Finally, I spy a pair of floating eyes in the gloom—eyes that mock me. Every muscle in my body locks in fear, but I never take my gaze off the beast.
Slowly, it slinks from the shadows, a four-legged creature larger than life itself. My heart pounds faster. It hardly resembles a wolf now, just a devastating hell beast with pure bloodlust shining in its quicksilver eyes. Branches crack beneath its paws, paws bigger than my whole head, and its claws dig deep into the earth as it leaves its mark, letting the world know that it was here and that it killed the princess—the last living descendant of the Godwyn Dynasty.
My bloodline will end with me.
Its mouth widens, revealing a set of curved fangs that makes my knife look like a sewing needle, and it’s hopeless.
I won’t even make it to the king at this rate. This wolf will tear me limb from limb.
The hell beast pushes me towards a tree, and I press my back against solid bark, heart thumping so loudly that the creature stops a moment to savour the sound.
Its quicksilver eyes still taunt me, its hot breath burning my cheeks as it widens its jaws, and only death glares back at me now.
A low rattle rumbles in its chest, and it takes me a second to recognise the sound. It'slaughing…
I find my voice, having had enough. “Just get it over with already and kill me.”
It snaps its teeth, pinning me in place with its pinprick pupils, but I bare a snarl of my own. “What are you waiting for?”
“I’m not going to kill you.”
My muscles seize at the guttural sound. It’s like the creature is whispering to me deep from the abyss, a sound like cold, trickling water that ices my veins.
I swallow.
It never once moved its mouth. Instead, it used its tongue to form words, mainly because it was too busy peeling its lips back from its teeth.
There’s no mistaking that the wolf is female. But it makes no difference to me.
Those fangs could still rend my flesh.
“I promised someone I would bring you back alive, and that is exactly what I plan to do,princess.”
There it isagain, thesnark, and someone really is mocking me... So, I guess that makes her a bitch. Well, this bitch is about to die.
Flipping my knife around, I plunge it deep into her eye, and her dark blood splatters my cheeks. She rears back with a howl, and I seize my chance.
I run.
Back to the only one who has ever had my back in this cold, grim place.
Tegwyn. I never should have left him.
Hopefully, I can make it back to him before the wolf regains her strength.
A shadow lumbers after me, and then I’m flat on my back, winded from the heavy impact.
I gaze up hazily into a burning silver eye. The left one is bleeding, and it looks like she managed to get the knife out.
My only regret is that I never got to see him again, but at least I got my revenge on one of my enemies.
That knife was for Belle. Wherever she is, I hope she’s happy.
She opens her mouth, and her jaws encompass my whole head. The top half settles on my scalp and the lower beneath my chin, and I squeeze my eyes tight shut when her saliva drips onto my face.
“Fuck bringing you back alive. I’ll just tell the king that you died on the road. Accidents happen.”
She laughs again, and if only I had another knife to take out her other eye.
