“And?” Rhoden asks incredulously.
“And a pack is at least five.” I shrug, not knowing if this is factual in any way.
Regardless, I would rather eat every single one of the gowns in my wardrobe than admit that Braxton did something even remotely heroic, especially after what he said to me yesterday.
His condescending words about doing what I’m told echo in my skull, and suddenly I wish the rumors about Braxton’s arm being torn clean off were true. After all, my ability to escape this curse isn’t altered by him being badly injured.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be running on the front lines of a wolf attack.”
“Didn’t they seek the wolves out?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, did the wolves come and attack, or did they seek out the wolves, and the wolves merely defended themselves?”
“Wow,” Rhoden lets out a low whistle.
“What?”
“Either you really love animals, or you really hate Braxton.” There was a glimmer of amusement in Rhoden’s mossy eyes.
Pretending to think on it for a moment, I tilt my head to the side before saying, “I think it’s both.” A smile creeps up my lips.
Rhoden snorts and shakes her head. When I turn to make my way to the garden’s, she stops me by gently grabbing my forearm.
“What?” I inquire, seeing her apprehensive expression.
“We aren’t supposed to go into the gardens until they find the last wolf.”
Now it’s my turn to chortle. “I’m not staying cooped up inside because Braxton is on some kind of power high after taking down a defenseless animal.”
“I wouldn’t really call having a mouth full of sharp weapons defenseless,” Rhoden counters.
“Are you purely in the mood to argue with me this morning?”
She twists her lips to the side before bringing her pointer finger up and tapping her chin. “It does seem to make the day go by faster.”
I plant my hands on my hips. “Well, I’m going to stroll the gardens. If you would like to join me, you can, but I’m going regardless.”
Rhoden hesitates a moment longer before taking a step forward. I can see the rigidity of her posture as she readies herself to pass the threshold into the garden.
“Rho,” my voice softens, and I gently grab her elbow. “If you’re nervous to go into the gardens, you don’t have to join me. I won’t be out there long. I’m just going to do a short stroll for some fresh air, and then I’ll come right back inside.”
I watch her body physically sag with relief. “I’ll meet you in the library?” she offers.
“That’s perfect.” I give her a warm smile and watch as she heads back into the castle.
Secretly, I’m glad to be alone. I plan on going over to the forget-me-not bushes and seeing if I can pick some for my room, and the last thing I need is for it to somehow get back to Braxton. I can easily imagine how smug he’ll be if he finds out that I miss the hand-delivered flowers I’d been receiving every morning. Even though it has nothing to do with him and everything to dowith the fact that I’ve simply grown accustom to having flowers in my room.
I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one can see what I’m doing, and am lucky that everyone seems to be taking Braxton’s orders of staying inside very seriously. The castle grounds look both beautiful and haunting as an early morning mist hovers in the air before the sun burns it away. The fog it creates distorts my vision of where I’m going slightly, but not enough to where I can’t find the bushes.
There’s something nice about it being so empty this morning. It’s peacefully quiet, and as I perk my ears to listen to the sounds of the early morning, I’m stunned to realize that it’s actually deafeningly quiet, as in there’s not a single sound being made. No birds chirping. No wind rustling the leaves in the trees. From here, you can’t even hear the chatter of the servants inside the castle.
An eerie feeling begins to climb up my neck, when I hear a soft whine in the near distance. At first, I hesitate, but when I hear the distressed whimper a second time, I pick up my skirts and round the corner, coming face to face with the largest dog I’ve ever seen.
I falter, my heart constricting in my chest and ice running through my veins. The giant animal looks up when it hears the clamber of my heeled steps. Its brilliant blue eyes focus on me, but it doesn’t bare its teeth. After a moment of the creature studying me, it returns to licking its paw. Ironically enough, the dog is lying right in front of the forget-me-not bushes that I planned to pick my flowers from, as if fate wanted us to cross paths.
I walk closer to the animal, diligently watching to see its reactions. When it stays docile, I take a few more apprehensive steps forward. I’m practically close enough to reach out and pet it when it finally lifts its gaze and begins studying me the sameway I’m studying them. The animal’s piercing eyes bore into mine, assessing. Its stark white fur makes it easy to spot the blood that has stained the bridge of its nose, where I can see a few small scrapes reside. Upon determining I’m not a threat, the creature returns to licking its paw, alerting me to the smeared and faded scarlet dotting that patch of fur as well.
