Page 52 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

But I didn't stop.

Branches whipped my face, thorns tore my dress and skin, the ground was uneven—I nearly fell several times. My lungs burned, my left arm bled, pain blurred my vision. But I couldn't stop—couldn't—

Footsteps behind me, getting closer.

I burst through a thicket, and the ground disappeared beneath my feet—

A cliff. Below was a rushing river.

I skidded to a stop, pebbles tumbling from the edge, falling into darkness below. Several seconds passed before I heard them hit bottom.

I stood at the cliff's edge. Killers behind me, abyss ahead.

I turned around.

The six figures had emerged from the forest, forming a semicircle around me. The leader removed his mask, revealing a sharp-featured face—a long scar ran from his left eye to his chin, grotesque in the moonlight.

"Well, go on, run," he said, a cold smile curling his lips. "Why'd you stop?"

I stepped back. My heel hung in empty air. More pebbles fell.

"You know why the king chose this road to send you on?" He walked forward slowly, dragging his longsword on the ground with a harsh scraping sound. "Because it's remote, desolate. If anything happens, no one will know. He gave us the perfect location."

My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms.

Zane.

Do you really hate me that much?

"Don't blame His Majesty," the man said, as if reading my thoughts. "You're just a problem to him. A problem that needs handling. I'd do the same thing."

He took another step forward.

I had nowhere left to go.

The cliff opened its dark mouth behind me like a beast waiting for prey.

I looked at the six killers, at their bloodied weapons, thought of that man's face—those gray-blue eyes, those lips that once said "you're my fated mate" to me in moonlight.

Lies.

All lies.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

When I opened them again, there was no more fear.

Only hatred.

Chapter Twelve

Zane

Mia was gone.

I stood at the study window, watching the carriage vanish down the forest path. A strange feeling washed over me—not relief, not ease, but something else. Emptiness. Like someone had carved a hole in my chest and the wind was howling through it.

I told myself this was good. She was gone, the elders were satisfied, the prophet's curse theory was temporarily silenced, the kingdom was safe. I'd made the right call. As king, my job was making the hard but necessary decisions, even when they felt like shit.