Page 53 of A Warrior's Fate

What am I doing?

For the love of the Goddess, she was a warrior now—killed not one of their continent’s most feared creatures, but two—and here she was, doing nothing but counting down seconds and having an unnecessary existential crisis while Kai could be in actual trouble. Ten minutes, be damned. He could give her all the shit that he wanted.

Isla looked out into the forest only to be greeted by something moving so swiftly over the floor, it was a smoke-like blur. Too large to be an animal that lived in these woods. The creatures she hadn’t realized were housed in the areas around her grew restless from its presence, it seemed. Their caws, squeaks, and mewls joined the storm’s symphony.

Isla’s heart leaped into her throat as she braced herself against the trunk and leaned back to glance through the leaves in the direction it had gone.

Kai?

She moved further, twisting and turning to get another decent look. Maybe he’d forgotten what tree she’d gone up into.

The shadow doubled back again so close and fast that it spooked her. Spooked everything. In a horde, a mess of black-feathered birds soared down from the treetop, disregarding her presence, their wings skidding her jacket and catching her face.

She couldn’t stop herself from losing her balance, and everything that followed moved in slow motion. Her body screamed in pain again as she descended from her perch, meeting other branches on the way. There was a flash of light and air fled her lungs in a whoosh the moment Isla hit the ground with a splash. A groan, that sounded more like a wheeze, fell from her lips. She was lucky she hadn’t been higher up. A sharpness shot through her arm, her side. The same one that had been done a number on by the bak. She forced herself to roll onto her stomach in order to push herself up. The cold mud seeped into her clothes and coated the skin of her hands, her neck, her face.

Whatever that was, whoever—it wasn’t Kai.

And whatever or whoever it was, she could feel it close by. Could feel it watching.

Breaths escaped her mouth in rapid clouds of white, and Isla shot to her feet. She swayed on her weak legs and stumbled back to her tree, bracing herself against its base. Using it for protection, she pressed her back against it to cover her flank.

She kept her gaze upwards as she lowered herself to the ground. Her fingers wrapped tightly around a thick, fallen tree limb. She held it firmly in both hands, constricting so much to counter the slippery mud, splinters embedded her palms.

Her eyes darted around her surroundings, and soon came the sound of fast, heavy footsteps at her back. Heart thundering and a scream trapped in her throat, Isla whirled around, swinging the branch as hard as she could.

The Beta of Deimos stopped it with his forearm, barely even flinching at the impact. Either he was incredibly strong or her hit was pathetic.

Isla’s eyes were wide as she dropped the branch to her side. “You.”

For a moment, Ezekiel’s expression mirrored hers, face fallen in shock. It didn’t last very long, however. As his eyes traced over her, taking in her disheveled appearance, a look of distaste took over his face. “You look wretched.”

She would be ridiculous to disagree with him—she was certain that she did—but as always, his tone held a condescending air to it that grated her nerves.

“I fell out of a tree,” Isla said pointedly, harshly wiping the mud from her cheeks, a difficult task when every other inch of her was coated in it. “What’s your excuse?” The last part had come out on reflex, and that piece of her that had been drilled in etiquette cringed. Technically, not crowned a luna, she still ranked far below him in the hierarchy, but she couldn’t get herself to apologize. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my alpha,” he said, crossing his arms over the slick sleeves of his overcoat where raindrops flecked off easily. She was surprised that he hadn’t reprimanded her for the outburst or returned with his own retort. “I was told he’d last been seen down by the Gate with a woman. I’d been hoping it wasn’t you, but I had my doubts.” His eyes trailed the area around them, narrowed as he sought out what she assumed was Kai. “I was young and unmated once, and when I saw the woods…”

It wasn’t hard for her to figure out what he was alluding to. If only that had been why they’d come in here.

Clenching her branch tighter in her hand, she did her own survey of the area again. Nothing seemed amiss. No blurs. No shadows. Could it have been Ezekiel moving that quickly?

“Of all the wolves on this continent, the daughter of the Imperial Beta,” Ezekiel said, drawing Isla’s attention back to him. “I have to say, I’m not surprised. On paper, you hail from an exceptional bloodline. Compatible strength with an alpha, I’d say.”

So, he wanted to talk about this.

Pursing her lips, Isla recalled Kai’s words to her. Why he hadn’t wanted Ezekiel to know they didn’t necessarily despise each other.

“You don’t have to worry about me, you know,” she told him, more eager than she’d intended. “The last thing I desire is to be his mate or become your luna, and be assured, the alpha wants me just as little as I want him. We have an agreement, and we’re sticking to it.”

Ezekiel raised a dark eyebrow as if challenged by her words. “Quite bold of you to assume you can conquer a goddess.”

“You should be grateful,” she countered. “Once I’m back in Io, I’m out of your hair forever.”

At her words, another laugh passed his mouth, but aside from cavalier, it also sounded bitter. Ezekiel looked off into the forest again, and as silence descended between them and tension rose with each passing second, Isla prepared to walk away to find Kai.

That was until the beta began, “Our people have been through much in these past years, months—the last especially. What they need is stability and hope.” He met her eyes again. “I could never imagine delivering unto them the news that their true queen wants no part of their existence.”

Isla’s breath caught. His words were sharp as blades, and they hit their mark, the last especially, cutting deep. But before she had time to really process what he was saying, Ezekiel continued, “I am grateful, Isla. I’m grateful for every brazen, stubborn, and proud bone in your body. Now Kai can find the perfect luna. The one our pack needs. The one it deserves.”

---