CHAPTER 94

ASHINA’S POV

As much as I wanted to be alone, I had no choice but to follow Boris’ lead.

The wind howled through the dead pines like a beast mourning its kin. Snow crunched beneath our boots in a relentless rhythm, each step more chastising than the last.

We had been marching for what felt like hours, but in truth, it had only been half of one. Still, the mountain path was merciless—uneven, iced over, and veiled in mist that clung to our cloaks like ghosts. My breath came in steady puffs, although my limbs were beginning to falter, my wound from earlier now a searing throb with every movement.

Alpha Boris walked ahead with purposeful strides, silent as the grave, only glancing back once to make sure I was still keeping pace. I was barely and then it happened.

My right foot caught on a jagged root buried beneath the snow. Pain shot up my ankle like fire. I gasped, stumbled forward, and barely managed to bite back a scream as my leg buckled under me.

“Zelda?” Boris’ voice snapped throug