Killian
He feltlike he was being ripped apart from the inside out. There was nothing he could do. He was too slow, not strong enough. He couldn’t protect Scout, and now his mate was gone.
Killian screamed in anger and slammed his fist into the concrete floor, not caring about the sharp shock of pain that ran up his arm. The physical hurt was nothing compared to the pain of watching Scout be torn away from him.
He got to his feet. He knew he had to follow him. Even with a head start, even if he didn’t know exactly where the grey wolf had gone — Killian would catch up eventually. He had to.
Just as Killian was about to shift into wolf form and take off, a low groan reverberated through the prison walls. He stopped. That voice sounded familiar.
“Hello?” he called. Slowly making his way towards the source of the noise, Killian remembered what Scout said to him before he had been stolen away.
He was talking about the scent of blood.
Killian smelled it now, too, as the edge of his adrenaline high wore off. It was thick and coppery and made him grimace. Unlike the smell of a prey animal’s blood, this was intense, almost sour.
The blood of a wolf.
Heart still pounding, Killian ran up to the final cell on the block, with the door that was slightly ajar. The smell of fur and blood was too powerful here, and he had to pinch his nose to block it from overwhelming his senses.
Another light groan filled the air. Killian gasped when he saw the source.
“Father!”
He skidded to his knees beside the king’s bruised and bloody body. His body was half-draped across the Warren bed of the cell. He was a complete mess.
“What happened?” Killian asked. He reached a hand gingerly under the king and raised him so he was sitting upright and could speak properly. To Killian’s relief, the king was intact enough to raise a hand to wipe the blood off his mouth.
“Ugh… Killian,” the king sputtered. “Why are you here?”
Killian ignored the accusatory tone in his father’s voice. “Amy said no one saw you since the attack began. I came to check up on you, and— ”
“The attack?” the king gasped. “Why? What is going on?”
“You don’t know?” Killian asked. “Our territory is being attacked by Silvercreek—right now.”
The king’s eyes widened and he groaned, slowly shaking his head. “Oh… this is all my fault.” He shakily got to his feet, using the jail bars for support. Killian knew he was too proud to accept help, but stood behind him anyway in case he stumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
To Killian’s surprise, the king turned around to gaze at him with eyes full of sorrow and regret. The hairs on the back of Killian’s neck suddenly rose and he didn’t know why.
“Father,” Killian said sharply.
The king let out a long, heavy sigh. Every second he delayed speaking was torture for Killian, who was becoming increasingly nervous and irritated.
“Do you know who did this to me?” the king asked. From his tone, Killian knew it was a question he wasn’t supposed to answer. He merely waited for his father to continue. “It was the grey wolf. The assassin.”
Killian didn’t know what to make of this information at first. He stood, trying to piece everything together, but his mind was such a jumbled mess from everything that had happened that he couldn’t get very far.
“You mean the prisoner? The one you were interrogating?” he asked.
The king nodded.
“Wait.” Killian’s brow furrowed. “How did you know he was an assassin? From the interrogation?”
When the king didn’t reply right away, Killian felt his blood run cold. But he didn’t want to jump to conclusions — not until he heard the words straight from the king’s mouth. This was hisfather. He couldn’t trust the thoughts whirling through his mind without evidence—
“No, Killian,” the king said with a sigh. “I knew he was an assassin before he was taken prisoner.”
