CHAPTER 32: RUN TO THE EAST

Gasps rose all around me, a ripple of disbelief spreading through the garden.

From the hill where the Alpha’s estate sat, everyone turned to look beyond the walls.

I followed their gaze. Smoke curled into the twilight sky, thick and black, rising from the central part of town. Beneath it, red light flickered, hungry flames devouring what they touched.

The priestess holding the chalice faltered, her hands shaking. The wine sloshed dangerously close to spilling.

The rite was broken, disrupted in a way no one had expected.

Before anyone could speak, another voice rang out, this time from within the manor.

"The back of the manor is on fire! It’s spreading!"

Panic scattered across the gathered crowd. Warriors stiffened and broke formation, some rushing toward the gates, others turning back to the manor itself. Finn was already on his feet, sharp commands leaving his mouth.

The warriors responded at once, forming squads, readying themselves for a fight, as though enemies were about to descend.

I stayed kneeling in the center of the dais, my hands clenched in my lap. No one spared me a glance now. Their focus was elsewhere, their voices rising in confusion and fear.

And then, in the middle of it, I caught sight of Nyren.

The High Matron’s lips moved quickly as she leaned toward the other priestesses. Whatever words she gave them, they obeyed.

Slowly, without drawing attention, they shifted to stand as a line, subtly positioning themselves around me.

To anyone watching, it might have looked like protection.

But there was something else in the look Nyren gave me.

She bent close, her voice so low only I could hear.

"Escape."

My eyes widened.

The priestesses edged closer, their white robes brushing against me, their backs turned to shield me from the crowd’s eyes.

Behind them, chaos reigned. Warriors barking orders, nobles ushering their families to safety, the Alpha’s voice carrying over it all. No one was looking at me.

Nyren gave a faint, imperceptible nod to the east, toward the slope that led away from the estate.

I hesitated. My mind spun. Is this the right time the Crow’s master was talking about? I need to find my mother so we can flee together.

But then—

"Run now. To the east."

I froze.

The voice was familiar, achingly familiar. It wasn’t spoken aloud, it resonated inside me.

Leika.

My wolf.

For the first time in three years, I heard her again.

Shock gripped me, sharp enough to steal my breath.

Although I hadn’t been wearing the wolfbind for the rite, I had assumed the bloodbane they’d made me drink would still keep my wolf chained.

So when I felt Leika’s presence stirring inside me, when I heard her voice as clear as if she stood by my side, I was stunned.

"Things will be explained later. Now we need to run while everyone’s busy, Vien," Leika urged.

The bond thrummed in me, sharp and almost unfamiliar after years of silence.

My senses shifted.

And in that heightened clarity, my eyes found my mother. Almira was standing near the edges of the dais, her face pale, her hands clutching her shawl as the crowd broke into chaos.

Without giving myself time to think, I moved.

Slipping through the confused witnesses was easier than I expected. They were too distracted, too focused on the fire and the Alpha’s orders. I reached my mother and caught her arm.

She startled, her lips parting to speak, but I pressed my hand gently against hers and pulled her away, guiding her into the shadows behind the rows of benches.

"Vivien?" Her voice trembled, both with fear and confusion.

I leaned close. "We need to go. You shall not ask me any questions for now, Mother."

Her eyes widened in the dim light. "What is the meaning of this?! What are we doing? We need to go back. The rite must be—"

"No," I cut her off, keeping my tone firm though my heart raced. "We are not going back."

She stiffened, staring at me as though she hadn’t recognized her own daughter.

"Vivien, you don’t understand. If you refuse, if you flee, they will—"

"They will kill me anyway." My voice came out low, harder than I expected. "You think this rite is meant good? No. It’s a chain. And I will not place it around my neck."

Her face tightened, torn between fear and disbelief. "Child, you don’t know what you’re saying."

I took a breath, steadying the storm inside me. "If you don’t come with me, and if they find later that I’m gone, they will kill you. Now you choose, stay here and be surely killed, or come and risk your life for freedom with me."

The words surprised even me. I had never spoken to my mother in that tone, never drawn such a line between us. But tonight left no room for gentleness.

She said nothing, lips trembling, eyes brimming with questions.

For a moment, I thought she might resist me. Then her hand clenched around mine, faintly but decisively.

I didn’t wait for more. I pulled her with me, weaving through the panicked crowd until we slipped beyond the garden’s edge.

We ran eastward, into the shadows, through the dark garden paths that led away from the estate.

By the time we reached the edge of the forest, my chest burned, my breath labored.

The trees loomed tall, their trunks black against the sky, the canopy swallowing the last of twilight. This was our only path forward.

I paused at the entrance, tightening my grip on my mother’s hand.

"We’ll be faster if I shift," I whispered, already bracing myself for the familiar pull of the change. Mother can’t shift because of the wolfbind, so I’d have to carry her.

But when I reached for it, when I called for Leika to come forward, nothing happened. My body resisted, my blood heavy.

I tried again, forcing the bond, but it was like pressing against an invisible wall.

Panic crept in. "What is happening? You are not bound, right? Why can’t you come out?"

Leika’s voice answered, strained, as if she too pressed against that same wall.

"I can’t... my power is somehow suppressed by something around this place. I think we need to get away first."

I clenched my jaw, swallowing my frustration.

Whatever this suppression was, it meant this escape wouldn’t be easy.

But we had no choice, whether on two legs or four, we had to keep moving.

So I pulled my mother with me once more, into the trees, leaving the estate and everything it demanded of me behind.