocket and pulled out a single, heavy coin. She pressed it into the old woman's hand.
The woman gasped, holding the gold up to the lantern light. It was more money than she likely made in a year. "For... for the fish?" she stammered.
"For all of it," Carla said with a smile.
Minutes later, we were sitting on a piece of driftwood facing the ocean, devouring the hottest, crispiest, most delicious fish I had ever tasted.
Grease coated our fingers, and the sea breeze tangled our hair, but we didn't care.
For the first time in eighteen years, the air didn't smell like fear. It smelled like freedom.
We ate in comfortable silence for a while, watching the moon reflect on the black water.
"Carla," I asked softly, breaking the silence. "What about your parents? Won't they... won't they be punished because you left?"
Carla stopped chewing. She looked out at the horizon, her expression hardening slightly. She shrugged, a gesture that tried to be casual but carried a heavy weight.
"They stopped caring about me a long time ago, Anya," she said quietly. "Once I was old enough to scrub floors, I was just another paycheck to the pack. They have other children to worry about."
She turned to me, wiping her hands on her apron. "So, yeah. It's okay. I'm on my own now. In a way... I'm just like you."
I nodded slowly, swallowing the last bite of fish. The silence stretched comfortably between us again, filled only by the sound of the crashing waves.
Then, Carla wiped her mouth and turned to me, her expression turning serious. "What about you? Did you know your parents at all? Before you ended up in the orphanage?"
I stopped eating. The delicious taste of the fish suddenly turned to ash in my mouth. I looked out at the dark, endless water, feeling that familiar, hollow ache in my chest.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I never met them."
Carla didn't look at me with pity, which I was grateful for. Instead, her eyes widened, sparking with a sudden, daring idea. She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to an excited whisper.
"Well," she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "In that case... now that we're free... do you want to find them?"