Chapter 3

I stared at the bowl of frothy poultice and shook my head. "Ryker, this poultice is too strong. It makes my bones ache. I don't want to use it anymore."

He had never told me his family name, only that I should call him Ryker, and I had never asked.

Now that I thought about it, since it was all a lie, his name didn't matter anyway.

The thought of Selena cooing his name in that sickly sweet voice made my chest tighten.

But Ryker wouldn't give up.

My voice turned cold. "With a dose this strong, aren't you afraid you'll cripple me for good?"

At this, his breath hitched. Then he forced a smile, leaned in to bite my earlobe, and whispered:

"This will help you heal, Elara. Be good and put it on. You can punish me however you want once you're better."

Lying to me had become as natural to him as breathing, so smooth and gentle.

To avoid raising his suspicions, I did as he wished, taking the wooden bowl and letting him spread the poultice over my wound, inch by inch.

A sharp, burning pain shot from my bones to the top of my head, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes before he stood abruptly. He said he would go pick sweet berries for me from deep within the forest.

The moment he disappeared into the trees, I rolled over and frantically scraped the poultice off my wound, burying it in the damp earth at the back of the cave.

Ryker was ruthless. A few more days of this, and my leg would have rotted away, my wolf completely extinguished.

At night, he always had a way of wearing me out, his relentless stamina leaving me too exhausted to keep my eyes open. It was the perfect cover for him to slip away to the cabin for his crystal calls with Selena.

This time, I wouldn't let him succeed.

I forced my eyes open and clung to him, insisting he tell me his story.

At first, he was patient, his voice a low murmur as he humored me. But as the moon climbed higher, he could barely hide the anxiety in his eyes.

Suddenly, he rolled over and pinned me to the furs, his breath coming in ragged pants. "Elara, go to sleep. I've already taken care of you tonight."

"I can't sleep. I want you to hold me," I purred, deliberately rubbing my leg against his, adding fuel to the fire.

His face darkened. "How am I supposed to patrol our territory if you're awake? What happens if a Rogue shows up tomorrow? Be good, hmm?"

The same ridiculous excuse.

I sighed pitifully. "I can eat less. Or you could go during the day."

Ryker clearly hadn't expected me to be so clingy tonight. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Or… you could just stay with me tonight?"

"Enough!" he growled, the anger he could no longer contain rumbling in his throat.

I had never seen him like this.

Was missing a single nightly report to Selena really enough to make him so agitated?

Realizing he had lost his composure, Ryker threw back the furs and stalked out of the cave. A few minutes later, he returned with a waterskin.

"It's Moonpetal nectar. It will soothe your wolf. I know you love it."

So he remembered. It was true. I had never been able to resist the scent of Moonpetal since I was a child.

I took the heavy waterskin. My Healer's intuition immediately picked up the scent of a potent sleeping herb mixed into the nectar, its residue dusting the spout.

Under his expectant gaze, I had no choice but to tilt my head back and pretend to take a large gulp. Then, I feigned the effects of the drug, slumping limply into his arms.

The moment my eyes closed, he reached out, the pad of his thumb brushing lightly across my cheek.

"Elara, just two more days. After the ceremony, I'll make it up to you."

The day after tomorrow was the ceremony to announce the Alpha's heir.

Those blind elders were about to hand over my family's legacy.

Everything that should have been mine was about to be stolen by that impostor.

What right did he have to speak of "making it up" to me?

Ryker buried his face in the crook of my neck, his voice a low murmur.

"Elara… I'll stay with you in this wilderness forever, right until the very end." He paused. "When you're gone… I'll go back and watch over Selena. I'll watch her marry Alaric and see her claim the highest honor in our world."

He whispered promises into my ear while mentally counting down the days to my death. Truly remarkable.

The moment he stepped out of the cave, I turned my head and spat the nectar into a dark corner of the furs. Thankfully, I had only pooled it under my tongue.

Ryker was too confident. He was in such a hurry to answer Selena's call that he hadn't even bothered to check. I carefully scraped the potent sleeping powder from the spout with my fingernail and hid it. It would be useful tomorrow.

Tomorrow was the day the elemental chart had foretold: the day the blood moon storm would arrive. It was also the day Selena anticipated as her glorious coronation.

Ryker spent the entire morning standing at the cave entrance, staring blankly at the dark red clouds pressing lower and lower.

For once, he roasted fresh meat for me, then made his usual excuse to go patrol the territory.

It was clear the thought of being unable to return to the pack to witness his beloved childhood sweetheart marry another man and claim her glory was torturing him.

And I was more than happy to let him suffer.

Suddenly, without warning, he turned and pulled me into a searing embrace, his grip so tight it felt like he was trying to crush me into his very bones.

His chin rested on the top of my head, his voice so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable. "There's enough food. Today… I'm not leaving. We'll stay in the cave, just the two of us."