ELORA “Run.” Selene had said. She asked me to run because she wanted me to know she would have great pleasure, take such a delight in hunting me down and ending my life before Ryker’s eyes. But I wasn’t going to run. That was never going to do me any good. Maybe I had spent most of my life hiding away from the truth about her and our relationship, hoping if I minded my business and stayed on my lane long enough, she would let me be. But a line had been crossed. One that neither of us could ever come back from. As I walked through the palace tracking her scent, I couldn’t help but replay the events of the previous years in my head over and over again. It was at that moment the smell hit my nose. Selene’s heavy perfume. She had probably always won it to mask the smell of the rot of her soul. But I knew it now. I could see through her pretty blue eyes straight into the bitterness of her soul. It was sad that she had to be like that, but it was not my fate to suffer for it. And I
RYKER I could smell her before even I saw her.Blood, smoke, and that juicy scent of lavender mixed with sweat. My wolf’s ears pricked up, looking forward to the sound of her voice. I had been restless for hours on end, not sure if she would make it. To see her, with Hagar and Kiara just as she had promised, would mean a great deal to me. “Princess?” I turned around just in time to catch her as she stumbled into the corridor that connected the western wing to the eastern one which Jarek, Dain, and I currently stood in. Kiara and Hagar followed close behind, the latter half limping with her arm around Kiara’s shoulder. I looked down at her stomach and my eyes widened. A dagger was still sharp in there as blood stained the ragged dress she had on. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. It was as though she no longer cared about the blade in her intestine. My heart swelled with joy. I honestly had never thought I would see her again either. I had never thought I would see any of them ag
ELORA Goosebumps rushed to the surface of my skin at the sound of her voice. Selene and I had never had the greatest relationship. She was moved into the palace only after my mother died, and I could still remember how much disdain was in her eyes the first time she ever looked at me. Almost two decades, and not a single thing had changed. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything…anything at all any of us could have done at any point to make our relationship better. Was there ever a slight chance in hell that we could be sisters who actually cared about each other? My lips pursed into a frown as I clenched my hands into fists. I guess not. I could hear Kiara’s breath catch behind me. Hagar gripped my arm, and leaned into my ear. “Are we going to fight them?” It was more of a warning than a question. She had experienced Selene’s cruelty first hand. She, more than anyone, knew how far my sister was willing to go to have her way. “We don’t have to if she lets us pass.” I
ELORA The wind stung my face as I darted across the dry ground. I could feel the floors shake underneath my feet. Stormrider was falling, the kingdom was in total shambles and it was extremely easy to see. I knew we had to take advantage of this and make it out before Selene and Varek were able to reorganize. People must have been in shock over Kael’s death, and it would take a lot of time for them to explain that. I had to make it out of here as quick as possible. Stormrider would be fine, I hope. This pack had never really been home to me. My home was with someone else…somewhere else. My legs were weak and trembling, but I forced myself to push forward despite the ache in my lower back. Every time I wanted to stop, I would remind myself of Azrion’s words and step out of it immediately. I was capable of far more than I knew. I needed to do myself a favour and remind myself of that fact. Every breath scraped my throat like fire. But I couldn’t stop. Not now. We were close…so frea
RYKER I had once said I would burn it to hell the second I got the chance to. I still meant every single word. Elora left on her own to find Kiara and Hagar, while I had the young soldier show me around. I hadn’t asked him why he decided to help me, or bothered to know if he was truly helping me at all. If his plan was to be sly and take advantage of me, I could easily snap his neck without so much as a second thought. Elora was risking her life to help me, to save me, and I was not going to let anyone ruin that for us. Now that I had made it out, I was going to stay out no matter what. “You didn’t ask me,” he started to speak. I looked down at him with a frown on my face. “Didn’t ask you what?” Couldn’t he see that this was no time for small talk at all? “Why I am helping you. Or do you not just care?” Did I? No. But since he was asking. “You want to help your princess. She’s a kind soul. You probably know that, and you want to be of help to her, is it not?”He chuckled. “Y
ELORA I almost couldn’t believe it. My eyes continued to wander around, and my hands and feet touched everything and anything that they could.Even the dry grass crackled beneath our feet, brittle and gold under the pale moonlight. Thick black smoke stained the sky behind us, the scent of fire and blood chasing our every step. They had lit up touches and smoke signals to inform everyone who cared, and everyone who could stop Ryker, that he had escaped. We should’ve been running, or hiding, or even planning our next move. But we didn’t. No. I couldn’t even believe that I was finally outside, out here, with him! I could hold him, reach for him, without having to pass through iron bars. But for a moment, we just… stood there, alone beneath the stars. The world behind us was out to get us, out to kill us. “I don’t know how much longer we have,” I whispered, my voice barely above the breeze. “ I know that we’re excited. I’m excited to have you here and hold you,” I couldn’t stop look