Page 176 of The Wolf King

“Ride!” he hisses at the driver, before throwing himself in after me.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

The carriage hurtles across the landscape.

We’re followed by the sound of howling Wolves, and the roars of battle.

Sebastian settles on the bench in front of me and smooths down his breeches and dark tunic. He’s the picture of calm despite what is happening. His sword and daggers hang in his belt—deadly but unused as he leaves his army to fight for him.

He smiles.

“My sweet betrothed, it is time we had a chat, don’t you think?”

I straighten and smooth down my dress. I force myself to smile back sweetly, even though violence coats my tongue. “Yes, it is.”

“Did you spread your legs for him?” asks Sebastian—as though discussing the weather. “Theirking.”

“Didn’t your wolf confirm I didn’t?”

He shrugs. “If he had voiced the truth, I’d have killed you both on the spot. I can’t marry you if my people know you’ve fucked a wolf. And if I can’t marry you, you are of no use to me. But I don’t believe you’ve been with those savages for this long, and not been touched by at least one of them. Let us be honest with one another, shall we? Was it their king that you fucked?” He arches an eyebrow. “Or was it the one from my kennels? The one you ran away with?”

My insides harden. He makes a tutting noise, his expression cold.

“Or did you think I didn’t know about that?” He smiles, his eyes dark. “You were seen, you know? Running away with him. Which one was it? Or did you open your legs for both of them? No matter. I’ll have them both killed before long. And before tonight is through, you’ll have my heir inside you and everyone will know you are mine alone.”

My blood runs cold, but I refuse to look away. The knife is heavy against my thigh, but I do not know how to reach for it without alerting Sebastian to its existence.

“Yes,” Sebastian continues. “Soon, this will all be just a bad memory. And you will learn to conduct yourself better in future as my wife, and lady of the Borderlands. Otherwise you may find yourself meeting the same fate as your mother.”

My insides turn to ice. “My mother died of illness.”

“No. She was murdered.” He laughs coldly. “Oh, didn’t you know?”

A battle rages inside me, as vicious as the one I can hear in the distance. The demand for answers fights the demand for blood. “What are you talking about?”

“Your father arranged it. A very... particular... poison.” The bright moonlight that streams through the carriage windows highlights the glee in his expression, and I know he is telling the truth.

I feel as if the world is shattering around me. My father was never kind to my mother. He viewed her as a possession rather than a person—just as he views me. The thought that he killed her makes me feel as if I’ve swallowed the Northland winds that rattle the carriage. They rage in my chest, and I can barely contain them.

For so many years I desired his approval. I stayed silent and obedient for him. I intended to give him information about the Wolves. I agreed to marry the monster that sits before me.

My mother told me that we always have a choice. But my whole life I have let others control my fate.

Tonight, that changes.

Adrenaline pumps through my body as we rattle along the wild terrain. I embrace it, and let it feed the violent beast that is stirring within me.

“I cannot believe you didn’t know,” says Sebastian.

If Callum was in this situation, I have no doubt he would end Sebastian in an instant. He would lurch forward and strangle him, sinking a dagger into his heart with ease.

I do not have his strength. Not physically.

I find myself wondering what Blake would do if faced with a larger opponent. He would find another way to defeat him—using his wit and his silken words and his aura of shadows. He somehow rose high in the Kingdom of Wolves, became an alpha, and whispered into the ear of the Wolf King—all while being an outsider.

I’m playing a game, little rabbit. And part of you wants to play too—just to see if you can beat me.

I slip on the mask I wore for many years—the mask of a dutiful princess, an obedient woman, a prize to be won—and I hope it hides the darkness that rises within.

---