In a matter of minutes, we were far from the village with only two houses within a reasonable range. Andrew and I carefully slipped between the fence line and found the ideal spot—perched on top of a hill—to watch the sun go down. With the chill coming in strong, I snuggled closer to him, pressing my nose against his neck and wrapping my arms around his body.
“Willow. . . “ he whispered in my ear.
“Mmm.” I kept my eyes closed and my body ever so close to his. After these three months, I had grown comfortable with the stability and strength that he projected.
“I'm so sorry, Willow,” he whimpered.
I opened my eyes, startled by his words and deeply confused. He placed a piece of parchment in my hands. I uncurled it, but I already knew what it was. It had my portrait on it and a short description. It was the poster my husband had plastered all over to tempt people to turn me in.
Andrew was the last man I expected to betray me like this.
I swiveled my head when I heard something rustle in the crop behind me. As I glanced around, I caught sight of a uniform I was too familiar with as it emerged from the tall stalks. It was the same uniform that used to greet me every morning and escorted me everywhere I went.
The palace guards.
By the time I stumbled to my feet, I realized how helpless I was. I had been set up in a way that would dismantle my ability to get away. This had been planned perfectly with the help of the man I trusted. Four guards were slowly but surely coming towards us, and among them were five massive wolves.
I had never seen a werewolf, but I was certain these weren't regular wolves. Their movements were too slow and calculated. Their eyes were freakishly human.
But the only wolf I was looking at had thick black fur and glaring brown eyes that were narrowed in on me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“I trusted you,” I whispered, staring at Andrew as he slowly got to his feet. I knew I should've been crying, but the betrayal didn't break my heart; it made me clench my fists at my sides while adrenaline pounded within me. I felt like ice was running through my veins, burning me and freezing me all at once.
Despite the fact that Andrew was the one who led my husband's army to our location, he looked terrified of the massive wolves and the men who were wielding long sharp swords. It reminded me of the anxiety I had caused him when he discovered my blade. I wanted him to be that scared of me at that moment, but I certainly did not get my wish. His blue eyes shifted from man to beast and back again then finally paused on me for a moment. I could see the deep sadness within them for a brief second.
“I saw the poster in the town square. I knew if I didn't do it, someone else would,” he admitted. His voice was low and apologetic.
“And you wanted the reward for yourself,” I spat.
“I knew that the townspeople wouldn't be as kind as I was. They would've hauled you in to the king however they could. I didn't want to do that to you.” His eyes were locked on the ground, unable to look at me. “But, yes, the money was part of it.”
I didn't even pause to think. The ice in my veins thawed away, leaving fire behind. In five quick strides, I was directly in front of him, slamming my fists against his solid chest in outrage and resentment. I swatted, punched, and kicked with as much force as I could, thinking I would only be satisfied when I was certain I had truly hurt him. I knew that I wasn't strong enough to hurt him badly, but the aching in my heart made me wild with anger and pain. At some point, I began crying, but I didn't know when, and I definitely didn't care. I had been betrayed and he had to pay.
“How could you?!” I shrieked. “You know what he's going to do to me! And now you've handed me over to him!”
“He promised me he wouldn't hurt you,” Andrew argued desperately. “He swore it!”
“Willow, that's enough,” James's strong voice boomed, startling Andrew.
My fight died in me soon after the guard had spoken his words. So this was reality then? Everyone I had thought I could love and trust had turned against me in favor of a man who was more beast than human. I let my hands fall to my sides in defeat and took a careful step back, looking at Andrew's handsome face. I had come to adore those sparkling blue eyes, that scruffy blonde beard, and those callused hands. And I knew that, given time, I would've come to love him almost as I had come to love Archer.
“You believed him?” I whispered. Then I shook my head. My heart was still aching in my chest, but the tears were no longer flowing. I briefly wondered if my tender heart had been beaten enough and was slowly turning to stone within me. “I thought you were going to propose to me tonight.”
“Oh, Willow,” Andrew gasped, reaching for me. The pain on his face reflected a fraction of the agony I had felt moments before.
His fingers didn't even brush my skin before a feral snarl ripped through the air. We both turned to face the massive black beast that was crouched low and slithering closer, those eyes livid. Andrew immediately took two steps away from me, his eyes wide with fear. But I just stared at the beast that my husband was and waited.
“Are you going to come willingly, Queen Willow?” James asked.
I didn't even glance at my old companion; I just continued to watch the black wolf.
Evidently, my lack of an answer was still enough of a reply to suggest that I would remain unruly. Two burly sets of hands were on my body in an instant, one set on my hips the other on my shoulders. A third man yanked my arms behind my back and began looping thick rope around my slender wrists. I stayed perfectly still as they tightened the final knots and didn't bat an eye when I heard Andrew shout in distress.
“The king said I would be free to go. We had a deal!” Andrew protested. I could hear him kicking and scuffling, trying to get away from the guards that greatly outnumbered him.
“The king doesn't make deals,” I replied tightly, still watching the beast. “The king only cares about winning his battles in any way necessary.”
And I had been conquered.
I was thrown onto a horse's back only a few minutes after I was tied up. I was compliant while Andrew kicked and shouted; worried about everything from his little sister to his own life, but the guards paid no attention to his tantrum and wrestled him onto a saddle much more gruffly than they did with me. For the most part, I felt nothing. I had been betrayed by him, and I wanted him to suffer because he didn't understand the immense danger he had put me back in. However, he still had many things to live for—like Mabel who had already lost everything—and, when I considered that,the sympathy that swirled within confirmed I didn’t have a heart of stone just yet. Perhaps he deserved this, but those who needed him did not.
I had nothing and no one to go home to now that Andrew had chosen his side. When the king eventually decided that I was no longer of use to him and killed me, no one would mourn me. I wouldn't leave anyone at home alone, lost and confused. The universe would progress just as it had before.
Andrew finally did stop protesting about three hours into the ride. By then, I could tell that everyone was exhausted. I was sitting in front of James in the saddle, and his arms were weak and loose and not vice-grip as before. The other guards were slouched over and yawning as their horses plodded along, no longer looking like the mighty steeds I knew they were. And, even I, in the middle of my devastation, in the middle of knowing I would be going back to a violent, cruel man, I felt my head loll around with every hoof beat, and my eyes began to stay shut for longer periods of time. We all knew that this was going to be one of the longest and hardest nights to get through.
The only one who didn't look completely exhausted was my beast of a husband. The enormous black wolf was at the head of the group, and while the other wolves moved lethargically, he charged forward, head up and eyes determined. His paws struck the ground rhythmically. He never slowed. And if the king was going, everyone else would follow.
The seven hours I had taken to get to Riverstead extended to over eight with a fleet as large as ours.
Stops were unavoidable but short and infrequent. The palace that I had been so taken by came into view far before I was ready to see it, but my aching body couldn't handle being in the saddle anymore, so it was a blessing and a curse. Being home meant I would be closer to my last day, but it also meant being able to stand on my own two feet. The night had been long and cold. The sun was rising again, but I doubted that I would be allowed to sleep and eat like I had been in Andrew's home, though I craved both.
The guards split into two groups, some with me and some with Andrew. Andrew went towards the stables looking sickly, but I couldn't tell if it was physical or emotional stress. Part of me thought that I should be concerned, but I reminded myself that he had put himself in this position by betraying me.
I was taken to the front of the palace where curious onlookers watched me being pulled out of the saddle that I had been glued to for the last eight hours. My cramped muscles couldn't even support my body when I was placed on the ground, and James had to carry me into my old home. I was so exhausted that I hardly cared about the people who were once my subjects that now gawked and jeered at me.
But, in the exhaustion, the stony wall I had tried to construct around my heart crumbled. And as the phony exterior fell, sadness and hurt pummeled me.
“How could you do this to me?” I asked James as we moved through the palace. My head was cradled against his chest, and my eyes were on the verge of closing, but the disloyalty I felt hadn't left my soul yet.
“You did this to yourself,” James said gruffly. He nodded to another guard that was stationed outside my bedroom who leapt to open the door then scurried out of the way.
“How could I have done this to myself?” I demanded.
“You fled just like the previous queen,” James spat. “You can’t ecape now. The palace is now crawling with guards who hate you more than I ever could.”
“That's not what I asked.”
James just made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat and refused to meet my eyes. He dumped me onto my armchair without another word, leaving the maids to tend to me.
I was helped into the bath with haste. I opened my mouth to ask the maids their names as I had never learned them before I left, but I thought about the fact that I would not be around much longer and closed my mouth. Likewise, when they found the dagger attached to my thigh after undressing me, one of them placed it in a drawer, but they all said nothing. If the king was going to kill me for not having his child, he would certainly kill me for running away and confessing that I wished to be engaged to another man. So I didn't talk to any of them. I just enjoyed my bath, knowing well enough that it would be my last, and it would be wrong to waste it by forcing small talk. For now, creature comforts would be my priority.
Unfortunately, it was over too soon, and I was ushered back into the main room where a night gown was placed on my body despite the fact that the sun had now risen and alive in the sky. But I didn't get hopeful by thinking that I would actually be allowed any sleep now.
“We have been asked to leave, Queen Willow,” one of the maids whispered, nervous. I didn't look at her, but I knew from the sound of her voice that she was teetering by the door, ready to abandon me as soon as possible.
“Go,” I agreed.
I just stood by the large window, completely alone now. I could see the stables and the beautiful gardens that surrounded the palace, and I briefly remembered the good and terrible memories I had in both places. I could see the cloudless sky and the far off mountain range that only appeared in perfect conditions. I could hear birds singing a joyful tune and watched a squirrel steal some fruit from a tree. It was beautiful, and it had all been mine at one point.
But I had given it up to save my life, and in doing so, I had ruined someone else's.
Andrew may never see Mabel again, and the dear girl who helped me when I needed it most would never know why her older brother didn't come home. And she would be alone, just like I had been. Unwanted by everyone.
At least if this ended now, my toxicity would be prevented from spreading further than it already had. I straightened my spine despite the aches and pains and told myself that this was for the best. Maybe if I went willingly, they would release Andrew. The king could hate me, but I think I had seen some genuine kindness in him before. Maybe that would translate to mercy now.
As if on cue, the bedroom door opened.
“Hello, wife,” King Archer hissed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I stayed perfectly silent and continued to stare out the window and look at the beautiful grounds that made me feel so joyful and powerful. Could this all have really been mine? It seemed like an impossible dream now.I suppose Archer had been the one to give this stunning world to me, and it was only right for him to be the one to nip it all away from me as well.
But Archer didn't seem terribly concerned with my emotional state and lack of speaking. The fire within me had been extinguished, and he didn’t seem to care. He just sauntered deeper into my room and splayed his body across the armchair that James had deposited me onto only a couple hours ago. But I guess it only made sense as he had never truly seemed like the loving, caring type except for a couple months. Even then, he still struggled with my smart mouth. But, obviously, those few months that I held so highly in my mind were a lie that he fabricated in the hopes that I would carry his child with less resistance. I had been a fool for believing him at all. Now, I felt pathetic and thoughtless. All it had taken was a few horseback riding adventures, some soft words, and a couple of forehead kisses, and I had let go of everything.
Still, I was highly aware of him at the moment. I forced myself to keep my eyes forward, to keep looking out the grand window, but my body could sense that he was near. My skin raised into little goosebumps with his presence. My breathing was leaving and entering my lungs much faster than I wanted it to as my heart beat pounded away in my chest. I hated that my body had this kind of reaction to him despite the fact that I loathed him so wholly and completely. I wished that I could train my body to dislike him as much as my mind hated him. It seemed that since the beginning of our relationship, I had been using my rational thoughts to fight my driven body, but even months apart didn’t overpower my desire to be with him.
“Tell me, Willow, what did you think you were going to achieve?” he asked, his voice casual like he wanted to know my breakfast order. I couldn't believe that I had an instant attraction to his voice all over again.
I said nothing, gritting my teeth. He had swayed me many times before, but it would not happen today, not after everything he had done to me.
“Did you really think that I wouldn't find you after everything you had done?” he taunted. “You even boasted about how skilled you were to my face.”
I couldn't stop myself from glancing at him now. I kept my face forward but peered at him out of the corner of my eye. I was startled to see that he looked infinitely healthier than he had the last time I saw him. His skin was no longer a sickly white and had returned to its normal tanned colour. He wasn't doubled over with intense stomach pains or dry heaving on the floor. His dark hair was clean and gleaming with signs of good health, and his dark brown eyes weren't circled in black bags of tiredness. It was almost like being free of me had done wonders for his body.
“You seem to have forgotten that you are legally bound by contract.”
“To hell with you and your contract,” I spat, no longer able to hold my tongue.
Archer gave me a cruel grin, his brown eyes furious. “Ah, she speaks once more. Now, how did you think you were going to marry another man without someone associated with this palace finding out? Did you really think that that lowly shoemaker would have been a match for you? And even if you were so blinded by love, you should’ve remembered that we had never annulled our marriage.” His voice changed on the second question, but his expression still stayed solid.
“Where is he? What have you done to Andrew?” I demanded, finally facing hi
m. I hated the way he talked about Andrew, but I couldn't deny the fact that I had an intense physical pull towards Archer that was beyond anything I ever felt with Andrew. Andrew had been safe and stable, unlike my husband. Well, at least until he betrayed me. But he would never be able to conjure up the feelings that Archer could so easily invoke from me, and I hated that.
“He's in the dungeon . . . where he belongs.”
“Is that what he deserves for returning your wife to you?” I snarled, but the anger I had felt against my savior waned. Poor Andrew. I never meant to drag him into this mess, and, though he had hurt me, I knew some part of his choice had come from good intentions. He was too naïve for his own good, and now we had both been burned.
“That is what he deserves for harboring a criminal,” he snapped, standing up.
“Is that what you're going to do? You're just going to torture and kill everything that I have ever touched? What about James and Jester? Are you going to kill them too?” I demanded. “Are you that soulless?”
“Your old cross breed was slaughtered the day I found out you left,” Archer growled, answering my question.
And with those words, the heart that I wished turned to stone crumpled beneath my ribs. His words pained me so much that I placed my hand on my chest and let out a cry as my knees weakened. I had to grab on to the armchair for support so I wouldn't fall to the floor. It was a shock I couldn’t prepare for.
My horse. My oldest companion. The only thing I had brought from my old life into my new life. The last thing in the world that gave me comfort. Jester was gone.
“How could you?” I whispered. It took all my strength to say the words. My throat felt tight, and my low lip trembled.
“You made your choice, Willow. Now, you have to face the consequences.” Archer shrugged, but I watched his eyes flicker away from me.
The First Queen: A Shifter Romance Page 21