Chapter 151

Nicholas

I never would have admitted it, not to anyone or even myself, but I spent three days straight thinking of nothing but Kayla.

The moment she walked into the forest, wearing nothing but some practical training gear with only a flint and steel kit in her pocket, her head held high despite the jeers, she filled my mind and pushed everything else out.

For three days, I hardly slept, hardly even ate because I was so worried about her. Normally, the Darkmoon Festival was just an antiquated tradition that annoyed me to no end, yet another formality to keep the pack happy each year during the bleak winter.

But this year was different.

This year, for the first time in my entire life, I actually gave a shit about the outcome of the hunt.

During the three days that the participants were in the forest, I arranged the feast that would come afterwards, focusing on miniscule details such as seating charts and musicians. Typically, it was the Luna’s role to arrange such things, but without Kayla here, it was my job.

Not that I normally would have minded, of course. The idea that a Luna was supposed to be the head of all events, running herself ragged to ensure that each and every event and feast and party was absolutely perfect, was another one of those antiquated traditions that made me roll my eyes.

But it felt different without Kayla here. The preparations felt even more overwhelming without her by my side, and even though we had barely looked at each other since the wedding, let alone spoken to each other, I found myself missing her angry glares and snooty little upturned nose.

And most of all, I was worried that she wouldn’t make it through the hunt uninjured in some way.

I was still royally pissed at her, of course. How could she seriously say that our relationship was nothing but business after everything we had been through? I thought she had fallen for me; I thought our wedding meant something. I thought we meant something.

I had been wrong, though. And every time I thought about it, it stung.

“Nicholas. You’re going to shred those napkins to pieces if you don’t calm the fuck down.”

I startled at the sound of Jade’s voice coming from beside me, something that was rare for me. “Huh?”

Rolling her eyes, she jerked her chin toward the cloth napkins in my hands. I followed her gaze to find that I was indeed gripping the stupid thing hard enough to stretch the fibers nearly to the point of ripping it.

With a huff, I threw the bundle of fabric down on the long wooden table. “Who the fuck needs cloth napkins at a feast, anyway? We’re eating a rare deer that the warriors slaughtered in the woods, roasted over an open flame. We should just eat it with our bare hands like the animals we are.”

Jade sighed and grabbed the napkins, folding them neatly just like all the others lining the table. It wasn’t even really our job to fold the napkins or set the long tables, but she’d insisted on dragging me along for the chore, claiming that it would be ‘good for me’ and ‘teach me how to be civilized’.

Honestly, I had a feeling she was just trying to distract me. Jade always had a funny way of being able to tell when I was in a pissy mood, not that I was doing much to hide it lately.

“Like this,” she said, folding the napkin in half and then in thirds. “It’s not that hard, Alpha.”

I groaned quietly and plopped down on the bench beside the table, looking around at the feast.

Everything was almost ready—the tables were set, the band was tuning their instruments across the clearing, and the bonfire was lit. The air smelled like roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and sugary desserts.

And although it was bitterly cold out today, with the feast being held outside no less, all of the torches and fire pits scattered around the gathering area kept me warm enough that I’d even removed my jacket some time ago.

Jade shook her head and took a seat next to me, perching on the edge of the bench. “It’s like I told you before the wedding, on the day of your spar,” she said, leveling me with a stern glare, “you need to talk to her. Really talk to her.”

I opened my mouth, but then shut it again and stared down at my feet. Jade’s offer seemed so simple, and yet impossible at the same time.

Talking was usually one of my strong suits—it was how I had become such a good Alpha, taken so many lovers, joined the guild. I could often turn on my charm like a faucet, and yet when it came to Kayla…

Something about her just made my charm slip away. She could see right through my act, every single time, and she never let me get away with it. Sometimes, I admired that about her. Other times, it was the most frustrating thing in the world.

“I don’t even know what I would say,” I finally replied.

Jade narrowed her eyes. “You can start by telling me what your problem is, and maybe I can help you.”

I shook my head. I hadn’t told anyone what I’d heard that day at the wedding, and I didn’t plan on it. The thought of admitting to a single person, even Kayla, that I’d had my feelings hurt over a conversation that I wasn’t a part of felt like admitting weakness.

Finally, I said to Jade, “It’s just a complicated situation, that’s all.”

She rubbed her hands over her face. “Well, regardless, I think you two need to talk. When she wins the hunt, you can talk to her at the feast.”

I couldn’t help but smirk for the first time in what felt like ages. “You think she’s going to kill the stag before the wolves do?”

Jade grinned. “Don’t you?”

Truthfully, I did. Kayla was a damn good fighter to begin with, and she had been training her ass off for weeks now. Plus, a lot of the warriors who joined the hunt were a bunch of arrogant pricks, more worried about puffing their chests out than actually trying.

I was just about to say that to Jade when the sound of shouting nearby caught our attention. We both jumped to our feet, turning to see one of the aforementioned warriors bursting out of the treeline, breathless and covered in blood.

“Alpha!” he shouted, whirling around wildly in search of me. “Alpha, there’s been an accident!”

Kayla.

My mind immediately went to her as I raced over to the warrior. “What happened?” I asked.

The warrior pointed toward the forest, then gestured for me to follow. “We were fighting, and I…” His voice trailed off as we raced into the woods. “It was an accident, I swear! I’m so sorry, Alpha!”

I didn’t care to hear all of the minute details right now. If Kayla was in trouble, then I needed to get to her. My legs flew across the forest floor as I followed the warrior deeper, my heart racing.

Finally, up ahead, I saw two figures. One of them was Kayla, but… she wasn’t the one who was hurt. She looked up as I approached, her red hair caked to her face with blood that wasn’t her own, her eyes wild and filled with tears.

“Nicholas!” she shouted, her clothes and hands covered in blood as she knelt over Nora. “Nicholas, she’s not breathing!”