Chapter 3. Wolves in the woods

☉NAIDA

Screams echoed through my head, coupled with distorted images of Alpha Cassian. First, it was his flashy smile, illuminated by the moonlight. Then it was a bloodied face with the skin peeled right off.

The peeled skin lay at my feet, with a dripping knife in my other hand. The next image that filled my vision was Cassian's lifeless green eyes, with blood flowing out of them.

Execute her! It was Nysa's voice, so warped and guttural, with a barrage of screams, roars, and bloody flashes that jolted me awake.

I sat up from the bed of hay I was curled in, gasping and clenching my heart. It was pounding so hard that the sounds were deafening against the silence of the night. I looked around the small cottage, trembling and trying to calm myself.

The old witch was lying in her bed, seemingly fast asleep but it was hard to tell. I had spent two days with her, and realized that she led a very weird lifestyle, sleeping at odd times and staring into space in the middle of the night sometimes.

The air in here felt so hot, and I could see and hear the echoes of my nightmares, making me claustrophobic. Even the shadows cast by the flickering candles seemed too ominous for my liking.

So I got up from the hay and made my way outside. The cool air was a welcome relief against sweaty skin. The night sky had turned a deep blue that slowly brightened, signaling the break of dawn. Desperate to clear my head, I began walking aimlessly forward.

The old witch had provided food, water, and shelter for me, so I would probably stay longer with her, seek her help in deciphering the nightmares that plagued me. She had even healed the worst of the injuries I sustained from guards in Ivorythorn, and I could never be more grateful to her.

Perhaps, I could stay here longer and learn more about that prophecy she had mentioned.

It was properly dawn, with the night giving way to soft morning light when I finally made my way back to the cottage.

The violent sounds that greeted me the moment I came within earshot, sent my entire spine locking in place. Male voices boomed and yelled within the cottage, smashing through the wood and setting it on fire. My breath trembled as I saw the smoke rising out through the window, slowly getting thicker as the fire spread.

The splintered door was completely pushed off its hinges, and three Ivorythorn guards stormed out, dragging the old witch out roughly.

“This is the last time I'll ask, you old hag,” one of them slapped her, sending her sprawling into the dust. He grabbed her up again, yelling in her face, “Where is she?!”

My scent. They had somehow found my scent again and tracked me down to the cottage.

I should run. I should run now.

Still, my knees remained stiff, keeping in place, and forcing me to watch the guard unsheath his dagger and bring it to the old witch's neck. There was no fear on her face, only a peaceful smile as he slit her throat from side to side, in one smooth move.

Her milky white eyes met mine from the distance, as if she knew I was there all along.

“Go.” Her mouth silently formed the words, before blood spilled out of her throat, and she slumped to the ground.

A sob escaped me, and the three guards' faces snapped in my direction. Oh no. I didn't waste a second. I turned around and dashed around the corner of a boulder, throwing every fiber of my being into escape.

“After her!”

“Don't let her escape!”

“Use your wolf forms!”

I already had a tiny chance of escape from the guards, but in their wolf forms?! Adrenaline spiked in my blood, feeling my ears with the thundering of my footfalls. Tears whipped along my face, as I ran, hell, I ran so hard I lost feeling in my legs. I lost track of time. All I could see was the old witch's blind eyes, staring at me in her final moments.

She had only helped me. Now, she was dead.

More sobs racked out of me, and I wiped the tears off, but that split-second distraction cost me. I stumbled and crashed onto a dusty road I never knew existed, right into the path of a carriage. The driver panicked and howled at his horses, driving sideways to avoid running me over.

The tires kicked up dust into my face, and I dissolved into a coughing fit.

“Watch where you're going, miss.” It was an old man driving the carriage. “That was a close one.”

He began to move the carriage again but I scrambled after him, completely out of my mind with desperation. “Wait! Please, I need a ride! Where are you going?”

It didn't matter where he was going. I had to get away from this area, and his carriage was fast enough to save my life. He looked at me, taking in my dusty, messy appearance. I was literally trembling in my skin, resisting the urge to repeatedly glance over my shoulders to check for the guards.

“I'm headed to Ravthorn.” He finally disclosed.

Ravthorn. That was the pack Nuala told me to go! But the look on the man's face showed that he wasn't comfortable with even talking to me.

“I need to get there, please.” I lied in an attempt to convince him. “My sister works there, as a maid for the royal pack house, I need to get to her. I— it's an urgent matter—”

“Are you being chased, miss?” He suddenly asked.

I finally looked over my shoulder, scared that the guards would show up anytime soon. He sighed and got down from his seat, moving to the back of the carriage. “This happens more often than you think, young maidens being targets for vagabonds along these roads. Come on, we don't have much time.”

I couldn't believe he was helping me, but I quickly moved and peered into the carriage. It was filled to the brim with many expensive perfumes and incense. There was no room for me to hide.

To my surprise, he lifted the ‘floor’ of the carriage to reveal another tiny compartment.

“Get in there. A merchant has his secrets,” He said, and I quickly moved in. “You’re lucky the elite and richest of Ravthorn Pack are obsessed with the most expensive and rarest scents. These will cover your scent, and stay quiet.”

He closed the compartment, drowning me in darkness.

Truly the perfumes strongly engulfed me, nearly sending me to derilium. Something this strong would definitely conceal me from the Ivorythorn guards, and I was more than grateful for it.

I felt the carriage begin to move again, and we must have gone only a few miles when it came to an abrupt halt.

“Open the damn carriage!” A growl came from outside, and my blood went cold. It was the Ivorythorn guards.

“I'm only a perfume merchant!” The man protested, “You are far beyond your border to try to bully old men like me!”

“Open it, before I slit your throat.”

My heart was thudding as I heard the carriage door open. There was a long silence, but the hidden compartment was not detected. The door slammed closed, and the guard growled, “Fucking waste of time.”

I nearly cried from relief.