As we made our way through the underbrush, the environment was strangely silent. We had to rely on our instincts to guide us across the uneven landscape because the sunlight hardly entered the dense canopy above. My senses were highly aware, pausing at the sound of rustling leaves or the snap of a twig.
"Do you believe he is still pursuing us?" Anna's question was hardly heard above a whisper.
I gave her another look. Her movements were sluggish, and her face was pale, but there was a resolve in her eyes that hadn't changed since we had fled.
"He won't stop," I stated somberly. "Not until he gets his way."
"And what is that exactly?" Her tone was tinged with anger as she pressed.
I paused. "You."
Her hands clenched at her sides, and I could see her breath catch. "He must first murder me."
I didn't answer. I didn't have to. Both of us were aware that Kane, or worse, Oliver, would be happy to kill her to establish their authority.
With each stride, the tension between us grew as we carried on in quiet. We weren't alone, as my gut told me, and the tingle at the back of my neck proved it.
I held up a hand and ordered, "Stop."
Anna's eyes darted about as she froze. "What is it?"
I listened for a sound but didn't react right away. Then it came to me—a small rustle to our left that was too intentional to be the wind.
I drew my dagger and whispered, "Stay near me."
The shadows surrounding us moved, and figures appeared out of the darkness before she could reply. Five criminals circled us like animals, their eyes gleaming with ill intent.
One of them scoffed, his voice brimming with scorn, "Hmm. Who is here with us?"
With her back against mine, Anna took a step toward me. Despite the terror I could sense in her voice, she said, "Let me guess. You were sent by Oliver."
There was a low, guttural laugh from the rogue. "Wise girl. This simplifies things for us."
"Maybe it's easier for you," I murmured, holding the dagger more tightly. "But not for your boss when he learns that you didn't succeed."
The rogue's smile wavered, but it returned quickly. "Big words for an outnumbered person."
I didn't answer. Rather, I changed my position, bracing myself for the fight I knew was coming.
I sidestepped the first rogue's lunge, slamming my blade into his side before pulling it out and pushing him away. Another approached me from the right, but Anna was faster and swung a branch she had picked up from the ground. When it hit the rogue's head, it cracked, and he fell to the forest floor.
"Behind you!" Anna yelled.
I whirled just in time to deflect a hit that was going for my neck, and the force of it sent me reeling back. My wounded side began to ache, but I chose to ignore it and cut the rogue's arm, causing a yell of pain.
Beside me, Anna fought valiantly, her actions driven by rage and despair. She lacked training, but her keen instincts and unwavering will made up for it.
The rogues were unrelenting, and the fight was vicious. Every one we removed seemed to be replaced by another. My wounds reopened as my body screamed in pain, but I couldn't afford to stop.
"Lucas!" As I turned, I saw a rogue snatching Anna by the arm, and her voice was scared.
"Give her up!" I charged at him with a yell.
Using her as a shield, he grinned, but his conceit eventually led to his demise. Anna's elbow drove into his gut as she twisted in his grasp. He doubled over, and I quickly stabbed him in the chest with my dagger.
The third outlaw ran away into the darkness, his footprints vanishing from view. I was breathing deeply and drenched in blood, some of it mine and some not.
"Are you alright?" I turned to Anna and asked.
Her hands were shaking, but she nodded. "I'm all right. You?"
Despite the severe pain in my side saying otherwise, I responded, "I'll be alive."
We had no time to mope over our losses. The fight had been quite noisy, and I was certain that additional renegades would soon be hunting us down.
I took her hand and led her further into the forest, saying, "This way."
We found a secret cave tucked away between two massive stones after what seemed like hours. Not much, but it would provide us somewhere to stay the night.
My body finally succumbed to the fatigue as I fell against the cave wall. Anna, whose face was white but determined, knelt next to me.
She pointed to my side and said, "Let me see."
I ignored her, saying, "It's okay."
"Lucas," she replied firmly as she fixed me with her eyes. "Give me a look."
With reluctance, I lifted my shirt to reveal the jagged cut across my ribcage. She ripped a piece of cloth from her shirt and pressed it against the wound, winced but without pause.
"This will be painful," she warned.
As she tied the makeshift bandage, I yelled in pain, but I whispered, "I've had worse."
Despite the sting, her touch was relaxing, and her hands were soft. She said, "You're lucky it's not deeper."
"I wouldn't use the word lucky," I stated, grinning wryly.
Her face softened as she sat back. "I didn't need your help back there."
"Yes, I did," I answered plainly.
She looked into my eyes, and for a few seconds, it felt like the load of all we had experienced hung between us.
Her voice was hardly heard above a whisper when she said, "Why?"
Unable to reply, I averted my gaze. The truth was too complex and unvarnished.
Instead, I leaned back against the cave wall and mumbled, "We should rest."
Even though I closed my eyes and felt her eyes stay on me, she didn't press me. I fell asleep easily and was pulled into an odd, vivid dream.
Her silver hair glowed in the darkness as the Moon Goddess appeared in front of me. I felt insignificant because of the old wisdom in her piercing eyes.
She continued, "You have to make a decision," and I could still hear her voice.
"What do you choose?" I asked, but I wasn't sure if I spoke it out loud or if it was just a thought.
"Here or your past," she said in a tone that was both soft and strong.
The dream ended before I could ask her what she meant, and I woke up startled, Anna's worried face looming over me.
"Lucas? Are you alright?" she asked, worry in her voice.
Despite my beating heart, I nodded. I was filled with a sense of dread that lingered after hearing the Moon Goddess's remarks.
"We must move," I murmured, keeping my composure in spite of my internal conflict.
I felt that our voyage was just getting started, and the night wasn't over yet.
With my luggage draped over my shoulder and a weary but determined heart, I stood at the edge of the woodland. Beside me were Lucas and Maia, whose faces reflected mine: a mixture of resolve and melancholy.Cain came toward us, his eyes full of resolution but his face etched with fatigue. Although he had been among Oliver's most devoted soldiers, the insurrection had altered him. We were leaving him in control after he had fought with us and put his life in danger for the pack."Are you sure about this?" he said softly.I gave a nod. "Cain, you're the greatest option. You are trusted by the pack. They will follow you."He paused, his eyes darting between Maia and Lucas. "How about the three of you? Where are you going?""Somewhere new," was all I said. "A place where we can start again."Cain's face softened as he nodded. "You've done enough for this pack. More than sufficient. Go if this is what you need. We'll be alright."I said my
In the broken remnants of Nightshade's great hall, the firelight wavered, creating unsettling shadows on the stone walls. I had nothing left to offer the pack, but they continued to hover, perhaps awaiting guidance. There was still a weight in my chest. I didn't feel like I had won, even though Oliver was defeated and his rule was overthrown by the people he used to rule.Sitting next to me on a splintered wooden bench, Maia was looking off into space as she absently traced a scar over her arm. Ever the guardian, Lucas stood a few feet away, his gaze sweeping the still audience.After a long pause, Lucas whispered, "They need a leader." He spoke in a quiet, wary tone. "Someone to rebuild what's left."Slowly, I nodded. "They need someone," I said, then looked over at Maia.She stiffened as I stared at her. "Don't even think about it."I cocked my head. "Why not?"She gave a dry laugh, but it was devoid of any humor. "Becaus
The trumpet's call echoed through the broken remains of Nightshade, a sound that once sent fear rippling through the pack but now carried a different weight. A summons. A reckoning.I stood in the heart of the pack's gathering grounds, where months ago, I had watched Leo be condemned to death. My fingers tightened into fists at my sides as I forced myself to take in every detail... the stone platform, the lofty arches, the wooden beams above that had once felt oppressive. The torches flickered, casting long shadows against the walls, just like they had that night.Only this time, it wasn't Leo standing before the pack.It was Oliver.He was on his knees in the center of the hall, bound, his body battered and broken. Blood matted his dark hair, his once-imposing body slumped forward in exhaustion. The very warriors who had formerly battled under him stood around the perimeter of the hall, their gazes flitting between me and the fall
There was silence on the battlefield.The silence was not one that resulted from relief or tranquility. It was the thick, stifling type that comes after a storm, as though the world itself was holding its breath. The ground was covered in fallen people, and the air was heavy with the smell of smoke and blood. With a mixture of amazement and incredulity, the rebels who had survived the slaughter and were still standing glanced at Anna.Oliver was lying at her feet, immobile and broken. His burnt body stood out sharply against the blood-soaked ground below, and his once-imposing figure had now collapsed into a crumpled heap. He was not yet dead, but he was very nearly so. His chest rose and fell in weak, irregular spasms, and his breaths were shallow.With her shoulders heaving and her hands still burning dimly from the last of her power, Anna stood over him. Her hair was knotted and wild, and her face was stained with blood and filth, but her ey
All I could do was observe.My entire existence begged me to step in, step in, and support Anna as she faced Oliver alone. However, I was unable to.I shouldn't.This was her fight.Standing opposite Oliver, Anna's body was bruised and covered in blood, yet her unwavering will remained burning. I had never seen the raw electricity crackle in the air around her before. It was hazardous, untamed, and wild. There was nothing weak about the dim glow that flickered from her palms, like a fading ember. The ground beneath her boots seemed to be reacting to her, quivering in expectation of what lay ahead.Oliver rolled his shoulders and grinned as though this were merely a minor annoyance. I shuddered at his self-assurance. For so long, he had ruled by terror, destroying anybody who tried to oppose him. He now considered Anna to be simply another idiot who believed they could prevail.However, she wasn't.
The battlefield was a bloody, chaotic nightmare.The night was filled with screams as the rebels gave it their all in battle, but Oliver's forces were unrelenting and mercilessly defeated us. My muscles ached from the never ending battle, and I was breathing in ragged breaths, but there was no time to pause. Another life was lost with every second that passed.Maia was down.Across the field, I saw her fall, hitting the ground with a horrible crack. As I surged at her, avoiding an enemy's claws at the last second, my stomach knotted in terror."Maia!" I fell on my knees next to her. Her breathing was shallow, and blood was leaking from a deep wound along her shoulder.Her body trembled uncontrollably as she attempted to push herself up. "I'm fine," she rasped, but I could tell she wasn't."You're not," I said as I applied pressure to the cut. My palm was stained by the warmth of her blood, and my chest developed a hollow hole.Lucas s