Page 106 of Bound By Roses

He’s supposed to fearme.

He doesn’t respond, so I push harder.‘Look at me.’He does.‘What am I to you?’

‘A wolf.’

I roll my eyes.‘I don’t mean literally. Who am I to you?’

He hesitates and then says,‘Lunae’s future king?’

I can’t stop myself from cringing at that title, but then I plant my feet firmer and strengthen my stance.‘Wrong. I’m your general, and unlike the commanders you’ve had before, I don’t like losing my soldiers. I won’t lie and tell you that this isn’t dangerous, but I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I didn’t think we could pull it off. So I need you to stop thinking about what they’ll do to you and focus on what you need to do for us. Now tell me, what is your mission?’

He stands and takes a stance that mirrors my own.‘My mission is to gather intel and relay it back to prin—to Abby—while everyone sleeps.’

‘And?’

Confusion clouds his features.‘Sir?’

‘Survive.’I let the word hang in the air between us before asking the most important question.‘Are you ready?’

He nods once and then shifts. I would help him if I could, but I promised Abby that I wouldn’t leave this form. Even in the daylight, the risk is too great now. I watch in silence as he peels the shirt from one Guardian and the pants from another. By thetime Imelda sends someone out here to investigate her fallen men, there will be very little for her to find.

Once he’s dressed, he pulls in a deep breath and nods to me again.

And then he runs.

I suck in a steadying breath of my own and then chase him down. I catch up to him in no more than three bounds and lunge. He goes down hard, but that couldn’t be avoided. His scream rips through the air as my claws sink deep into his back and slice through flesh and fabric like it was nothing.

I leap off him, praying to whatever gods will listen that I didn’t cut too deep. He sits up, fighting the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and fuck, I wish I could tell him how sorry I am.

“Gather information and survive,” he says, probably more for himself than for me. I nod—because it’s all I can do—and let him put his weight on me as he clambers to his feet.

All I can do is watch as he stumbles towards Lunae and hope he can forgive me for this. Imelda isn’t stupid. If he walks into Lunae without distinctive marks that could only be made from a wolf, she’ll dismiss his story and kill him on the spot. If they look too closely, someone will realize the fresh scar to his side was made with a knife. The only chance we have of this working is if we make it so obvious that no one thinks to look closer.

When he’s gone from sight, I get to work. Imelda will send someone to confirm his story. She won’t let the deaths of two Guardians go unchecked. Not when she already expects an attack.

So I’ll make it look that way.

I’ll tear into the corpses, shred through their armour and clothing until I’m sure no one will notice the pieces missing. I’ll scatter their body parts all along this patch of forest and make it look like would if the monster really did this.

It didn’t take as long as I thought it would, but long enough for the sun to set and shadows to flood the forest. If I run the entire way, I should be able to make it back to Marein in a couple of hours.

Back to Abby.

She must sense I’m thinking about her because warmths spreads down the bond as gentle as the voice that fills my mind.‘Are you on your way back?’

‘Yes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’I left as soon as I was done and stopped, only to wash the blood off me when I came upon a small stream. I don’t want her to see me like that.

‘Are you okay?’

Fuck, she can probably hear it in my voice. The exhaustion that comes after killing. I may not have killed those men, but it certainly looks like I did.

‘Not really, but I will be. The run will help.’Minimally, but I don’t tell her that.‘Would I be an ass if I said I’d prefer to be alone with my thoughts right now?’I don’t want to dismiss her, but I’m not great company at the moment and won’t be until I can clear my head.

‘As long as you make it home to me, that’s all I care about.’

‘I’ll always come home to you.’

I don’t bother shutting myself off to her because I trust her to respect the boundary I’ve set. Instead, I run hard, exerting my muscles and pushing them to their limits. I’m stronger as a wolf and with each bounding stride, I push myself faster through the darkness, relying on my enhanced vision as I skirt around tree after tree.

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