Page 83 of Through the Wicked Wood

Voices are muffled this low in the trench, but I can distinctly make out Sorin in the mangled web of screams. Terror fills my chest as I glance between Ruse and the opening of the trench. As if sensing my debate, Ruse’s eyes flick open. My lungs fill with relief as I suck in a silent breath. Bending back down to her side, I run my hand over her thick coat. She lets out a soft whimper as I scratch the spot between her ears. A high-pitched scream echoes down the trench drawing my attention upward.

Sam.

Glancing back to Ruse, I wipe the tears from my cheeks as she nudges her face into my palm that’s tucked under her chin.

Go.

Her voice in my head is faint, almost as if our bond has been weakened.

“I won’t leave you, Ruse.” Another scream from above. My heart and mind are racing as I weigh my options. My friends need me. Ruse needs me. I cannot leave her here. I cannot leave them there.

Go.

Her voice, again. That sweet, angelic voice that matches not her disposition, but her soul. It was Ruse who told me to follow Alaric that day. Ruse who I heard when the guards attacked me. All along I thought Ruse followed Alaric’s lead. The beta to his alpha. But it’s been her. Our fearless leader.

A stampede of hooves thunders loudly overhead but I can’t peel my eyes from her.

“She’s down ‘ere!” An unfamiliar voice booms through the trenches and I know it’s too late.

Dipping my head, I meet Ruse’s and press it firmly to mine. “I’m so sorry, Ruse.” A lap of a tongue meets my salt-stained cheeks. “I’ll come back for you, I promise.”

Another voice echoes through the chamber of the trench but this time I can’t make out what they say. All I can focus on is Ruse. With a final nudge to my hand, I watch as she releases another strangled breath. Time is frozen. I can hear my heart thud loudly through my ears. My blood rushes through my body, but it’s as cold as ice. Every inch of hair on my arms and neck rises as I watch Ruse’s injured body. It’s as if I can feel everything and nothing all at once. I flex my palms, but my magick doesn’t come. Ruse’s voice fades from my mind and I am frozen.

The men above rappel down the trench. I reach for my daggers, ready to slice them open but the men’s movements are too quick. There are three of them and only one of me.

Their hands grip too firmly around my arms, heavy shackles bite against my wrists as they’re clasped behind my back. Kicking my feet, I land a blow to one of the men’s chest, but he recovers quickly. Their laughs of victory fade as we are hauled up the trench.

I’m drowning.

The nightmare I had after the Wicked Woods wasn’t a nightmare. It was a premonition. It was this. Only it isn’t me who is falling into the bottomless ocean. It’s Ruse. Ruse and a piece of my own heart. My vision fades, the corners of my sight turn black as the image of Ruse’s injured body disappears and I’m pulled from the trench.

The slap of cold air shocks me back to the present as I’m hauled up and tossed to the ground, landing roughly on my side. Images of navy and gold flash in my peripherals, and my worry for Ruse turns to rage as the distinct depiction of a snarling grizzly kneels before me. The king’s crest. Pushing myself off the ground, my hands remaining locked behind me. Ignoring the ache in my chest, my vengeance knows no bounds for whoever is responsible for this. For Ruse. For my family.

Family.

The word stings. My ears crane for their voices but all I’m met with is the incessant chattering of the guards.

Alaric! I shout, but I may as well be shouting down an empty hallway. Only the sound of my own voice echoes back.

So many guards and hunters mingle together. Laughing as if there’s cause for celebration.

Then, a voice.

In the midst of the chatter and sickening laughter is a voice I know all too well.

“I finally found you,” he says and my stomach churns.

Lifting my head, I brace myself for who I know I am about to see. His blonde hair has grown significantly, knotted at the base of his neck. His pale skin is covered by the king’s uniform but his eyes... His eyes are the same and I would know them anywhere. Hazel, with specks of green framed beneath full brows. My heart sinks as I take him in.

“Cade?”

Chapter 41

Elora

My mind and heart are in a battle with themselves as my eyes rake over Cade’s face. The same eyes that used to bring me so much comfort and warmth now stare back at me, empty and cold.

“How can this be?” I choke out, wanting to cry. To release everything that swarms within me, but coming up short. The voices in my head scream over one another, impossible to make out any distinction of what they’re saying.

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