Chapter 23

No one said a word. All pair of eyes were fixed on Ophelia, whose body still lay atop Kane like a protective shield, her eyes calculating. She could feel the magic radiating off her body, could feel the energy spreading to her fingertips. Peggy paled in comparison to the man currently staring up at her as though she’d suddenly grown purple horns. It could be that she had been young all those years ago and could not have protected her doll the way she was doing Kane now, but while losing Peggy had hurt, losing Kane would kill her.

“Ophelia,” her father’s voice was filled with shock. “What has come over you?”

“Love, father,” she said. “I won’t marry a man I do not love.”

“Viktor is the best match for you. How can you not see that? Together you’ll rule over this kingdom with heart and mind.” As her father spoke, Ophelia noticed Viktor was nowhere to be found. Either he’d recovered pretty quickly from the wave or he’d never been there to begin with. “You would disobey me because of a wolf hunter?”

“This wolf hunter had the opportunity to kill me several times and you, for that matter but he chose not to,” she replied, remembering when Kane had successfully snuck into the palace some days ago. If he’d had the mind to do anything untoward, it would have been the perfect opportunity and no one would have been the wiser. Why couldn’t he open his eyes and see what she was trying to show him? “You don’t know him as I do.”

Her father did not have the chance to answer as Viktor suddenly reappeared, dragging a bound Fiona behind him. Their entrance was abrupt, yet it held an air of urgency that seized the attention of all who bore witness.

Viktor's grip on Fiona was firm, his eyes ablaze with a mixture of suspicion and apprehension. Fiona's disheveled appearance was a stark contrast to the confident hunter Ophelia had seen days ago. Her clothing bore signs of struggle, her features etched with exhaustion. Slowly, Ophelia got to her feet and Kane did the same.

What did she want? Ophelia did not trust Fiona further than she could throw her. Even bound, she still posed a real threat. “What do you want, Fiona?”

Fiona met her gaze, and Ophelia thought she saw remorse swirling in her eyes but she couldn’t be sure. “I’m sorry about your friend,” she said.

“I asked you a question.” Ophelia’s voice was loud and unfeeling. She might not want Fiona dead even though she’d murdered her friend but it did not mean she had to like the girl, especially since she was in love with Kane.

“I came to warn you all about the wolf hunters,” Fiona said. “I allowed myself to be caught so I could deliver a message—a warning. Eric and his hunters are coming. You have to be prepared.”

The square buzzed with a new kind of tension, a tension that sprang from Fiona’s revelation. Viktor's grip on her seemed to tighten, a mixture of perplexity and wariness marring his features. Ophelia exchanged uncertain glances with Kane before her gaze darted back to Fiona. The question seemed to linger in the air. Could they trust her?

Dalia’s voice resonated, laden with cautious hope. “Why should we believe you?”

“It’s understandable that you don’t believe me,” Fiona's voice cracked as she continued, her guilt evident in the way her words trembled. “I've done things I can't undo. I killed your friend.” Her admission hung in the air like a confession.

“Fiona,” Kane spoke up for the first time, “look at me.”

Fiona raised her gaze to him and they held eye contact. Ophelia’s eyes darted between the both of them, trying to decipher what it was that was going on between them. It felt like they were conversing with their eyes. She did not feel jealous but rather left out and wished she shared that kind of connection with Kane. Then after a few moments, Kane looked at her and nodded. “I believe her.”

Ophelia might not have trusted Fiona but she trusted Kane with her life. However, she could not help but feel slightly doubtful about the entire thing. If Eric was planning to attack them, then why was she here, warning them? Was she not supposed to be with them?

“Does Eric know you’re here?” she asked.

Fiona shook her head. “I had to pretend to agree with his plans or he would have killed me. I might not like wolves, especially since I lost my parents to rogues but I do not condone ruthless killing. Eric has it in his head that wolves should not exist and he will go to any length to make sure your kind is wiped off the surface of the earth,” she said. “He also doesn’t care if Kane dies and that is where I draw the line.”

There it was, Ophelia thought, the jealousy she’d been waiting to feel. Fiona was doing this to save Kane, not because she thought wolves should be left alone to live their lives. She supposed it didn’t matter; the end justified the means after all but it did not take away the image of Kane and Fiona in her head.

“If what you say is true…” King Leonard drew out, his face a mask of worry.

“You have to hurry,” Fiona said. “Kane should have been dead by now, which means that they’re on their way. Probably even here now. We can’t let Eric win.”

“There is no us,” Dalia replied with disgust. “They’ll never be an us. Your kind will always want our kind dead and our kind will always see you as an enemy.”

Fiona stared at her, unblinking. “You don’t have to like me. I’m not doing this for you.”

Dalia curled her lips in anger as their gazes held. Ophelia understood her friend’s—if she could still call Dalia that—anger. Fiona had killed Emmett and he and Dalia had been even closer than she and him. Being so close to her friend’s killer and not being able to do anything must have been excruciating.

“Fiona’s right,” Kane said. “We need to make preparations for an attack. Viktor, are there any weapons?”

Viktor’s gaze flickered to Kane and narrowed at the question but he nodded. “We have an arsenal, yes.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”