Chapter 19

Clara

I ran for hours. I needed the cover of darkness to get as far away as I could before I tried to find shelter. I would hide during the day and move at night. It would be harder for anyone from the royal compound to find me that way.

I’d always had good night vision. Running in the darkness was only a little harder than running in daylight for me.

I thought about shifting into my wolf form so that I could run on four legs instead of two. I would be faster that way. I would have to take a moment to squirm into my pack in wolf form, but I could do it.

However, if I was pregnant, it would be dangerous to shift. Later in pregnancy, the baby would match my form. But it was too early, and the shock of shapeshifting might cause a miscarriage.

So I ran. I made it to the forest that bordered the royal compound. And I kept going. I knew I only had a few hours of darkness left.

When I saw the first hints of dawn scratching at the horizon, I started looking for a place to hide. I had no destination in mind. I just needed to get as far away as I possibly could.

I got lucky. I crossed a creek and found the remains of an old hunter’s trail. I followed it and found a small cabin.

The cabin was half collapsed. It was overgrown with weeds and filled with debris. But there were two walls still standing and a little bit of a roof. It would be enough to hide me.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t the only one to find that cozy little ruin. I stepped inside and heard a distinctive growl.

I froze as two glittering amber eyes glared out from the darkness. For a moment I hoped I had run across some animal’s den. But then the eyes moved closer, and I saw the silhouette of a man.

I had found a Rogue’s hideout.

I scrambled back and out of the collapsed cabin. The Rogue followed me, still growling. I saw when he stepped out into the faint light of dawn that he was partially transformed.

The Rogue stood on two legs, but they were bent strangely. Fur covered his skin and he wore only the barest scraps of a loin cloth. He had pointed ears and long, drool wet fangs.

I shivered. I had seen werewolves practice fighting in the half form, but only at a distance.

I tried signing apologies to the Rogue. I promised that I would leave and tell no one I saw him. It was futile.

Even if the Rogue understood sign, which wasn’t likely, his wolf was in command. I saw a glint of madness in his eyes.

I backed further away from the Rogue, but he matched me step for step. I saw the muscles of his legs bunch for a leap. My back hit the bark of a tree.

I braced myself for his attack. I couldn’t shift to match him with fangs and claws. I had foolishly left the little knife Nora found for me in my pack. I scrambled for the pocket she’d tucked it into. It was my only chance.

My hand closed on the hilt of the knife. The Rogue leaped for my throat. I saw his fangs as his jaw opened wide.

But just as he leaped, something struck him hard in the side. A second werewolf, also in half form, slammed into the Rogue. I saw silver fur and golden eyes. Was this another Rogue?

Gideon

I needed to know if Clara was carrying my pup. I paced my room for hours. Had she taken the test yet? What did it say?

My wolf whined and pleaded. He did not understand why I did not have my mate close to me. She might have our pup!

I couldn’t explain the complexities of politics to my wolf. He could not understand.

I had tried a few times to explain that I felt no bond to Clara. My wolf insisted that I wasn’t paying enough attention.

I decided to go and check on her. Maybe if I talked to her, my wolf would calm down.

I went to her room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Was she asleep? It was late at night, after all.

I turned to go, but my wolf howled in distress. I realized I would get no rest until the wolf had seen Clara. So I knocked again, and the door creaked open under my touch.

The room was empty. Clara’s few possessions were gone, the drawers left askew and the bed was rumpled.

She had run away. Why would she do that? Where would she go?

There was only one person Clara trusted in the royal compound. I went to Nora’s room and knocked. She answered on the second knock.

“Gideon!” she cooed up at me, stepping back to invite me inside.

I didn’t bother to step into her room. I didn’t have time. My wolf was frantic within me.

“Where is Clara?” I demanded.

“Why do you want to see Clara?” Nora asked. Her lips pulled into a pout.

“She’s not in her room,” I said. “Her possessions are gone. Where would she go?”

“I… I don’t know,” Nora said. “She’s lived in the royal compound most all of her life. She wouldn’t know where to go. Maybe she’s just hiding.”

I needed to find her. Something bad would happen if I didn’t find her. I had no idea why I was so sure of that, but I was.

I ran to the stables, waving the guards off when they approached. None of the horses were missing. She had left on foot. I could catch up to her.

I knew her scent. I could follow that. I shifted to wolf, and circled the servant’s courtyard until I caught a fresh trail. It led me to a small gap in the wall.

I would have to have someone patch that hole in our defense. I would do that later, once I had found Clara.

Luckily, she had no idea how to cover her trail. I was an experienced hunter. I followed her scent and the signs she left behind.

Clara had made it pretty far, but she was staying on two legs. I was faster on four.

I found her just as the sun broke over the horizon. She had found shelter in the form of a ruined cabin.

She had also found danger in the form of a maddened Rogue.

I didn’t have time for a full shift. I matched the Rogue’s half form and jumped him just as he leaped at Clara.

The Rogue turned and rolled, slashing at me with his claws. His fangs snapped a breath away from my face.

I growled and slammed him into the ground. The Rogue whined and twisted in my grip. I got my hands around his throat, ignoring the way his claws scratched at my chest.

I snapped the Rogue’s neck with a quick twist, and stood up. I turned to find Clara still backed against the tree, with a dagger held in both of her hands aimed at me.

I took a step towards her, and realized that she had never seen me in wolf form. She had no idea who I was, and she must be terrified that I was another Rogue. So, I shifted back into my human form.

Clara stared at me for a moment, and then she turned to run. She made it a few steps before she collapsed.

I ran to her side. She curled around her stomach, face pinched with pain. I turned her over and smelled blood. Had the Rogue already hurt her?