By the eighth night, I’m running on fumes and desperation. When I first see the movement, I don’t pay attention to it. But then I hear the sound of rustling in the trees at the edge of the forest.
I really just want to let it go. To finish my patrol and collapse into bed for those precious few hours. But duty—that thing I apparently forgot about when Kieran was bleeding in my room—drives me toward the woods.
The figure moves fast, weaving through the forest with purpose. I track it for maybe ten minutes before it disappears into a thicket.
I slow down, every sense on alert. Something’s wrong. The air feels—
The attack comes from my left.
A massive wolf, easily twice the size of any normal pack wolf, crashes into me. I go down hard, my sword flying from my grip. Teeth snap inches from my throat. I twist, bring my leg up, and slam my boot into its ribs.
It barely flinches.
Claws rake across my shoulder, tearing through leather and skin. White-hot pain explodes through my body. I scream and roll away, but the wolf is faster. It pins me, weight crushing my chest, jaws opening wide—
Three wild wolves hit it from the side.
They came. My wolves. They tear into the attacker with vicious efficiency, giving me just enough time to crawl backward, gasping for air. Blood pours down my arm. My vision swims.
The attacking wolf fights like something possessed, throwing off my wolves one by one. It turns back to me, eyes gleaming with an intelligence that makes my skin crawl.
This isn’t a wild wolf. This is a shifter.
It lunges.
I close my eyes.
Impact never comes.
When I open my eyes again, the forest is empty. I can hear the sounds of wolves howling and flesh tearing. Two wild wolves stand guard around me, whining softly. The attacker is gone, and I’m bleeding out into the leaves.
“Help,” I whisper, but there’s no one to hear.
The world tilts sideways. The last thing I see before darkness swallows me is the moon through the canopy, bright and indifferent.
Then, nothing.
Pain dragsme back to the world.
Not a sharp, bright pain. Dull. Distant. Like my body is wrapped in layers of wool, muffling everything.
I crack my eyes open.
White ceiling. Herb-scented air. The familiar sounds of the healer’s compound.
No.
No, I was supposed to—
A slight motion catches my eye, and I turn my head.
Kieran.
He’s sitting in a chair beside my bed, arms crossed over his chest, head resting back against the wall. Asleep. Dark circles shadow his eyes, and there’s stubble along his jaw, which I’ve never seen on him before.
My throat tightens. Why is he here?
“Did you…” My voice comes out raspy. “Did you save me?”
