“Egith sent me a message, “ I say, cramming the healer’s kit into my pack. “I’m heading to Grunfall.”
“Grunfall?” he repeats. “The front? By yourself? I think not.”
“I’m not asking for permission,” I grunt as I fasten the ties on my pack.
Starks voice deepens with anger. “You are an Alpha, Cooper. And one still in training, at that. You can’t go charging off without protection.”
The dangerous tone makes me bristle. Finally, I turn to face him, temper spiking.
“I don’t need any damn protection,” I snap. “I’ve been training with you for weeks. Or did you forget how I put you on your back this morning?”
His face turns thunderous. He steps into my room, filling the small space with his looming presence.
“You took me down once,” he growls, “and you think that makes you invincible? Alpha or not, you’re still a trainee. The Siphons will smell the green on you a mile away—and they’d love nothing more than to capture an Alpha.”
Something inside me hardens as I face him. It’s the same feeling I got when I was torturing that Nabber.Nothingis going to stop me from saving my sister—not even Stark.
“You’re going to have to put me down if you want to stop me,” I say in a cold, deadly voice.
Stark’s expression shifts, reading my face. His jaw tightens. The deep brown eyes narrow with calculation. Silence stretches between us, thrumming with the threat of violence.
“You’re not going alone,” he grates. “I’m coming with you.”
Shock and fury flash through me. “The hell you are!”
“It’s not a request,” he says in a tone of steely command. “Talk to your wolf about it. I bet Anassa will agree with me.”
I reach for her.“Don’t fuck me like this, Anassa,”I hiss.“We can’t trust him.”
She growls, and it sounds like laughter.“Of course we can, he’s a fellow Alpha. I’ve decided already. He and Cratos will come with us, for your safety.”
Anassa sounds very pleased to be going around me with this call.“Traitor.”Cratos will probably eat me for a snack when he gets hungry.
My gaze snaps back up to Stark and I scowl. “Whatever. Come with us or don’t, just don’t get in my way.”
I can’t think of anything but getting to the front as quickly as possible.
Stark summons a servant to gather his travel supplies and meet us at the gates. We’re packed and ready to go within the hour.
As we mount our wolves and the castle gate cranks open, I feel a brief twinge of guilt. I left a note in my room for Killian explaining everything and promising I’ll be back in a week. He’s going to be worried, but there’s no time to say goodbye.
No time to argue about what I’m doing.
Despite what I said to Stark, Iknowthis is reckless. I know it’s dangerous—the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done, which is really saying something. But I don’t have a choice.
If I miss this chance and Saela dies—if I never see her again because I waited too long…
I push the thought away. I’m going to find her. Whatever it takes.
We leave the castle walls behind without a backwards glance, our wolves moving in practiced synchronization, their massive paws eating up the distance with otherworldly speed.
Stark and Cratos take the lead at first, guiding us down a broad dirt road that swerves away from the city and spits us out into mountain wilderness.
This is the path the troops take to get to the front. It’s forbidden to commoners, so there’s nothing to slow our pace.I lower my head and lean into Anassa’s body as her speed increases. Even in my state of desperate focus, the pace is exhilarating. We’ve never moved this fast before, even during the Trials.
Which is good. On horseback, the journey to the front takes two weeks. At this pace, we can be there in twodays—if we don’t run into any trouble.
I glance to my left. Stark and Cratos keep pace beside us with unnerving ease, moving like one creature with two bodies.
