Chapter Seven

Lily’s POV

I woke to a dull, throbbing ache across my entire back. A soft groan escaped me as I tried to open my eyes. Sunlight filtered through a small window, casting warm patches across the wooden floor of what looked like a modest inn room. I wasn’t in the desert camp anymore. The air smelled of woodsmoke, roasted meat, and herbs.

I was on my stomach. My whole back was bare. Cold air hit my skin. I tried to push myself up, but a wave of numbness and sharp pain stopped me cold. My back felt like it had been torn open. I froze when I felt warm fingers gently rubbing ointment into the wounds.

“Don’t waste your energy,” a voice said above me. Low. Calm. “You might faint again from the pain.”

Daron.

“You’ve been unconscious for two days due to the pain,” he went on, still applying the ointment. His touch was steady. Clinical. “The wolf doctor gave you some medicines which will probably make you feel weak and numb.”

My stomach turned. Two days. He’d seen me like this for two days.

“What exactly do you want from me?” I asked. My voice was raw. “You whip me and now you apply ointment on the same scars.”

“To dress your wound, of course,” he said. He didn’t stop. His fingers traced a line down my spine, and I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. “Or else you’ll be left with scars.” He paused. “Why would I need anything from you? There’s no female amongst my army and I had told my men to dress your wounds, but I figured it would be best I do it myself. You don’t expect me to blindfold myself just to dress you up or take care of your wound.”

Humiliation burned hotter than the whip. “If you want to kill me, just do it,” I said through my teeth. “Why constantly humiliate me by seeing me like this?”

Daron’s hand paused for a moment. “I don’t understand why you’re so bothered by your nakedness at a time like this. You act as if it matters.”

My nails dug into the mattress. “You should as well just kill me, Daron, ‘cause I won’t stop trying to kill you with any chance I get.”

He leaned closer. I felt his breath on the back of my neck. My whole body went rigid.

“It took me great resolve not to kill you that night, Lily,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “If I were you, I wouldn’t seek death so easily now. I plan to break your spirit slowly before giving you that death. No rush. We’re getting closer to Moonlit Whisper pack.”

He pulled back. I heard the soft sound of cloth. He was picking up a white linen, wiping his hands. Still staring at me. Like I was a problem he hadn’t solved yet.

A knock came on the door.

“My Lord, it’s me, Tan,” a voice called. “Can I come in?”

Daron grabbed the duvet and threw it over my body in one motion. The fabric was rough, but it covered my bare back.  

“Come in.”

Tan stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His gaze flicked to me for a second. I met it with pure hatred before looking away.

“What is it?” Daron asked. He was already moving to the window, pulling back the thin curtain.

“We spotted a large group of disguised soldiers scattered outside the inn,” Tan said. His voice was tight. “I suspect they’re from the Silver Moon pack.”

Daron stared outside for a long moment. The light from the window cut across his face. Hard jaw. Cold eyes. “I don’t think the Alpha King of the Silver Moon pack would be that daring to attack me head on like this,” he said finally.

Tan was quiet. Then realization hit him. “Elder Zhang.”

“Yepp,” Daron said. No surprise in his voice. Just fact. “I just knew that old geezer will never rest until I rip his heart out. He wants to delay my arrival to the Wolf Lord selection.”

“He must really be seeking death at this point by coming at you directly,” Tan said, anger sharpening his words.

Daron didn’t say anything. He let the curtain fall. The room went dim again.

“The whole inn has been surrounded,” Tan went on. “There’s no way to get out. They outnumber us, and we have an injured person among us.” He looked at me again.

I hated that look. Pity. Liability.

“I have a plan for this,” Daron said. “I will create a path for you to leave here with Lily and some of the guards.”

“And what about you?” Tan asked. He looked worried. “We have to get back to the pack before the Moonlight celebration.”

“And we’ll get there, Tan. Right on time,” Daron said. No doubt in his voice. Just command.

After Tan left, the room was quiet again. I could hear men shouting outside. Distant. Horses.

I spoke up. “If you had not meddled with me and my packmates at the border, probably you would have gotten back to your pack right on time for the Wolf selection.” I mocked him. My voice was weak, but my words weren’t.

Daron turned to me. “Do you think I give a damn about those nuisances outside?” His voice was low, dangerous. “By morning they would no longer exist in this world.” He stepped closer to the bed. “Seems like you need a lesson on who Daron is.” Pride laced every word.

I smiled bitterly despite the pain. “I guess I’m not the only one who hates you. Someone in your own pack wants you dead. That says everything about the kind of beast you are.”

His expression darkened. “I’ll make sure you watch how I deal with that fool. Now shut up and let’s get you dressed.”

“I am capable of dressing myself. Just get out,” I said.

“That attitude is exactly why you keep getting punished,” he snapped. “Right now, I have a stronger urge to kill you than to deal with the men outside.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

He moved closer toward me and lifted me up slowly to sit. I winced as his hand brushed my back, and I hated the sound that came out of me. He put the cloak around me and tied it carefully, his movements surprisingly gentle with it. The fabric was soft. It smelled like him, pine and something dark.

“How do you plan on dealing with them?” I asked him. I was fully dressed now. Sitting up made my head swim.

“It’s none of your fucking business,” he said, shutting me up. “Can you stand up a little bit?” he asked.

“If I was a normal lady, I would have died after getting whipped so harshly,” I said. I gripped the edge of the bed. “I wasn’t born to be a weakling like you wanted me to be.” I forced myself to stand up. My legs shook. The room tilted. But I didn’t fall.

He didn’t respond. He only walked toward the door and opened it. He gestured for me to walk forward.

I sighed. I felt weak. Every muscle screamed. But I certainly knew I needed to help myself. I walked forward slowly, past him, out of the door. My shoulder brushed his chest. I didn’t look at him.

Tan and some of the guards came running toward us in the hallway. Their boots were loud on the wood floor.

“Tan, go ahead with Lily and some of our men and wait for me at Alpha Dawson’s old house in Willow Alley,” Daron said. His voice was calm, but underneath it I could feel his anger. It was rolling off him in waves. “Myself, Leo, and the rest of our men will meet you guys there.” He looked at Tan. “We will create a path at the front door and distract them so you guys can leave through the back door.”

I moved closer toward him, limping. My back was on fire. “I don’t leave any debt unpaid,” I said, looking him in the eye. “I know you will survive this, ‘cause I will surely pay you back. Whip for whip. Lashes for lashes.”

He looked at me coldly. His hand went to his neck, to the fresh bite scar I’d left there. It was still red, still fresh. “The feeling is mutual, Lily,” he said. “You will definitely pay for this as well.”

Tan and the guards led me away down the narrow hallway. Behind us, I heard Daron’s voice grow distant as he prepared for the fight. Despite everything…the pain, the humiliation, the hatred… a small, reluctant part of me wondered if he would actually make it back alive.

I pushed the thought away. He was the enemy. Nothing more.