bChapter /bb223 /b

    Thorne’s POV

    bReady /bbfor your /bbdail/bb… /bbCheck in /bbnow /bbto /bbunlock /bbyour /brewardb! /b

    I swear, I hear her. ra’s voice, faint but unmistakable. It cuts through the silence, echoing in my mind. It’s happened so many times thesest few weeks, it’s hard to tell if it’s real or just another one of my twisted hallucinations. Her cries, always the same- begging for help, calling out for me. She’s trapped, alone… waiting for me.

    But the truth is, I can’t find her. The forest is endless, and I’m lost in it. It’s maddening. She needs me, and yet, every path I take leads to a dead end.

    I breathe in the crisp mountain air, trying to clear my head. I have to keep going. I won’t stop until I bring her back.

    “We head back to camp,” I mutter to the soldier beside me.

    We’ve been circling these woods for weeks. The campsite was once bustling with people–over a hundred strong. Soldiers from the Blood Moon Pack, Direstone Pack, all gathered here for one purpose: rescue ra. But as time dragged on, people left. Cael had to go back to his pack when his mate Vessa got pregnant. Jory left too; the rogue king had to return to the iGrace /iRuin. Now, here I am, the only one still holding the line.

    A month has passed, and it’s just me now. The others gave up, and I won’t me them for it. But I can’t. Not while she’s out there. Not while she’s waiting.

    I stride into the tent, and the room falls into an uneasy silence. All eye’s are on me.

    “Any progress?” My voice is thick with frustration, but I keep it steady.

    No one answers. They exchange looks–defeated, resigned.

    I’ve asked this question every day. The answer is always the same. Nothing. Not while that damn log is blocking our way.

    “No progress,” I repeat softly, but I’m not surprised. “We’ll keep going tomorrow. Thank you.”

    1 turn to leave, but then, a voice cuts through the tension./

    “King Thorne, if I may-”

    I stop in my tracks and nced back. The general from Direstone Pack stands up, eyes wide, his voice shaking but trying to hold firmb. /b

    “No,” I say sharply, not giving him the chance to finish.

    His voice falters, but he presses on, his words tumbling out in a rush.

    “bKing /bThorne,” he begins, “I speak for the entire room. We’ve been at this for a month, and we’re no closer. The rogue king has gone. Alpha Cael has gone. The princess’s brother is gone. What’s the point anymore?”

    The words hit me like a p. I feel the heat rise in my chest, but I keep my cool.

    “Alpha Cael has a pregnant mate. Jory bhas /bduties elsewhere,” I say coldly. “What’s your point?”

    He stands taller, eniboldened by my silence. “You’re the king now. The master of all. Think about what you could do with all this power. This is your chance to consolidate your strength, to secure your future. But you’re wasting it here, in the middle of nowhere,

    b1/3 /b

    08:16 wedb, /b

    chasing a lost cause. A princess who’s not even our Luna.”

    I can feel the weight of the room pressing in, the murmurs starting to build as others voice their own doubts.

    “Alpha Cael gave up. Why should we keep going?” someone mutters.

    3

    “Princess ra won’t appreciate our efforts,” another soldier adds. “There’s talk that she’s with the Lycan King, living it up in the forest. Maybe she’s happy there.”

    I hear the words, but I don’t let them sink in. My hand tightens around the tent p.

    “One more word, and you won’t have a tongue to speak it with,” I growl, my voice like ice.

    The room goes deathly still. I can feel the fear radiating off them, the tension thick in the air.

    “The search continues,” I say, my tone final, but the general isn’t done.

    “My king,” he starts again, voice trembling.

    I fix my eyes on him, narrowing them. “Anyone who has a problem with that,” I snap, “can leave. If you think I’m failing as your Alpha, then by all means,e up with a way to dethrone me. Until then, stay the hell out of my way.”

    A coldugh escapes me as I turn and stalk out of the tent. I can feel their eyes on my back, but I don’t care.

    The sun sets as I walk away, and another day passes without her. Another day without ra by my side. But I won’t stop. I can’t. Not until she’s safe again.

    ra’s POV

    Three days. Three days since I entered this cursed misted forest, and I’m still no closer to finding my way out.

    My food’s running low. My water’s almost gone. If I don’t find the path soon, I’ll starve–my baby and I both.

    I can’t keep doing this. Thepass has stopped working, and every trail I’ve marked is a dead end. I can’t go in circles like this any longer.

    Frustrated, I m my fist against a nearby tree, the impact stinging my hand.

    “God, this is impossible.” I shake my head, staring at the dense fog. What am I supposed to do?

    I almost don’t hear it at first, the distant noise. But then, my ears catch it–a sound I haven’t heard in days.

    Footsteps.

    I freeze.

    There’s no way it’s animals. There haven’t been any in this part of the forest for days. No, it’s humans.

    Without a second thought, I scramble up the nearest pine tree, hiding myself among the branches and leaves. I hold my breath, watching the direction of the footsteps./

    Two figures emerge from the mist–Lycan soldiers.

    “Still no sign of her?” one asks, his voice rough.

    08:16 Wed, 3 Sept

    81%

    “No. The king’s furious. He’s never been this mad in his life. General Dario… he’s in deep trouble. The king strapped him to a tree and told us not to give him food or water. He’s letting him starve.”

    My heart drops. Dario.

    This is all my fault. I didn’t ask for any of this. He’s innocent, and now he’s paying the price because of me.

    “They say she’s still in these woods. But how the hell did she hide from us for so long?” the second soldier says, shaking his head. “We saw the marks she left, but we can’t smell her. It doesn’t make sense.”

    “Maybe it’s magic. Who knows?” the first soldier mutters, frustrated.

    I feel my pulse quicken. The pressure builds in my chest.

    “But one thing’s for sure,” the second soldier adds, “If we don’t find her soon, we’re all in trouble.”

    The words hang in the air, thick with meaning. I’ve been their target all along. They’re right–if they can’t find me, their king will take it out on them.

    I wait, watching as they sit down to rest beneath the pine tree. Perfect timing.

    Because I just had an idea. One that could finally lead me out of this cursed forest.