Inhaling a sharp breath, I said, “Arokan told me what happened. To his father and his mother. Your sister.”
Hukan’s eyes flashed.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “And you’re right, what I did yesterday was foolish. I understand that now. A guard was injured because of me and I may have lost the respect of the horde.”
“You were not born to lead,” she said, twisting that knife in my chest. “Arokan was. He was born for this. He must make the ugly decisions that no one else wants to make. He needs a strong queen at his side, who brings strength, not failure, to the horde.”
“I realize that,” I said slowly, holding her gaze.
“I can help you get back to your village.”
My breath left me. Stunned, I whispered, “What?”
“I can arrange a guide for you, to take you there,” Hukan said, her jawline as hard as stone. “You will only drag him down. The best decision is if you left and never came back.”
Disbelief and anger made my tongue knot.
“You must leave right now though,” Hukan continued. “I can distract the guards. You can meet my guide in the forest. You can be back in your village this very night.”
“Get out,” I rasped.
“Neffar?” Hukan asked, surprised. “I am offering you what you want. Take it. You can leave before Arokan returns from the hunt.”
“I said get out,” I repeated, my tone low.
Her eyes narrowed.
“I don’t care what you think of me,” I said. “But one thing you should know is that Inevergo back on my word. I promised myself to Arokan and it’s a promise I intend to keep. For the rest of my life.”
Hukan’s expression darkened.
“Leave now,” I said. “Don’t speak to me again unless absolutely necessary and I won’t tell Arokan about this, about how you planned to betray him by sneaking me away.”
“One day,” Hukan hissed, “he willaskme to send you away. When that day comes, I will rejoice.”
I bit my tongue, trying to keep my temper in check, and watched her spin and leave the tent without another word.
I brought a shaking hand up to my lips, anger enveloping me, though I tried to see reason. She was his blood relation. She was only trying to do what she thought was best for him.
But that didn’t matter.
I was hiswife, hisqueen.
Act like it, Arokan had told me. He’d told me I was strong. He hadn’t even hesitated when I’d voiced my insecurities that I wasn’t strongenough.
But I was also human. Hukan accused me of having a big heart, but I wouldn’t be ashamed of that. I wouldn’t let her get to me.
So I didn’t care if I had to shovelpyrokishit for the rest of my life. I would do it.
Marching over to the tent’s entrance, I stepped outside into the late afternoon sunlight and looked at the scarred guard, who I knew spoke the universal tongue. I didn’t ask. A queen didn’t ask.
Instead, I demanded, “Take me to the warrior who was injured yesterday.”
Chapter Twenty
The tent was dark when I stepped inside, after the guard announced my presence. Guilt hit me in the stomach when I saw the injured warrior, sprawled out on his bed. A female was tending to him, his mate, I realized, and that guilt doubled.
“Hello,” I greeted, hoping that at least one of them spoke the universal tongue. “May I come in?”
