Chapter 35 Hunt
The morning dawned cold and gray, mist clinging to the forest like a shroud. Perfect hunting weather, the nobles declared. Visibility would be poor, but that made the challenge more interesting, made the triumph of a successful hunt more impressive.
Fifty riders gathered in the main courtyard. Nobles in expensive hunting leathers. Guards in practical armor. Servants managing the hounds that bayed and strained at their leashes. The energy was festive despite the chill, nobles laughing and boasting about their hunting prowess.
Adrian sat astride a massive black stallion, every inch the Alpha King. His hunting bow was strapped across his back, a quiver of arrows at his hip. He looked calm, controlled, but Lila saw the predator beneath. Saw the wolf waiting to hunt.
Celeste appeared in riding clothes that were too formal, too impractical. She sat sidesaddle on a gentle mare, her posture stiff with nervousness. Garrett rode beside her on a flashy white gelding, his hand occasionally reaching over to steady her horse. Playing the devoted protector.
Lila had ignored Adrian's command to stay behind. She couldn't ride in the actual hunt—women rarely did, and her riding skills were mediocre at best. But she'd convinced Maya to bring her to the forest's edge in a small carriage, close enough to observe from the tree line.
She had to be here. Had to witness whatever was about to happen.
The Master of the Hunt raised his horn. The sound echoed across the courtyard, harsh and commanding. Hounds bayed in response. Horses danced with anticipation.
"Riders, to positions!" The Master called. "We hunt boar today. Dangerous game. Stay alert. Stay together. And may the Moon Goddess guide your arrows true."
The hunting party moved out in organized chaos. Adrian took the lead position, as was his right as king. Garrett positioned himself near the middle of the pack, staying close to Celeste. Other nobles spread out in a loose formation designed to cover maximum ground while maintaining visual contact.
They disappeared into the forest, the sound of hooves and hounds fading into mist.
Lila waited at the tree line, Maya beside her. The carriage sat abandoned behind them. Through the mate bond, she tracked Adrian's movement deeper into the forest. Felt his focus narrow to predatory intent.
An hour passed. Then two. The sounds of the hunt were distant—horns signaling directions, hounds baying when they caught scent, occasional shouts as riders chased prey.
Then Lila felt it. Adrian's focus shifting. No longer hunting boar. Hunting something else. Someone else.
Through the bond, she felt him positioning himself. Felt him nocking an arrow. Felt his absolute certainty that justice was about to be served.
"Something's wrong." Maya whispered. "The hunt has gone quiet."
She was right. The forest had gone silent. No horns. No hounds. No shouts. Just eerie stillness wrapped in mist.
Then Celeste rode ahead of the pack. Lila saw her through gaps in the trees—the flash of her mare's coat, the pale blue of her riding dress. She was separated from the main group, her horse moving faster than she could control.
"Celeste, wait!" Garrett's voice echoed through the forest. "Your horse…something's wrong!"
The mare was panicking. Lila could see it even from a distance. The animal's eyes were wide, its movements erratic. Celeste clung to the saddle, clearly losing control.
Adrian appeared through the mist, his bow lowered. He'd abandoned his hunt for Garrett the moment he saw Celeste in danger. Through the bond, Lila felt his terror mixing with confusion. This wasn't part of his plan. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Celeste's mare bolted. The horse crashed through underbrush, carrying its rider away from the hunting party. Celeste screamed, her hands losing grip on the reins.
The forest sloped ahead. Lila knew this area from maps, a steep ravine cut through the eastern section. Rocky. Dangerous. No place for a panicked horse to run.
"CELESTE!" Adrian's voice rang out. He kicked his stallion forward, chasing after her.
Through the bond, Lila felt the exact moment he realized what was about to happen. Felt his absolute horror. Felt his desperate, futile hope that he could reach her in time.
Celeste's scream cut off abruptly.
Then silence.
Adrian's spike of horror through the bond hit Lila like a physical blow. She gasped, nearly collapsed. Maya caught her, held her upright.
"What's happening?" Maya demanded. "What did you feel?"
"Celeste." The name came out broken. "Something terrible just happened to Celeste."
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Lila ran into the forest before Maya could stop her. She crashed through underbrush, following the mate bond toward Adrian's location. Branches tore at her dress, rocks cut her palms, but she didn't slow. The devastation pouring through the bond was suffocating. Adrian's horror so absolute it threatened to drown them both.
She found the ravine first. Twenty feet of rocky slope ending in scattered boulders at the bottom. Other riders were already gathering at the edge, staring down in shocked silence. Someone was crying. Another was vomiting into the bushes.
At the bottom lay Celeste.
The sight punched all air from Lila's lungs. Her sister, her beautiful, complicated, bitter sister, lay broken on the rocks like a discarded doll. Her neck was bent at an angle that made Lila's stomach heave. Her pale blue riding dress was torn and darkening with blood. Her eyes stared at nothing, already glazing over.
"No." The word escaped Lila as a whimper. "No, no, no."