by T. F. Walsh
Marcin stood his ground, his body waving as he clasped the blade, his gaze fixed on Klaus who was attempting to climb to his feet.
I toppled next to a tree and fell against its strength.
Marcin’s eyebrow arched. “I took Grit in because the boon would protect everyone, including you and your family. But I haven’t returned for Klaus. I’m here for you.”
“Bullshit.” I landed on my knees, my hands in snow, the syringe still tight in my fist. Klaus glanced in my direction and was still shaking his head, his body rocking on his legs.
Marcin limped sideways from his injury, but Klaus’s gaze followed him, a snarl reverberating in his chest. “Listen to me,” he said. “The serum we were given to stop our wolf side has poison in it. You’re going to die if I don’t give you the antidote.”
I glared at Marcin. Lies. He was filled with them. “I don’t believe you.” He planned to claim Klaus for himself. Be the big hero.
Klaus’s jaws snapped at him, but Marcin wasn’t moving. He staggered sideways while blood stained the snow around his feet, and his face paled.
“You’re feeling weak, sluggish, right? Can’t you see? It’s the poison. It was my father’s way of controlling us, killing us if we didn’t win.”
“I’m just tired and hungry. Anyway, you’re not looking too great yourself.” I pushed myself to my feet, my knees trembling. Lack of sleep and hunger had never made me this lifeless.
“Please, Selena. If I don’t give you this antidote, you’ll die.” He lifted a syringe in his hand covered in blood from his wound. “If this was for Klaus, I would have used it already.”
I caught sight of a clump of silvery, dark fur on Marcin’s jacket from another wolf. And the stretches on his face and neck indicated a brawl. Goddess, had he fought with Father? Was this his humane way of finishing me off because my father, Aisha, and everyone else I loved had already been butchered by Levin? My heart rebelled against the idea, but my mind pushed at the evidence in front of me.
A desperate urge to break past both of them and run to the castle pushed at my insides. My heart splintered. A blurry Marcin stood there, his face pleading with me as I swiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
I couldn’t comprehend any of this. Could I trust him? He’d run away from me back in Turkey and did it again this morning. The boon was my lifeline, but he had ripped it away. I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive him.
His voice climbed. “I’m sorry for not waking you this morning. I’m sorry for not believing you about the dagger. My father stole your daggers. I’m the idiot for letting our past dictate my behavior, my decisions. But don’t let my stupidity sentence you to death.” He lifted the syringe in his hand. “Please, Selena. I should have kept returning for you in Turkey, but I was foolish to believe my father that the arrow was meant for me. Fuck, I don’t even know what really happened, but I don’t care. It’s the past, my mistake I’ll fix. You mean the world to me, and I couldn’t bear to lose you again. Now you’re back in my life, you’re mine, and I need you. I intend to keep you in my arms, safe and protected.”
Marcin lifted his blade, ready to take on Klaus who approached from the side. The pain behind Marcin’s gaze seemed genuine, but with my fuzzy head, maybe I was imagining it.
“Marcin ...” My words faltered, and my body quivered. I stumbled to my knees, my heartbeats had slowed.
An explosion of barks and snarls chilled my spine when I noticed Marcin and Klaus were back at it. Fur, flesh, and blood were knotted together.
My mouth opened, but no words came out. Goddess, I was so thirsty, I could drink an entire river right now. The world spun. What was happening? Was Marcin telling the truth about the poison? It seemed like something Levin would do.
I stuck a hand out with my syringe. Marcin was on his back, Klaus on top of him, chomping into his bent arm. No!
Steeling my nerves, I willed my muscles to move. You can do it. For Marcin. For Klaus. Do it before they kill each other. The past week had been a whirlwind of mistrusts and suspicions. Nothing made sense.
One sluggish knee after another, I dragged myself closer, my hands numb from the cold. I crawled toward them. “M ... Marcin.” His name was less than a whisper, an empty sound, but Marcin’s head jerked my way, his eyes wide, his cheeks bathed in blood.
Several feet from him, I tossed the syringe and collapsed.
Each inhale was a rasp. The world slanted. Trees swayed in the breeze. My eyelids were heavy, and I gave in and closed them. The chill against my face was refreshing, calming, reassuring like a tender touch.
How much time had passed?
“Selena.”
Was that the wind calling my name?
“Open your eyes. Please come back to me.”
Nothing in my body responded, but everything had become so peaceful. A dark cloud hung overhead in my mind, promising me endless sleep, no more pain, no more anguish. I floated toward it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Marcin
I flicked the lid off the syringe and jabbed it into Selena, driving the antiserum into her arm. “Don’t leave me. Don’t you dare.” My voice crackled with desperation. I rolled her onto her back—eyes shut, inhales shallow.
My chest seemed to have turned to cement, and a sharp sting spread everywhere within me. I’d wasted hours tracking her down, her scent stolen by the winds when I should have moved faster. Instead of negotiating with her, I should have forced the cure into her system, ignoring her protest.
Now the pulsing beat of fear reprimanded me that I was too late, too slow. The fault was mine.
She lay in a cocoon of white snow, peaceful, as if nothing could touch her, yet she felt so far from my reach.
I’m here, Selena.
A few paces away, Klaus climbed to his feet, shaking snow off his coat. Gone was the rage in his eyes after I’d injected him with the antidote. Now he inched closer, sniffing Selena, whimpering. He collapsed onto his belly, his head resting on her stomach, his exhale a misty fog.
“She’ll be fine. You’ll see.” The words hadn’t convinced me, and kneeling in snow wasn’t helping. “Come, let’s take her home.”
I stood on shaky legs, unsure how much blood I’d lost from the injury in my thigh. No time for that now, or my busted lip, or the dozen bites and scratches littering my body. Nothing mattered right now, except Selena. With her cradled in my arms, I headed home, Klaus by my side.
Despite the drugs in his system, Klaus still remained loyal to Selena and had protected her. Had Father been wrong about dracwulves this whole time? Persecuting them because our ancestors didn’t understand them?
Selena’s body was limp in my grasp, and I kept glancing at the way her head was tucked against my arm, expecting her to open her eyes ... to hit me with one of her smart-ass comments. But it never came. By the time I reached the castle, frantic worry overtook all other thoughts. What if she never woke up? I hugged her closer, wanting to rewind time and protect her as I should have. If I’d only stopped her from getting the serum before the final race, or to have believed her about the daggers. If I had confronted my father earlier, maybe none of this would have happened.
I gasped, unsure of what to expect.
The sultan was there by the back doors to the castle. He ran toward us, his face white and his eyes screaming agony. Behind him, Aisha and the guards.
“Selena.” The sultan’s cry sliced my heart.
“Quickly, let me get her to a bed.” It wasn’t necessary, but if I stayed still a moment longer, I wouldn’t be able to breathe again. I pushed past them and took her straight to my room.
• • •
After an hour of staring at Selena in my bed, still unconscious, I had to clear my head before I went insane with worry. The coil in the pit of my gut tightened the more I thought of her never waking up. Fuck, I had to stop thinking like that.
With the guards dismissed outside my brother’s quarters, I pushed open the door and tottered inside on my i
njured leg. Enre jumped off the bed and faced me, arms rigid by his side, hands curled into fists. He met my gaze squarely.
“Stand down,” I said.
Daciana hurried from across the room, concern blanching her cheeks. “What’s going on? No one will speak to us. We heard yelling and fighting.”
“You’re both free. Selena, a Turkish wulfkin, and I won the challenge. You’ve been proven innocent.” The words were like a breath of fresh air on my lips.
Daciana released a strangled gasp.
Enre stood there, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open in disbelief. “You’re bullshitting us.”
“Why would I lie about that?” Time for Enre to open up his eyes and see the truth.
Light from the fireplace played over his confused features, and the irritation behind his stare waned as his gaze bounced between the open door and me.
Silence swept through the room, obviously the news stunning Enre and Daciana. “You’re both free to return home. Transylvania is safe and Father will no longer be a burden.”
Enre wiped his lips with the back of his hand and studied me. “Maybe I had you wrong all these years. Like what you said earlier about how you tried to help me when I was younger. Is it true?”
I smiled and broke into an explanation of how I distracted Father while Enre ran away, how I used to disobey Father’s orders on purpose so he would take out his frustrations on me rather than Enre, plus a handful of other incidents.
Without another word, Enre moved closer and gave me a hug that could suffocate a bear. “Thank you.” Shakiness underlined his words.
He pulled back and cleared his throat as a smile pulled the corners of his mouth up. “And Father? How is he taking the news?”
Probably rolling in his grave. “He’s dead. The sultan killed him after he broke one too many rules.”
Enre’s gaze dipped momentarily as if he were offering Father a few seconds of silence. “So you’re the new emperor, huh?” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Best news I’ve had in a while.” His grip on my shoulder tightened. “But if you go power-raging crazy like Father did, I’ll put you down myself.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Enre’s smile broke, and the tension between us that had always been there since Enre was a young wulfkin eased.
Just seeing my brother content sent a beam of radiance through me. For years, I’d wanted the wall between us broken down, and this was a step forward.
Daciana was by my side, her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I lost my father a long time ago. Anyway, I sure could use support from both of you in the coming months, as not everyone will be happy with Levin’s death. Not to mention there were a lot of casualties in this tournament, and it will take some mending to heal what Father wrought.” Then my thoughts took a dive as I remembered Selena was still unconscious, and it felt as if a snake were constricting my chest.
“Of course,” Enre said. “We want to return to our families first, but we’ll be back to help and bring reinforcements.”
“Thanks. Look, I’ve got to go, but I want you both to feel at home. Please stay as long as you like. I’ve arranged for a few guards to give you anything you need. I’ll see you shortly.”
They both nodded in unison as if the news still hadn’t taken hold.
A slight surge of pride filled me as I turned toward the door and hobbled out.
• • •
“The Hungarian land and every European pack fall under your reign, Marcin.” The sultan stood several paces away, his chest proud, his words strong, and yet softness swept behind his eyes as they danced between Selena who remained unconscious in my bed and me. “You’ve proven your worth to take on such a role.”
“Thank you.” Shit yeah, I intended to rule over my family land and make things right.
He stepped closer, and I stood up on a shaky leg, in fact, my whole body was plastered in bandages, but my thigh was the only injury that ached with an incredible sharpness. I couldn’t bear any weight on it. The sultan wrapped me in a hug and patted my back, his warmth a blanket. I clenched my teeth through the pain.
“I had no plans to take over this land,” he said. “My claim of the boon was the only way out to save my daughters’ lives, but with Levin gone, you are the rightful heir. I know you’ll set things right.” He broke our hug, and I sat back down, almost falling into the chair. “There should be no need for our clans to continue a war. You will now rule as the Varlac Emperor of Europe just as your father did.”
“Yes and thank you for being the Varlac leader my father never could.” I couldn’t convey in words how much it meant to have this powerful Varlac alpha walk away from territory, to actually do the right thing for a change. Or maybe I’d never seen a wulfkin in such power put others first. I’d been wrong about him and his motivations and actions. This whole time, he’d only wanted peace, but I had allowed my father’s hatred to seep into my mind. While I missed the idea of having a father, he’d died a long time ago in my heart. The ruler I’d lived with all these years was a shadow ... a demon.
“I’ll ensure both our councils are aware of my decision,” he said. “Now I better check on Aisha and make sure she doesn’t vanish again.” He left me alone with Selena, softly closing the door behind him.
I turned to Selena. The reflection of the blazing fire from the hearth brought shadows across the blanket and glinted against her dark hair sprawled across the pillow. I ran the back of my fingers along her cheek. She was warm to the touch, but her breathing remained shallow.
When I had received the antiserum, I sensed my change immediately, but maybe I reached Selena too late. Too damn slow, when I should have left the moment I learned about the poison in the serum. Cold regret filled my veins, along with images of her smile and her fighting words that wrapped around my heart, tightening their grip. But other regrets pushed to the foreground of my mind too. Those memories were a knife to my chest. With so much shit thrown our way, no wonder neither of us had a clue whether we were coming or going, who was to blame, who to trust.
Selena was my soul wolf. I’d known it from the first time we met in Turkey, but I was too blinded by political crap to see it clearly. Under no circumstance would I let her leave me again, unless it was her wish. No, we’d make this work.
I stared at her peaceful face, the rise and fall of her gorgeous lips. I lowered myself, the movement slow and soft, then I kissed them. “Please wake up.”
Back on my feet, I limped to the window, staring out at the night and the silvery moon awakened over the land. My territory. That fact still hadn’t settled in. I’d been talking about it for years, planning it, and now that it became reality, I wasn’t sure where to start. I had everything I wanted ... except Selena.
“Marcin!” Her croaky voice jarred through me.
My insides rattled as I stumbled to her side, pushing past the smarting twinge in my leg.
She sat up in bed, shoving the blanket off her legs. “Where’s Aisha, my father—”
“It’s okay.” I took her arm to stop her from falling out of bed. “You need to rest, or you’ll hurt yourself.”
“Don’t.” She ripped her arm from me, scooting back away from me on the bed. Her eyes glistened, and her chin trembled. “Just tell me if they’re still alive.”
“Of course, they are.” I perched on the edge of the bed to appear less threatening. “A lot has happened. Your family is safe. No one is going to harm them. In fact, the sultan just left the room to get some fresh air. Aisha was here before too, and now she’s with Klaus and Grit. She’s terrified and has been by your side for hours.”
Her gaze bounced to the door and back, her hands fisting the silk sheets. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie?”
“Because you’re a liar.” Her words roared. “You stole the boon from me when I told you the first dracwulf was mine.”
I hadn’t
intended on laughing, and in all honesty, I had no idea what made me, but I chuckled loudly at the insanity of how the events turned out. I probably sounded crazy, and the way Selena stared at me said as much.
“Look, Selena, let me catch you up on the details first. Then call me whatever you want.”
Before she responded, I detailed everything she’d missed, from my father orchestrating the poisonous daggers, the deathly serum, why I took the boon from her, and also about the sultan killing my father. I explained that Enre and Daciana were now free. Lastly, I explained the generosity of the sultan handing over the Hungarian emperor position to me on the promise that I do a better job than my father. Not to mention, me still waiting for final confirmation that all Varlac alphas around the world agreed. I was confident it wouldn’t be a problem, especially with the recommendation of a leader as respected as the sultan.
She sat there frozen. Her mouth gaped open, and her hands clutched to her chest. “Fuck.”
“Yep. See all the fun you missed out on?”
Her eyebrows arched. “Levin’s dead?” She paused for a moment, studying me with an inquisitive expression. When she spoke, her voice was a faint whisper. “Are you okay?”
“Hell, yeah. I mean he was my father, by blood, but he’d stopped acting like it when I was a child. I’m arranging for a proper burial to send him off to the moon goddess to face his final judgment.”
She spread her fingers out in a fan against her breastbone, and her mouth fell open. “Wow ... not sure what else to say, but damn.”
The door creaked open, and Aisha’s head popped in. When her sights landed on Selena, she ran and hopped onto the bed, embracing her sister. “Oh, my goddess, you’re awake.”
Selena was shaking, her hands gripping Aisha’s shoulders. “You’re okay? Everyone’s fine?”
“Yes!” Aisha’s voice was high-pitched and her smile contagious. “Wait, I have to tell Baba. He’s been worried sick.” And just like that, she sprinted back out of the room.
Selena turned to me; her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “You were telling the truth.”