His family would love him to the end, of course; they had assured him of that. But what would happen after the end? Would he attack Meena, so completely alive but so small and defenseless?
Or would he turn on Ian, whom he had always idolized? Heroic Ian would not even raise a hand in self-defense if Beast-Aden attacked him. And Onric... cheerful Onric who had just discovered the light and love of his life. Onric deserved to live.
A strangled laugh twisted in Aden’s throat, coming out as a gasping sob. No, Aden would not be the cause of further grief and death in his family.
Erich had deserved to live, too. Erich, who would have been more afraid of a lasting scar on his suave face than of death itself. Aden felt a pang of guilt for all the times he had poked fun at his younger brother. Always ready for a party, Erich had the biggest heart of them all and loved to make sure everyone around him was laughing and enjoying themselves. Aden hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye before Erich was gone.
So, Aden had left. Under the cover of darkness, hours after the secret meeting with the councilors and Munney, Aden had climbed out of his bedroom window.
Of course, he had done the same thing many times throughout the years, but surprisingly, the angles and muscles of his agile new body had made it even easier to clamber over the masonry and ridges of the castle.
He’d requested a late-night meal and then packed it in a leather satchel along with the cursed rose—which he had carefully wrapped in damp linen to prolong its life as long as possible. At least as long as it took to get to the northern mountains. Where he could hide in obscurity and wait for the end.
Aden had covered a considerable distance since leaving the castle. He occasionally thought he could hear the sound of footsteps chasing after him, but no one had overtaken him.
Now, as daylight broke across the horizon, he knew he needed to get off the main road. Travelers and merchants would be up and about soon, making their way toward the capital.
Hunched low, he trekked into the woods. He needed to get far enough off the road so as not to be found.
Perhaps, if the forest floor was dense enough, he could continue pressing forward. However, his aching muscles and drooping eyelids begged him to stop and rest.
Feeling safely secluded from the main road, he finally found a mossy area and sank to the ground.
Attempting to hold his breath, he focused his sensitive hearing on the space around him. No other footsteps crashed through the undergrowth.
His heart hammered and his lungs screamed for air as his overtaxed body readjusted to the lack of movement. He inhaled slowly and quietly.
The forest around him was filled with noises, but none of them were threatening. Leaning back against a tree, he closed his eyes. Eventually, the soft ripple of leaves in the morning breeze lulled him to sleep.
He woke with a start to the sound of a snapping twig.
He froze, tensing his muscles, ready to spring into action if a threat presented itself. He did not hear any additional sounds of a living thing, man or beast.
He slowly leaned back against the tree behind him, attempting to sleep once again. The surge of energy that had sprung his muscles into action disappeared, leaving them even more exhausted and heavy than before. But his mind was now awake, listening even more carefully than before for the sound of an intruder.
The sun rose in the sky above him, but the shade of the trees kept him cool. Surprisingly, the fur covering his body was not as overbearingly hot as he had expected.
Other than its usual sounds, the forest remained quiet. The twig must have been broken by a passing deer. Aden slowly let his eyelids close once again, drifting into an alert sleep.
Again, the sound of a snapping twig woke him. He had not been sleeping long, as the sun appeared to be in the same place in the sky above him. Was exhaustion merely driving him mad?
Perhaps the effects of the curse were already setting in.
He listened for any additional sound, expecting to hear only emptiness once again. His heart raced, though. He could not control the way in which his body reacted to sound, nor could he control the amount of sound that his ears perceived. Sleep was a useless endeavor.
After the space of two breaths, he heard the distinct sound of a footfall on the forest floor.
He eased himself up, his body going on high alert. Inhaling through his nose, he attempted to get a better understanding of his tracker. Much to his frustration, he could not make out any unfamiliar aroma in the forest.
The footsteps sounded again. They were light. Either it was a very small person, or someone who was fairly well versed in quiet movement.
Another set of footfalls sounded too closely to the first. It must be two people. They were close now. Aden stood, not caring if he alerted them to his presence as they were walking directly toward him and would soon be upon him.
The footsteps picked up their pace, and Aden could hear a panting breath. He finally caught a whiff of the intruder, and his mind put the pieces together all at once just before his attacker broke through the thick undergrowth. It was not a person, nor was it two people.
It was Warrior.
The small pup stopped, half-hidden by the bushy ferns as he stared up at Aden. The dog sniffed and barked. It was not a welcoming bark, nor was it an angry yelp. It was something in between.
