Page 37 of The Forbidden Wolf King
Concern flashed across his face and he nodded. “Do you want to come to my—”
I shook my head. “I’ll sleep with my pack. Last night,” I said.
Tomorrow I would be dead, or his wife.
He nodded, swallowing hard, and Eliza’s laughter died down as she looked over at me. “Going to bed?”
I bobbed my head. “I’m exhausted,” I lied. I probably wouldn’t sleep a wink. Killing someone I had grown so close to wasn’t something I was sure I was capable of.
She frowned.
The tension of our reality hung in the air like a tangible thing. Axil took two steps towards Eliza. “Come see me first thing in the morning, Eliza. I’ll break your temporary pack bond and take you back into Death Mountain pack.”
Temporary? That hurt and yet I knew it had to be done. I couldn’t fight a packmate to the death. It was insane.
Her face was completely void of any emotion and she just nodded.
The drums had stopped and my brother seemed to pick up on the awkwardness of this whole thing. “Well, we should get to bed. Goodnight, everyone,” he said to all those who still lingered at the bonfire and then walked over to me, physically pushing me inside our tent.
I looked up at my big brother with tears swimming in my eyes and was surprised to see that he too looked emotional.
“Cyrus, I can’t,” I whimpered.
He released a shaky breath. “You have to, Zara.”
I didn’t sign up for this, to kill someone I cared about!
I tore across the tent and then slipped into my hammock, covering my face with the fur blanket so that I could hide from the world.
It wasn’t fair and I couldn’t do it. I heard the hissing of the fire as my brother put it out with a bucket of water and then my packmates whispered as they bid each other goodnight. They all slipped into their hammocks as I lay awake, the buzz of the mead fully worn off thanks to my rapid healing. My hands barely hurt anymore, already mending, and my mind was a complete mess. I was plagued with memories of Axil and our love story. Who meets their mate at fifteen years old? But then my mind would bring up memories of Eliza. How she’d done nothing but protect me and watch my back since I got here. She needed me.
Like Axil had said, I was nothing if not loyal. But who should I be loyal to? My love for Axil? Or for Eliza? I tossed and turned for hours, long after Cyrus and the others fell into a deep slumber and started snoring.
I just lay there, my mind spiraling as I stared out of the open flap of the tent and looked up at the moon.
Maker, help me.I prayed for the first time in a long time. This was too much to bear.
NINE
I knew I wouldn’t sleep; I’d come to terms with that. Instead, I just lay awake as the hours ticked by. Footsteps sounded outside and I perked up when I saw a shadow cross over the tent. Suddenly Eliza was standing in the doorway and for a wild second I thought she meant to assassinate me before our fight and I welcomed it.
Take the decision from me and just end it all, I begged.
But she wasn’t holding a weapon and she looked like she’d been crying. She walked right up to my hammock, staring down at me.
“Can’t sleep?” she whispered to me.
I shook my head and she nodded that I should follow her outside. I sat up, stepping out of the hammock and followed her into the crisp cool night. It was chilly and so I pulled my fur cloak on to keep me warm.
“What’s up?” I asked, praying she wouldn’t beg me to spare her life.
She turned to face me with an eerie calmness. “I said goodbye to my family a few hours ago and then tried to escape to Cinder Mountain,” she said flatly and I gasped.
“You wha— what happened?” I looked at her more closely now, noticing some dirt and cuts on her arms.
She sighed. “The advisors have the entire mountain surrounded by Royal Guards. After the other two girls fled, no one can get out. They want their last fight, they want their queen.”
My heart broke then. She’d tried to leave, to give me a chance to win without anyone getting killed. She failed.
