BROOKE
My wolf had expanded, offering her senses as we crept through the castle, hiding around corners and behind furniture each time a servant's scent grew near. We avoided two on our way to the stairs, one more in the hallway. When I finally made it to my room, I locked the door and collapsed against it, panting, trembling, and willing my heart to slow. It seemed the closer I got to death, the more alive I felt. Adrenaline coursed through my veins like a drug, threatening me with the possibility of addiction. Was this how Huck felt all the time? Was that the reason for his recklessness?
I pressed my ear to the door, listening for any sign that someone was coming. If whoever had stood in that window had seen me, surely they would have confronted me by now. Perhaps it had been a servant, and they assumed I'd gone out for a breath of night air. After all, they were used to seeing me out. It was dark. They'd been too far away to tell my dress was ripped.
I hurried over to the dresser, quickly changing into my nightgown before shoving the evidence of my misjudgment beneath the mattress. That had been too close. Why had I agreed to let him kiss me? I should have known better. I had known better. It was never going to be just one kiss. Not with us. Our chemistry was too explosive, and neither of us were willing to defuse the situation. Every moment I spent with him was a step closer to annihilation.
I took a seat at the vanity, and then froze. Hickeys marred my skin like pinpoints on a map, varying in size and intensity depending on their region. If I stared at them long enough, I could recall the exact moment they were made.
This needed to end, but a fall down the mountain was looking less and less like the end of the world. It was the climb that horrified me. Climbing meant leaving Huck behind. No more talks. No more shifting. No more howling at the moon.
No more of his touch, his lips, his teeth.
"Mine."
My breath hitched, muscles clenched, and I closed my eyes, basking in the memory. Once upon a time, we would have been expected to be together. I could have had him every day, at any time, for the rest of my life.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bedroom door rattled on its hinges, and I jolted, my worst fears coming to life. Someone had seen me.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Just a second!" I snatched my concealer and frantically worked to hide the bruises.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
It wasn't working. I didn't have enough time. In a panic, I ran to the closet and yanked a coat off a hanger, throwing it on. "I'm coming." I buttoned it up with shaking hands as I headed reluctantly toward the door.
I'd gone for a walk. If they mentioned the dress, I'd say I got scared and ripped it on a tree. Yes. That was good. A scandal, but nothing that couldn't be forgiven.
I squared my shoulders, unlocked the door, and opened it.
Aster's frail form was bent over an iron tea cart in the hallway.
"Oh." I blinked. "Hello, Aster." I leaned through the doorway, sure I'd find a sentinel or scout somewhere behind her, but there was no one. Had she been the one banging on the door? How? She could barely stand up.
"May I come in?" Before I could answer, she pushed forward, forcing me back. "I noticed you still haven't been sleeping well, so I brought you the tea I promised." She poured a cup and offered it to me.
What exactly had she noticed? I couldn't be sure, and I wasn't about to give anything away just in case this was some huge coincidence. If it was her, that could be a blessing; she wasn't the most reliable source for information. The smell of lavender wafted up to my nose, and I took a sip, humming appropriately. "Thank you."
Aster watched me a little too closely.
I forced a smile. "It's lovely."
"Can you tell what's in it?"
"Uhm." My lips closed, and my brow furrowed. Well, that question didn't worry me at all, especially coming from someone who looked like they carried around poisoned apples. "Lavender?"
"Yes." She nodded. "And what else? Focus on the layers. It's very subtle."
I hesitated, then lifted the cup, breathing in deeply. "Honey?"
"Yes. Very good. And one more."
Someone wants you dead, Huck's voice echoed in my memory. I swallowed and smelled the cup again, more eager to know the answer. My wolf rose up to aid me. It was so slight, I never would have grasped it without her. "Ginger?"
"Yes." The wrinkles around her eyes deepened as she studied my face more closely. "Very good. The senses are amazing, aren't they? When I was a young woman, I could smell a fart from downstairs." She smiled her wooden-looking smile.
I managed a small laugh, but my wolf stirred uneasily.
"Blood is the same," she said.
"Blood?" My tone slipped, and I took a long drink in an attempt to recover.
Her lips curved as she watched me. "Your blood. My blood." She turned back to the cart, pouring another cup of tea for herself. "Imagine you're a lavender tea." Her gnarled fingers clasped the handle, lifting it to her nose. "The lavender is the core of your essence. Your individuality. The honey is your mother and every mother before her. The ginger is your father's line. It is the blood handed down through the generations, connecting us like constellations, aligning us with the goddess."
Not long ago, I would have politely disregarded her words, viewing them as nothing more than outdated superstition. But, now, after meeting Huck, knowing my wolf, and howling at the moon, I wasn't so sure. "You can smell that?"
"My senses aren't what they used to be, but I can still pick up quite a bit." She set the cup back onto the cart. "I've noticed a particular aroma on you recently." She turned back and made a show of scenting the air around me. "One I haven't smelled in a very long time."
My mouth dried; my mind raced. What did she mean? Somehow, I knew, but if I stood still enough, stayed quiet enough, kept my features blank enough, I could survive it.
Aster stared me down with ancient, knowing eyes. "Well then—" She headed for the door. "—I won't ramble on too long. I know you are a terribly busy girl."
A terribly busy girl.
The way she said those words solidified my fears. She knew. Would she tell Titan? Had she already? She'd known him his whole life. She loved him. What loyalty did she have to me? What reason could she have to keep anything I did a secret?
Shadows gathered around the edges of my vision, and the room seemed to tilt, knocking me off balance. The cup slid from my fingers, hitting the floor with a thud, and I stumbled back, just managing to collapse onto the edge of the bed before the world went black.
* * *
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Mother roared, startling me awake.
My eyes widened and drank in the room, for a moment, unsure how I got there. Then my attention landed on the tea cart, and it all came flooding back to me. I searched Mother's expression, wondering if she was there to tell me all was lost. "I'm sorry?"
"You're sorry." She scoffed and threw up her hands. "Well, so long as you're sorry, I suppose that fixes everything." Her lips thinned. Her eyes narrowed. Her voice lowered to a hiss. "You sleep all day. You're distracted when you're awake. It's noticeable. It's blatant. You're going to ruin everything if you can't let it go!"
Let it go.
Let him go.
She knew. Of course she did. This was Mother, and Mother had a habit of knowing everything. But Aster hadn't given me away. Or, if she had, Mother didn't know about it yet. If she did, it would have been much higher on her list of grievances than sleeping in.
"I know. I'm trying."
"Try harder," she demanded. "You are supposed to be meeting Titan for lunch, or have you forgotten that he was introducing you to the pack's biggest business partners this afternoon?"
Was I? My pulse accelerated. I honestly had no recollection, but I didn't say so to Mother. I was already in enough trouble as it was. "I'll be down in ten minutes."
"You'll be down in five," she snapped. "And take off that stupid coat. It's springtime, and you look ridiculous." Then she stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her.
I sighed and hurried toward the vanity, thankful she hadn't questioned the coat further. The damage beneath looked even worse in the morning light, the bruises having darkened significantly through the night. I concealed and covered faster than I ever had before, splattering makeup around like a painter aggressively creating a piece about panic. Five minutes wasn't anywhere near enough time, but it had to be. I threw on my most modest blouse and left my hair down, praying it would be enough to hide behind.
When I finally stepped out, Mother was waiting. She didn't look impressed. "I suppose it will have to do. Go. They're waiting for you in the courtyard."
I hurried down, lifting my chin, squaring my shoulders. I could do this. I was born and raised for it. This was my purpose: securing our interests, providing for the pack.
But as I drew nearer, snippets of conversation reached my ears, causing my steps to slow to a stop.
"We've lost two harvesters and three feller bunchers this season alone, Titan," a man said.
"We are aware of the situation."
I approached the double glass doors, then stood just to the side of them, peeking out at the scene beyond. Titan and three men were seated at one of the many outdoor tables.
"Yet you allow your valley wolves to roam freely."
"The valley is home to a large population. We're working to discover the parties involved." Titan leaned back in his chair and took a long drink of wine.
"It would be merciful to wipe them out completely," one of the other men chimed in. "Better to die than live in such squalor."
Images of Huck cut down alongside the trees filtered through my mind, and my wolf swelled like a flame doused in gasoline.
"It would certainly be cheaper," the first man said.
Something inside me roared, and an overwhelming instinct to protect drowned out all else. Huck was a valley wolf, and he was mine, and I would tear out the throat of anyone who tried to take him away. Before I could stop myself, I slammed my hand hard against the wall.
Then Titan glanced up, and our eyes locked.
Alarms went off inside my brain, and I spun on my heels and hurried in the opposite direction. Why had I done that? What purpose had that served me?
A moment later, the doors opened and shut behind me, and heavy boot steps echoed in the hall. "Brooke!" Titan called out.
Every ounce of training told me to stop. Turn around. Apologize. Make an excuse. But those parts of me had been slowly rotting ever since I embraced my wolf, and instead, I ignored him.
"Brooke!"
I picked up pace, practically running toward the stairs, then up them. Servants gasped and stared with wide eyes as I passed, but I ignored them too.
Titan laughed, but it was an annoyed sound. "Will you please stop?"
I made it back to my room, but before I could close the door, he caught up and shoved his way inside.
"What is going on?" He closed the door and stood in front of it, and I could tell by his expression he had no intention of letting me leave until he had an explanation.
Lies formulated inside my brain, but I couldn't bring myself to utter a single one. Not after what I'd heard. "You wouldn't, right?"
He stared at me. "Wouldn't what?"
"Kill the valley wolves."
Recognition flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head hard. "Of course not! There are children in the valley."
I studied his face, searching for any sign of dishonesty, but as usual with Titan, I found none. "But I heard them say—"
"What they say doesn't matter." He heaved a sigh, then his demeanor softened. "The valley wolves may be primitive, but they are still wolves, Brooke. No one, especially a human, is going to harm them so long as I rule." He waved a hand dismissively. "Humans find a few rotten pieces of fruit and want to kill the whole tree. We wolves have more patience. I'll fix the issue with the valley wolves soon enough. Don't worry."
"How?"
"By removing the rotten part. And thanks to you, I'm closer than ever before." He turned and opened the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to business. I assume you won't be joining us."
I shook my head.
His lips pursed, and he nodded once. "Very well."
Then he was gone, and his words remained, circling the room like a cyclone, destroying any possibility of continuing my charade.
"Thanks to you, I'm closer than ever before."
He was right. I had to put a stop to this, once and for all, before I ended up making the biggest mistake of my life. If I didn't, I was going to get Huck killed, and I'd never be able to live with myself if I let that happen.
So I grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen, and I sat down to write the hardest words I'd ever say. A final goodbye, one I'd take to the garden before dusk, sealing our fate forever. But a warning wouldn't be enough. He'd proven that over and over again with every risk he took. If I told him about Aster, Titan, or what I'd overheard, it would only urge him closer. So I did the only thing I hadn't tried, and the last tool I'd ever wanted to utilize: cruelty.
And if Mother had taught me anything at all, it was how to be viciously cruel.
* * *
There were very few moments in my life where I cried. Not when Father lost all of our money. Not even when he lost his life. From an early age, Mother had drilled into me the importance of keeping one's emotions in check, and I followed her example through every sacrifice I'd ever had to make.
But sacrificing him was too much, and a crack formed in my carefully maintained exterior, widening with each step I took back to the castle. The urge to go back and tear the note to shreds was nearly too powerful to ignore, and the moment I made it back to my room, I sobbed. Gut wrenching cries that racked me to my bones echoed out like screams, forcing me to shove a pillow over my face to stop others from hearing. It was too much, and I couldn't stop.
My eyes drifted back to the cart, to the questionable tea that'd done far more than make me drowsy, and I walked over, pouring a cup to the brim, downing it, then pouring another. The room spun, and I stumbled into bed, grateful for the oblivion that soon blacked out all else.
But no locked door, heinous note, or witches potion could ever be enough to keep my ghost from haunting. In my dreams, I was back in the garden, pinned against the tree, his harsh breaths on my skin.
"Society is a lie." His teeth grazed my throat. His touch ignited my blood. "Only the moon matters, and the moon says you're mine."
"Huck..."
He kissed me with a ferocity that turned my blood to lava and liquified my bones.
And in my dreams, I didn't pull away. Didn't tell him to stop. Didn't worry about whether or not society would approve. I levitated, pressing tighter into his touch as it roamed down my neck, over my breasts, my hips, slithering across my thigh.
"Wake up!" my wolf roared.
My eyes cracked open, taking in the darkened ceiling of my bedroom, and the sensation of something moving across my skin. My wolf took control of my limbs, paralyzing me in place as whatever it was continued down my leg. I held my breath. Was this part of the dream? The tea made my head so fuzzy, it was hard to tell if I was truly awake.
Then the distinct sound of a rattle echoed beneath the duvet, and I knew how I would die.
Rattlesnake.