Swallowing the fear clawing at my throat, I forced my feet to obey as I took careful step to the side, eyes locked on his smoldering red gaze. He mirrored me, a guttural growl vibrating through his chest, muscles coiled and shoulders tensed, ready to strike.
It was now or never.
My long-dormant survival instinct, buried beneath years of life as a princess, snapped awake. I launched myself in the opposite direction of the dùthragh, sprinting with every ounce of strength I had. The ground trembled beneath his weight, and I could feel his hot, fetid breath on my heels—so close he seemed ready to snap at my ankles.
Damn it!
I weaved through the forest, dodging trunks and roots on my way. He might be faster, but I was more agile. Branches tore at my skin and leaves slapped my face, yet I pressed on. My breath came in ragged pants, my heart hammering like it might burst. Behind me, the snarls drew ever closer.
Before I could get far, the wolf knocked me down, his claws tearing through the rest of my dress and the skin beneath. An agonizing cry escaped me as the pain hit with the strength of a thousand sharp swords.
I struggled to push him away, but the beast was too strong. His teeth closed in on my neck, the stench of blood androt making me gag. In that moment, all I could see was my mother’s face. If I died here, she would never forgive me. Her words—the ones she always used to calm me when I was angry with Father or Leone—echoed in my mind:
A Kerridan never bows her head. To anyone.
Drawing strength from the memory, I let out a grunt and, summoning the last of my energy, willed the roots of the surrounding trees to move. A thick, twisted root shot into my peripheral vision. It wouldn’t be enough to kill the dùthragh, but it could buy me a moment.
The root struck with a dry snap, sending the beast sprawling several yards until his massive body collided with a tree trunk. Pain shot through my back as I staggered upright. The forest tilted around me, and I pressed my hands into the ground to steady myself.
The dùthragh rose, more terrifying than ever. His green fur bristled like twisted needles, his jaws stretched wide to reveal unnaturally long teeth, and his red, hungry eyes burned with a supernatural glow.
I should have been trembling with fear, begging for mercy—but instead, fury consumed me. Done with this wretched day, I lifted my chin and bared my fangs at the beast.
“If you think I’ll submit to you,” I hissed, “you’re gravely mistaken.”
Adrenaline surged through me. I clenched the dagger and forced myself upright, legs trembling like a newborn calf. Every muscle screamed in protest, but I rose anyway, gasping, my back ablaze and my vision wavering.
The beast slammed a massive paw against the ground, as if sensing I wouldn’t be easy prey. His jaws opened wide, chestrumbling. My blood ran cold as I realized it was preparing for the third, fatal howl.
Before it could unleash the howl, a thunderous roar tore through the forest, yanking his attention away. The red eyes flared even brighter, and the beast pivoted toward the sound, ignoring me.
Still half-dizzy, I barely made out a towering silhouette emerging from the trees, wielding an axe larger than I was, held at the ready. The newcomer advanced toward the wolf with confidence, fearless and unyielding.
He was huge. Taller and much more muscular than I was in my current form, with leaf-green skin, long black hair tied in braids decorated with small bone beads. Thick leather armor hugged his massive frame, while scarred, tattooed arms wielded a battle-axe like it was a toy.
He was, without a doubt, an orc. Instinct made me step back—the axe looked capable of separating my head from my body in a single swing. Yet the orc barely spared me a glance, his attention fixed entirely on the dùthragh.
He didn’t hesitate. With a fierce growl that sent shivers down my spine, he swung the axe above his head as if it were weightless. The massive blade arced toward the wolf’s neck. In a flash, the creature dodged, and the axe slammed into the ground with a muted thud. Undeterred, the orc pulled it back and struck again.
I could do nothing but stare, stunned, as the brutal fight played out before me.
Despite being a mountain of muscle, the orc moved with uncanny agility, dodging every lunge the wolf threw at him. The scent of wet earth and the beast’s musk hung thick in the air. With a guttural sound, he pivoted, swinging his axewith precision, forcing the dùthragh to retreat. Furious at being cornered, the wolf leaped, claws outstretched, aiming straight for the orc’s broad chest.
Instead of dodging, the orc let out a raspy, predatory laugh and, to my shock, thrust his arm straight into the wolf’s path. His fangs sank deep into his forearm, dark green blood spurting instantly and staining his leather armor. The orc didn’t even flinch.
With the dùthragh clamped onto his arm, he swung the axe with the other. The blade sank into the wolf’s side with a sickening, wet crack. The beast howled in pain—a guttural sound unlike his deadly howl before—and thrashed violently, desperate to break free.
The orc didn’t release his hold. With his wounded hand, he seized the wolf’s neck and lifted him off the ground. The dùthragh, once an unstoppable force, now thrashed uselessly in the orc’s iron grip.
Then, with one final roar, the orc bared his fangs and, in a display of brute strength that made my bones shake, crushed the wolf’s throat with a single hand. The herald of death fell silent; his red eyes went dull, and the body went limp in the orc’s grip. He drew a deep, ragged breath, chest rising and falling heavily, and finally turned to me. My heart froze. In a moment that felt like a dark comedic play, my vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was the orc letting out a huff.
Chapter 6
I woke with my back in flames. Living embers licked my skin, searing through flesh and bone alike. The pain was so sharp that a scream tore from my throat before I could even find my bearings.
I thrashed instinctively, desperate to escape the unbearable agony, only to realize I could barely move. My arms and legs were pinned, bound tightly at the wrists and ankles, every struggle tightening the restraints.
“Kor’uk!” a rough, strange voice barked nearby, momentarily distracting me from the excruciating pain.
