Page 36 of Of Wolves and Wives

Without another word to the prince, Heath carries me from the room. Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the comfort of his arms.

20

Heath

Walking through the halls of the castle, I can’t help thinking of how we should run. Escape this castle while we can. Rose is silent in my arms, and the temptation to just keep walking is almost too much to ignore. I clutch her to me as I push down the temptation of leaving this place behind.

I don’t want to return her to her room. But, what choice do I have? It’s clear that the prince is looking for any excuse he can to punish us all. In her current state, I wouldn’t be able to make it far enough from the castle. I doubt we’d even make it past the entrance to the castle.

Leaving now would be a death sentence. Just considering it is dangerous enough. Not just for Peirce, Rykker, and myself. Rose would be in too much danger. She would never survive the forest. Humans never did. Escaping here would just be a death sentence for her.

I won’t allow for that.

No, I will do as I’m told, for now. I will return her to her rooms and find a way to ensure that she survives. No matter what I must do, I will protect her. For as long as possible, I’ll find a way to make sure she survives her coming imprisonment.

Even as I realize that eventually, something would get to her. Hunger would be the least of her problems in the coming days. This realization has me pressing her more firmly into my chest. It doesn’t matter, I tell myself. I will protect her. I will find a way for her to survive.

Hunger will be the least of her worries.

As well loneliness.

No, I’ll find a way. There is some way to ensure that she lives. Either her in the castle or out in the forest, I will find a way.

Until then, she’s stuck here. At least in her room, I know where she is. I’ll find a way to ease her pain and stave off her hunger. I’ll have time to form a better plan. One that will see all four of us leaving the castle alive.

Before it’s too late.

21

Rose

Returning to my room is a blur. I know Heath deposits me on my bed, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before retreating. The click of the lock is a distant sound as tears overtake me. Exhaustion overtakes me after that. When I wake, the sun has set, and the room is dark and cold. Without a maid to attend to me, there’s no fire to warm the room.

Still, as I sit up, I try not to let the deafening quiet of the room get to me. The solitude is a welcome relief, actually. No Beatrice to smirk at Ms. Thompson or me to order me about. For the first time in my life, I’m alone. I’ve never known quite like my room. Slipping from the bed, I’m suddenly unsure what to do.

Moving to the door, I hesitate. I know it’ll be locked, but surely there must be a guard outside. Hope blossoms in my chest that it’ll be one of my guards. But pressing my hand to the door, I don’t sense them nearby. In fact, my stomach clenches. Leaving the door, I pace my room as I consider what lies ahead of me. It seems almost too much to hope that the Grey Prince means to keep me locked away here.

But as the hours slowly slip into a day, I realize that’s what he means to do. By the next afternoon, I’ve experienced boredom like I’ve ever known. Pacing the room is the only distraction available to me. At first, I didn’t mind the quiet. Now it presses on me with each second that ticks past. Hunger pinches at me as my nausea slowly returns.

I find myself gravitating toward the door. No one says anything to me through it, but I get the sense that there are guards out there. As the first day begins to slip away, I hear footsteps outside the door. Despite telling myself that it’s nothing, I feel hope that it’s Heath blooming in my chest. I need to know that Peirce is okay.

The footsteps fall quiet then I hear soft muttering. I wait, my heart nearly pounding as I try to hear what’s being said. Fear wraps around my heart as I realize it could be the Grey Prince come to finish me off. Or claim me again.

“Rose.”

A sigh of relief escapes me at hearing Heath’s voice through the door.

“I’m here,” I whisper back.

“I have food for you.”

He shoves a slice of bread under the door. My stomach growls loudly as I reach for the food. I don’t waste any time in shoving it into my mouth, sighing as it does nothing to starve off the hunger that’s been growing inside me.

“How’s Peirce?” I ask.

But I get no response other than retreating footsteps. Pressing my forehead to the door, I don’t fight the tears that start to stream down my face. With Heath gone, the bread doesn’t sit right in my stomach, but I ignore the pain that’s overtaking my body. I need to survive this for the baby growing inside me. But also for myself. I can’t let the wolves kill me in this way. Without even giving me a fight.

Anger becomes my constant companion as more hours pass by. I sleep when I can, not caring if the room is dark or full of sunlight. Daytime means nothing to me as I pace the room. In the complete darkness, I find myself staring out the window at the clouds, dreaming of a life where I never came here. Or one where I could leave here.

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