Chapter 17

“She’s escaped,” Viktor growled, getting to his feet. He faced Ophelia. “I told you this would happen, Princess. If you’d just let me—”

“Till when?” Ophelia panted, weakened from the power that had burst forth from within her. “When will the senseless killing stop? Why must we continue this vicious cycle of death?”

“Do you hear yourself?” his deep voice asked in wonder. “Your best friend was just murdered by these unhinged killers.”

Kane, still on the ground from when Ophelia’s power had brought him down, watched them. “I’m sorry about Emmett,” he murmured.

Both pair of eyes snapped at him. “This is all your fault,” Viktor growled at him. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

“Viktor, stop!” Ophelia hissed, her vision spinning. “I can’t—”

She did not finish the words. Her eyes drifted shut and her body fell to the ground with a soft thud. Kane was instantly at her side. He was not sure what had happened earlier with her but it had obviously knocked her out. Even with the mountain of a man breathing heavily behind him, he would not leave her. Kane was past caring what happened to him in this kingdom anymore. The events of the morning had been his fault and guilt ate at him. If he had not fallen in love with Ophelia, then Fiona would not have gone crazy and Ophelia’s friend might still be alive.

He was not so different from his father after all, causing chaos wherever he went. While he was not in tune with his werewolf side, suppressing it in anger for so many years, he’d never wished to be more like them like he did right now. Everything that he thought he stood for by being with the hunters, had all been a lie.

Burning an old woman’s cottage while she was inside? Killing innocent wolves? No, that was not him.

Eric had painted the Blue Hound kingdom to be a location where rogue wolves thrived. He’d left out the part where that was a lie. Kane had come here thinking that the wolves had gone rogue and needed to be purged and now he knew why: Eric knew he never would have come if he had not lied.

Even though Kane hated wolves, he believed that only rogue wolves deserved to be killed. Just like his father, he’d seen what damage those kinds of wolves could unleash. The reckless killings, the constant hunt. It was a miracle he had survived. He’d promised himself to kill only the wolves who had gone unhinged.

Not the Blue Hounds. Ophelia had shown him a side to the wolves he had not known existed. He’d learned so much in the past couple of days that he was certain he would never kill a wolf again. They were a part of him, after all, no matter how much he tried to run away from it.

And he loved Ophelia deeply. He was willing to do anything, to change who he was if it meant that he would become deserving of her.

“Viktor?” A young woman with dark hair marched out of the castle and towards them. Kane recognized her as the friend who had tried to Ophelia from leaving the castle with him last night after he’d snuck in to see her. Behind her, a couple of men trailed. The woman’s eyes roamed towards Viktor and then to Kane, resting on an unconscious Ophelia in his arms before finally spotting the lifeless bloodied body of Emmett at a distance. “Oh, my God.” She gasped, her eyes going wide, her lips parting. “Is that…?”

Her feet dragged her towards Emmett’s body laying on the ground, his arms sprawled out around him. “Oh, God.” She lowered herself to the ground, touching a hand to the wound that had bled him out. Sobbing, she turned her head to look at Viktor. “What happened?”

“A wolf hunter got him,” Viktor said curtly, his gaze resting on Kane. “This one’s lover.”

Fiona was not his lover but he did not correct the misconstruction. He had not even known she had been in love with him all this time. Kane had taken her as a friend, as a sister. How had he not seen it? That she’d tried to murder Ophelia and had instead killed Emmett because of him was a big blow to his face.

Dalia’s teary gaze landed on him. “You killed my friend?”

Kane did not respond. How could he? It was true anyway. He had killed Emmett. Maybe not directly, but the man was dead because of him. He deserved whatever punishment they wanted to give him.

“You fucking bastard!” Dalia charged at him. “I told Ophelia you were bad news. I told her but she would not listen.” Dalia cried, and with every sob, she landed a blow on his chest. Oh, it hurt, especially since she was using her wolf’s strength but Kane knelt there and took every single one of them. He deserved more. Guilt ate at him so badly it physically hurt.

“That’s enough, Dalia,” Viktor said. “I’m sure the king would like to have a conversation with him.”

At the mention of the king, Dalia pulled back, wiping under her eyes. She turned her gaze to the men she’d come out of the castle with. “Take him.”

The wolves approached Kane, all with their fangs out. But Kane did not attempt to run or to resist capture. With a heavy heart, he gave them his arms freely as they dragged him through the ground even though he would have gladly walked.

“No,” Ophelia gasped, her eyes opening and closing tiredly. She reached a hand out, grabbing air. “Don’t. Don’t… take him.”

Their eyes met and he saw the helplessness there. Why was she feeling helpless? He was choosing to be captured. Couldn’t she see that? He was doing this for her.

“Dalia,” Ophelia half sobbed, half gasped. “He’s innocent. Don’t let them kill him, please.”

It was the last thing Kane heard before she disappeared out of view.

Once Kane was out of sight, Dalia turned her gaze to Ophelia laying on the ground. “Never in my life have I wished so badly that I did not know someone. Your wolf hunter boyfriend and his lover might have killed Emmett but you paved the way for them and I’ll never forgive you for that.”

“Dalia…” Ophelia sobbed.

“Of course,” Dalia scoffed. “Tears. Your most powerful weapon. Cry away. I’m not in love with you like Emmett was. Your tears don’t move me one bit.”

Dalia, satisfied with the look of hurt flashing in Ophelia’s eyes, swung on her heel and walked into the castle and it was the first time in Ophelia’s life that she truly felt alone. Emmett was dead, Dalia hated her, Kane was captured and her father would no doubt have her locked up for the rest of her life. Even Viktor had a look of disappointment on his face as he gazed down at her.

When he walked away, Ophelia broke out into hard sobs. All she’d wanted was a life where she and Kane would be accepted and free to love. Not one had she wanted anyone to die, much less Emmett. She tried to remember where it had all gone wrong but came up short.

Emmett was laying lifeless on the ground next to her so why then was she the one feeling dead inside?