Chapter 209

I breathed deeply and let out a soft sigh of relief. It felt like everything else I needed to do would be so much easier now that she was dead. Candido couldn’t be distracted anymore. He would only be able to see me. He would only love me, and anyone who tried to change his mind would have to deal with me.

I turned back, unable to hide how happy I was, but no one else seemed to be excited or even close to happy. I guess it would take a while for everyone else to shake the enchantments Estella had put on them. It was probably in all of the medical supplies she’d made.

I was so lucky that I hadn’t used much of it. Though, maybe it was just because I was stronger than the others. I was a golden wolf after all.

I walked through the cave and out to where they had all set up a small camp. People were slumped over, clutching their wounds. Others, the vampires that had come with Peter and the few vampires that had been with Estella were tending people. As I looked around, I realized that a lot of the vampires that had been with us were gone. Were they dead too? It would serve them right.

I stopped near a kit that looked like it was full of medical supplies and kicked it over. I smashed the pots of cream, sneering at the way the potions glowed faintly before fading as the liquid soaked into the grass. How many more were there around?

I had to find Candido. I turned to walk down the center of the camp, scanning the area for him. Someone from Blue Moon let out a soft sob.

“Anya…” he sobbed. “A-Anya—”

Some came to him and wrapped their arms around him, murmuring words of comfort.

“She wouldn’t want you to mourn her,” the woman said, rocking the man. “She would… She would want you to live. S-She died a warrior’s death.”

I eyed the man. Who was Anya? I walked past them. It didn’t really matter. All that mattered was Candido and our future together. I went looking for him among all the people, but I couldn’t find him. I set my jaw. Had he left me behind again?

I went to one of the men from Moon Shadow. He leaned against a stone and stared silently ahead. His expression was so bleak. I nudged him.

“Where is Candido?” He didn’t answer me. I nudged him again. “Do you hear me? Where is Candido—”

He turned, snarling and shoving me back.

“Harper!” Someone yelled as he shoved me to the ground and his claws extended.

I felt his claws grazing my chest as he was lifted off of me, floating in the air as he swiped and clawed in my direction. He shuddered and shifted into a wolf, snapping his jaws at me.

“No one else is dying tonight,” Peter said sternly as he walked towards me. He gestured and the man, Harper, floated away from me still glaring at me with glowing eyes.

I looked up at him. “Did you see him? How could he just attack me like that? I just wanted to know where Candido was! I have the right to know!”

Peter said nothing, looking down at me. He didn’t offer me help getting up.

“I need my cloak back,” he said looking down at me.

I frowned. “Why?”

I narrowed my eyes. “The least you could do is help me up.”

He smiled thinly and crouched in front of me. He undid the clasp around my neck and slipped it from around my shoulders. Then, he reached into the side of it.

I grabbed it. “Wait. What am I—”

He pulled out a long red jacket that looked a bit like a dress. Before I could say anything more, he put the jacket in my hands and stood, turning on the spot and vanishing into thin air.

“Wait!” I reached for where he had been, but he was already gone.

“He’s going to report,” another vampire from his group said. His eyes were cold as he looked at me. “He’ll be back soon.”

“The least he could have done was help me up.”

“Estella was a good friend,” he said simply. “I don’t think you can expect any help from anyone from Lunae.”

I sneered at him and pushed myself onto my feet. “I don’t need help from vampires. Where is Candido? Are you hiding him from me?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t need help from vampires?”

He flashed his teeth. I glared at him and stomped away. I dropped the jacket and kept walking. It was better without it. If Candido saw what a terrible state I was in, he’d have no chance but to care. I stopped at every werewolf, asking where Candido was, but none of them said anything. If anything, they seemed to pull away and avoid me.

Finally, I got to the injured man who had stopped me from killing Estella. He was seated away from the rest of the group. I glanced back at the rest of the group, wondering if I could find a way to kill him now.

He looked up at me. “Best wait until we’re in another high-speed chase.”

I glared at him. Then, he pointed into the forest. “Candido is that way.”

I looked into the darkness, wondering if he was trying to trick me, but I went anyway. The sound of people trying to catch their breaths and tending their wounds faded. The aches in my body from everything were starting to get harder to ignore. I just wanted to fall into his arms.

Soon, I got through the trees to where Candido’s familiar figure was seated. He was alone on a large stone and staring up at the full moon, facing away from me. For a moment, it looked as though the moonlight was wrapped around his shoulders, embracing him. I could almost make out the figure of a woman draped over his back. As I got into the clearing, I noticed Wren standing nearby, staring up at the moon as well. The wind blew and neither of them were speaking.

“Candido!” I called, marching over to him. “You didn’t even check to be sure I was okay.”

He said nothing. He didn’t move. He didn’t even seem to be hearing me. I stepped in front of him looking down at him and froze as I realized that he was crying. Tears streamed down his face. His eyes seemed so lost as they were filled with moonlight. I clenched my jaw. Was the woman I saw Estella?

I shook him by his shoulder, but he barely moved.

“Why won’t you look at me? You’re free now.”

He blinked, and slowly, he lowered his gaze from the moon. His eyes were still filled with light, but he wasn’t speaking still. Tears welled in my eyes. I let them slip down my cheeks. Something flickered in his eyes. The glow seemed to fade for a moment before I spoke.

“How could you be like this to me?” I asked. He blinked slowly. “You—You were going to die with her? What about me? How could you care so much about someone who isn’t your mate? Who has just been trying to pull us apart? How could you care so much about someone who would want to take you from me? Don’t you care at all?”

He blinked again, and the glow faded some more.

“And you kissed her!” I cried. “You’re not supposed to kiss anyone else but me—”

“Interesting rule for someone who doesn’t follow it.” Wren walked towards us. “It would be a waste of time to call you a hypocrite.”

I glared at him. “You stay out of this! You’re just as bad as she is and everyone else who keeps trying to pull us apart. I’m the luna of the Full Moon Pack. I’m his fiancé, and now that Estella is dead, you’re free from her. And I don’t have to make you jealous anymore. If it weren’t for her, I—”

“The horrible part is that you really believe that,” Wren said. “Candido, I really think now would be a good time to get rid of her.”

I looked at Candido. He continued to say nothing, and it only got me angrier.

“You’re not going to say anything?” My jaw trembled. “He just threatened to kill me.”

Wren scoffed. “Go away, Hedy. Let him mourn in peace.”

“There’s no reason to mourn her,” I growled. “She’s been enchanting him, enchanting all of you all this time. If anyone would just listen to me, you’d know that.”

Candido blinked and blinked again. Then, the glow was completely gone as he stared up at me. There was no expression on his face. His eyes darted from side to side and he pressed his lips into a firm line. More tears seemed to well in the corners of his eyes. I could see him breaking through her enchantment. I could see him finally seeing me as I stepped closer to him, expecting him to take me into his arms.

“... was that shot you fired in the clearing before meant for Estella?”