Episode 2

Kael

I urge the horse faster.

"Ahhhh," I say, lifting the reins slightly as the animal leaps over a fallen trunk.

Rain comes down hard, thick and relentless, plastering strands of my hair to my face. My jaw tightens. There is something in the forest tonight. Something different.

And the howls of rogues echo through the trees. I hear everything. Every sound. Every breath. The heavy thud of something, or someone, falling into the mud.

A young woman.

My horse's hooves sink into the grass, mud exploding around them.

And then...

"HELP!" Her cry rings out nearby. Desperate. Terrified.

As soon as I reach the place, I see her. Small, fragile, defenseless, surrounded by rogue wolves. They growl in unison, a chorus of hunger and savagery. Their eyes gleam with the primitive fury of the hunt.

She points nothing but a piece of wood at them, as if she can defend herself with it. As if a branch could save her from what is coming.

I look at her leg and see the deep cut there. Scratches mark her arms in patterns that tell the story of a fall, or a fight. The forbidden forest is merciless to outsiders.

So I simply leap from my horse, shifting in midair into my massive black wolf. I land in front of her, snarling viciously at the rogues. The sound that tears from my throat is pure ancestral power.

They whine. They hesitate. Then they lower their heads and begin to back away slowly in the face of my presence. It is always like this. They know who I am.

The Supreme of the forbidden forest.

Thunder follows my snarl, as if the sky itself is answering. White light bursts through the rain. I turn toward the small intruder, but only in time to see her raise a finger, drop the piece of wood, and say, "I think... I'm not... okay."

Her eyes roll back. Her body gives way.

Before she can fall, I return to my human form and catch her in my arms. Her body is small and fragile compared to mine. Almost too fragile.

I whistle sharply, and my horse comes back to me, obedient. I set her carefully on its back, then mount behind her, holding her unconscious body against my chest.

Raindrops strike her face, soaking her even more. Carefully, I move a lock of hair stuck to her neck and breathe in her scent.

My whole body freezes.

"You're a she-wolf?" I say, more to myself than to her, since she remains unconscious and motionless. "Then why didn't you summon your wolf? Why didn't you shift?"

It intrigues me in a way I did not expect. Her scent is different. Completely different. She smells of lavender. Ancient lavender.

"I've never smelled that on another she-wolf," I whisper against her damp hair.

Her face is pale beneath the rain, but there is something in it. Something I recognize, though I cannot name it. As if I am looking at a secret the world has forgotten.

I study her again, taking in every detail. The delicate shape of her face. The curve of her brows. The color of her lips.

"Who are you?" I ask quietly, my eyes still fixed on her face, as if she could answer me in her sleep.

Then I urge my horse on, carrying her with me through the dark forest, toward my castle. Toward the fortress where I will find out exactly who, or what, she truly is.

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