Filed to story: My Kidnapper Is the Wolf King
“Perhaps refrain from making any new ‘friends’ until we’ve dealt with this one. Yes?”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “You’re the only ‘friend’ I’ve made recently.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Keep the wolfsbane I gave you close by when you meet with Lochlan in the morning.”
“You didn’t give it to me. I took it.”
“Of course you did, darling.” His voice fades as the hall disintegrates around us. Shadows swirl around me as the dream ebbs away. “Let me know if Lochlan says anything interesting, won’t you?”
***
The next morning, I wrap my cloak tightly around me as I walk through the grass toward the brown-and-orange waters of the loch. Lochlan is already waiting for me. He leans against the bough of an ash tree, his red hair a sharp contrast to the grey of the bark. His yellow kilt ruffles in the wind.
He smiles in my direction as I approach, then he looks over my shoulder. I follow his gaze. Callum leans against the outer wall of Lowfell with his arms folded across his chest. He raises a hand to wave at Lochlan, the gesture playful-but the meaning clear. He’s watching.
“Sorry.” I shrug. “I tried to get him to wait in the castle, but he’s as stubborn as an ox when he wants to be.”
Lochlan’s smile grows. “Not a problem. It was the other one I was more concerned about.”
“Blake? Why?”
“We’ll get to that.” He holds out his arm for me to take. “Walk with me.”
I asses the wolf before me-strong, lithe, a warrior. I’m glad of the vial of wolfsbane in my pocket. I loop my arm with his, and he steers me toward the woodland.
“What is it you wanted to speak to me about?” I ask.
“Sebastian.”
Something cold floods me at the mention of my former betrothed. A vision of me straddling his lap in the carriage flashes behind my eyelids.
How about you show me what else you learned while you were being a whore to that Highfell beast?
Sweat beads on my brow, and I push down the rise of the fever that threatens to take me.
I push down my disappointment, too. I had hoped he wanted to speak to me about my mother.
“What about him?” I ask.
“He came to Glas-Cladach with a group of soldiers about six months ago.”
“What did he want?”
“He was looking for the Heart of the Moon.”
My eyebrows lift. “He thought you had it?”
Dry twigs and leaves crunch beneath our boots as the trees around us get taller. They stretch toward the grey sky with gnarly fingers. A rustle, and the scent of the mountains carried on the wind, lets me know Callum is not far behind.
“He believed it had been in the Snowlands at one time, but was then transported into the Northlands. Glas-Cladach is the nearest port to the Snowlands, so he reasoned we might have been holding onto it.”
“Were you?”
“No. But we keep a log of all the boats that enter our territory. When he discovered there was a storm on the day your mother left her kingdom to marry your father, and her ship was diverted to Glas-Cladach, he became very interested. Particularly on seeing the crop of moonflower that grows on our cliffs-a crop said to only grow after the earth is touched by
Ghealach
‘s power.”
Lochlan steadies me as I almost trip over a fallen branch. “What are you saying?”
“Did she ever give you an heirloom? Something with a precious stone in-a necklace, or a ring, perhaps?”
“You think my mother had the Heart of the Moon?” I let out a half-laugh, though there is no humor in it. “She left me all of her jewelry. Much of it is adorned with precious stones. Some of it is back at the Borderlands, some in my father’s castle.” I shake my head. “None of it held any particular importance to her. If she had such a precious relic in her possession, she would have kept it close, surely. She did not have it, Lochlan.”
“Hm, perhaps. I thought it was worth asking.”
“What would you have done, if I had it?”
He shrugs, though something violent gleams in his eyes. “It’s a very precious thing.”
“In that case, I’m glad Callum is following us.”
Lochlan smirks. We stop by the crumbling chapel, and I let go of his arm. “You didn’t want Blake to overhear this conversation. Why?”
“All alphas want to get their hands on the Heart of the Moon, not just me. Whoever has it in their possession becomes the most powerful wolf in the Northlands. They’d likely become king. I thought you and Callum may appreciate me not passing on this information to him.”
“You don’t want Blake to take the throne? It’s a relief to know that, at least. But why? You seem to get along with him.”
“I told you, he intrigues me.” The corner of his mouth tips up, but I sense sadness in him. He runs a hand over the back of his neck, and I catch another glimpse of his tattoos as he brushes aside his shirt collar. “The problem is, I tend to become intrigued by the wrong sort of men.”
“Kai?” I say softly.
He releases a sad laugh. “I loved him, killed my father for him. He betrayed me and took part of my clan.” He shakes his head. “Regardless, it looks like I’m going to attempt to rescue him. Jack returned from the Borderlands early this morning. One of my men overheard him talking to Blake. Two days after the full moon, Alexander plans to move a group of prisoners-Kai included-between the Borderlands castle and his castle on the coast.”
“The Grey Keep,” I say. Alexander boasted about his sea-drenched castle during the ball when I discovered his treason. I read about it, in the days after. It’s close to the border and set upon cliffs. The rocks below are too jagged and perilous for boats to approach.
Lochlan nods. “I’m sure that Blake will lie and tell me he’s dead, but you can inform Callum that if he wants my army, we’ll rescue Kai, first.” He raises his voice above the rustle of the leaves because he knows Callum is listening. “There’s a craig in between the two castles, perfect for an ambush. When Kai is safe, Callum can have my army and we’ll pay his brother a visit.”
I smile. “I’ll let him know.”
His eyes glint and he shrugs. “My point is, I tend to be attracted to those who harbor darkness. And there is darkness in Blake. More than in most.” His gaze sweeps over the ruin of the chapel amid the trees. “I fear what would become of the Northlands under his command.”
I don’t disagree.
***
The bond is like a thread, and it gets tighter as the full moon gets closer. After I escaped Sebastian, I told myself I’d be more open with my feelings, but I entomb them, to keep Blake out.
As the days pass, and Callum works with Lochlan to prepare his ambush, there’s a part of me that wonders if I’m using Blake as an excuse. I wonder if feeling nothing is still easier than feeling something. I don’t want to be overcome by fear of the full moon. My father killed my mother, and sometimes I’m so angry I feel like I’ll combust. Callum is still being so gentle with me, and sometimes it makes me want to scream. And my mother. . .my mother hid that I was a wolf. She let herself be poisoned. Why would she do that?
No. I don’t want to feel any of it.
I spend my time poring over books, trying to find something to break the link between Blake and me-or perhaps I’m just trying to distract myself, trying to stop myself from staring out of the window each night, as the moon gets brighter.
One morning, as I’m scanning the shelves in the library, pacing, chewing my fingernails, Elsie taps me on the shoulder and hands me a small paperback.
The Alpha’s Secret is written across the front. When I flick through, my lips twitch. “Another love story,” I say.
“The old cook here at Lowfell used to pen them.” She shrugs. “I wasn’t allowed out, with my father being the way he was. These helped pass the time. This one is particularly good. You should read it.”
There’s a slight glint in her eyes, and she looks alarmingly similar to her brother for a moment. I’m sure it’s due to the intimate romantic details I’m sure to find within. I thank her, and pocket it so I can read it in private, later. I go back to my frantic search.
It’s not until the day before the full moon, when I’m eating breakfast, that I make a discovery. I’m reading a scripture that says all Wolves power comes from the moon. I breathe in sharply as Blake’s darkness floods me.
The hall is quieter this morning. Lochlan and his clan are planning a hike to Dawn’s Craig later as part of a Glas-Cladach ritual, and he’s taken them outside. Ryan and Becky seem to be arguing by the doors, Callum is crouched in the middle of the flagstones and is attempting some kind of magic trick for Alfie, and Elsie and Arran are talking quietly while they eat breakfast.