I took one last look behind me before going inside and my heart froze at who I saw standing there, watching us flee.
Fenrir.
4
I paced outside the King’s chambers while the resident warlock examined Alexander with Dr. Harris. I argued that all Alexander needed to do was shift and he’d be right as rain, but they said something about the arrow piercing something or whatever and I spaced out. I did know that if they removed the arrow now, it could be really bad for Alexander.
I wrung my hands together and waited for someone, anyone to give me an update. I just needed to know he was okay, that he would live. There was no way I could do any of this without him. I hadn’t even told him—
“Damnit, Alexander,” I whispered as I thumped my head on his bedroom door.
“Princess.” Ranulf marched down the hallway with Bash in tow.
Bash looked like he was about to blow his top. “Mackenzie, are you hurt?” He pushed past Ranulf and grabbed my upper arms, keeping me at arm’s length and scanning me from head to toe.
“I’m fine,” I grumbled, pulling away from him. “Ranulf, it was him!” I said finally, giving voice to something I had yet to reveal to anyone since we arrived.
“It was who?” he asked, confused.
“Fenrir! Úlfur! Whatever you want to call him. He was in the village! I saw him!” I all but yelled, then forced myself to take a couple deep breaths to calm down. “It was him who did this. I swear! He’s here – in the village.”
“We saw who shot the arrows, Princess. It was one of those winged women.” Ranulf furrowed his brows. “Are ye sure ye saw him?”
I grabbed the lapel of his suit, frantic to make him believe me. “I promise you I’m not lying. I know what I saw.”
Ranulf sighed. “Regardless whether ye saw him or nae, we must raise the security level again. This was an attack on the King in broad daylight.”
“How did they get in?” Bash asked the most obvious question, but one I hadn’t considered in my hysteria.
Sheunta Village was supposed to be protected by wards that encircled the area, constructed not to allow trespassers to enter without permission. It should have been impossible for unknown creatures to enter the village.
“We’ve had a breach in security. I have the Council working on that. Hopefully we’ll find out soon,” Ranulf explained, but he didn’t sound hopeful.
The door to the King’s chamber opened and Dr. Harris stood in the doorway. I hurried to the door and tried to peer inside.
Dr. Harris swiftly relieved me of my worry. “Princess, he’s going to be okay. We removed the arrow safely and he was able to shift immediately. He’s currently resting.”
“Can I see him?” I asked quickly and he nodded, turning to the side to make way for me to enter the room.
I’d never been inside the King’s chamber, which would soon be mine, and I couldn’t help gaping at the size of the room. It was easily the size of my apartment back in New York City—maybe even bigger. The space was opulent and serene, full of crisp white, gleaming gold, and soothing beige tones. I walked past a living room area that contained a balcony that overlooked the grounds to my left, and to my right was the bathroom and closet. The center of the room held an enormous, four-poster bed with a white fluffy comforter, elevated on a raised dais. Lying in the center was a massive black wolf.
I hurried to Alexander’s side and stroked his midnight fur. His silver eyes fluttered open and he stared into mine with relief and tiredness.
“Hey,” I mumbled. “I’m glad you’re okay. I … I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened, Alexander.” I looked down at the mattress. “You can’t leave me. Not yet.”
He huffed lightly and inched closer to me, dropping his head just below mine and staring up at me as if to say I was speaking nonsense.
I shook my head. “You didn’t see what I saw, Alexander. You looked … you looked dead.” I knelt beside the bed to be level with his face. “It was Fenrir …” I revealed. “Ranulf said they saw one of the winged women shoot the arrow, but I saw him standing there when we were on the other side of the bridge. I know he’s behind this.” Alexander’s ears perked up. He couldn’t move completely just yet, but he growled in understanding. “He’s in the village and I want to find him,” I whispered.
Alexander growled even louder in protest, but I knew if Fenrir was going to talk to anyone, it would be me. I had to go out there and find him—or let him find me.
“He can’t get away with what he’s done. Not to you. I won’t let him,” I whispered fiercely. “Just … get better, okay? I’ll be back shortly.”
I dropped a kiss on top of Alexander’s furry head and shot to my feet. He started growling and barking, trying to get someone’s attention to stop me, but the others had already left to give us privacy. Their absence worked out in my favor because now I had a clear path out of the castle.
Possibly.
Leaving Alexander in a state of distress was the hardest thing I’d had to do in a while, but I didn’t look back as I walked out of his chambers and departed the royal wing. As I pushed on the wooden double doors to exit the royal wing, I ran into two of the King’s guards standing resolutely at their post and came to an abrupt halt.
“Princess,” they both greeted with a bow.
“Carry on,” I said hurriedly, then power-walked down the corridor. I passed the priceless artifacts and artwork without a second glance as I hurriedly made my way toward the lower
