Chapter 11

…but death did not come.

Instead, I felt the full weight of a man on top of me. My arms were pinned down besides my head. I felt the hips of someone move under me. I looked up and was met with Kairo’s piercing gaze. I started to struggle immediately.

“Clever girl,” Kairos tutted. He was unphased by my fidgeting. “But not clever enough.”

“Let me go, Kairos,” I said. My voice shook in fear but I still had to fight back. I had to get out of his hold.

“No,” he hissed teeth bared towards me. “You don’t belong here!” He lifted my shoulders and slammed them back into the dirt. It was enough force to cause my head to spin.

“You are wolfless,” he spat at me. “Weak and defiant. You know no respect towards the High Alpha’s of our time! I should gut you for even attempting to speak to me. This hunt was my plan to get to alone. To peel you apart.”

He dropped his mouth towards my ear. I felt like I was about to be consumed by him. My chest rose and fell rapidly against him. He chuckled as I try to fight against him again.

“To find out what makes you come apart,” he said, voice a tenacious whisper.

I weighed my options as quickly as I could. I could give in. I could submit and face the utter humiliation of them realizing I was a royal. I could give up.

Or, could try.

I could distract Kairos enough to get the upper hand. I could fight him off and run back out of the forest. I could find a way to win this year’s hunt.

And so that’s what I decided. I was never one to give up. I was stubborn as all. I’d rise to the top of the throne and I’d smite Kairos and all his little stupid friends as soon as I got up there. So I tried my best to distract him by goading him.

I poked the bear.

“Aren’t you like a potential King consort?” I said, as fearless as I could. “What do you think the Queen would say to you pinning down a wolfless? I know Maximus was already told off.”

He paused for a moment. It was the longest amount of time he’d taken before snarking a reply back at me. Finally, he snapped slamming my shoulders against the ground again.

“The Queen is none of your concern, wolfless!” he spat. “You will never know how it is to be a queen!”

“Probably not,” I said. My head was starting to feel light. The bramble besides my head had scraped into my skull and I felt something dripping down my temple. But still, I fought.

“But isn’t there a chance she won’t even pick you?” I fumbled to get the words out of my mouth but they still made sense. “The princess, that is.”

“Do you not understand the power of the crown, wolfless?” Kairos spat. “They are a political tool. The Queen will force the princess to pick whichever suitor is her true mate.”

Didn’t I know that!

“This princess, in particular, is bound to be powerful,” Kairos continued. “It is a power that is best suited with equal power. One that I possess.”

“What do you mean?” At that point, I was genuinely confused and asking questions. What did he mean I was “bound to be powerful?” Victoria had told me nothing of my power. For God’s sake, I was wolfless!

Kairos blinked at me. His grip lessened on my wrists. I thought about scrambling away in his confusion but I was far too curious of my supposed future to run.

“After the war,” he started. “A prophecy arose. It told of the heir to Queen Victoria Luna’s throne. She was to be the dawn of an new era of wolf. Wolves that were unrestrained and had full control over themselves. The prophecy also spoke of her mate. He was a strong, High Alpha with the ability to siphon the heir’s power for himself.”

He grinned down at me and I felt my heart stutter. It was entirely unfriendly. “There are only five High Alpha packs. Thus, only five High Alpha heirs for the princess to chose from,” he paused and his grin grew wider. “I am one of them.”

Fear washed over me.

I was the princess the prophecy spoke about. I was the dawn of the wolves and yet here I was, wolfless and trapped under the grasp of a maniac who was trying to steal my power while also kill me. This was worse than I had imagined.

I yanked back from Kairos’s grasp but he held on tighter. I yelped in pain as his palms squeezed my wrists with a force I’d never felt.

“Ask me what I’m going to do with that power, clever girl,” he said as I tried to break free. I didn’t answer, focusing on getting out of his grasp. He leaned forwards to brush his lips against my ear. Against my judgement, a tingle rushed down my body to my toes.

“If you’re still wolfless at eighteen,” he whispered. “I’ll kill you.”

I gasped and yanked my head away from him. He laughed in response, his teeth pearly and his eyes the deep gold of a killer.

“The princess will never chose you,” I spat back at him. “The Queen knows how fucked up you are. She’d never let you kill innocent wolfless!”

He slammed me back into the ground a third time. I felt the air escape from my lungs in a puff. I choked on my own spit as I felt my vision come in and out of focus. He was so strong. I needed to get out now. I pretended to go limp in Kairo’s arms.

Slowly, his grip lessened. Then, I felt him sit back on his heels. I took that as my cue and kicked my foot as hard as possible into his groin.

He grunted and staggered backwards, glaring at me with his deep gold eyes. I pushed myself as fast I could manage and took off. I flew through the forest at breakneck speed. I don’t know how I was doing it. I felt leaves and trees lodge themselves in my arms and tug my skin open. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t care.

Once again, I pushed my legs to their brink. Finally, I emerged from the woods in front of my dorm. I could’ve cried in that moment. I ran up to the door and tugged. As I leaned back, the world started spinning. Slowly, the colors of the dorm turned to darkness.

I landed on the ground with a thud. I blinked a few times to try and get myself to stand up. Then I felt arms gently wrap around me and a few muffled screams.

And once again, I was back in the silent darkness.