“Oh, okay. Come with me, he replied, a hint of eagerness in his wi
“Where are we going?” I asked an we began walking. “You have a
mind
No, not really.
He appeared to consider. Maybe… the Border Watchtower? The view from up there is incredible. You can see the and beyond.”
“The Watchtower?” My interest piqued instantly. “Tid love that.”
“After you,” he gestured toward a path I hadn’t noticed before,
As we walked, he grew more talkative. “Do you know what it feels like to take those little things for granted and then its just
His words hit closer to home than he could possibly know. “I think I can relate.”
We walked for what felt like a long time, the forest giving way to more rugged terrain. Finally, we approached a small structure built into the side of a hill, almost invisible unless you knew what to look for.
“What is this place?” I asked, suddenly wary as we climbed the narrow, winding staircase.
This is the Border Watchtower, he explained, producing a key from his pocket. “Not many get access up here. The view is worth it though.”
My curiosity overcame my hesitation. I’ve always wondered what it looked like from up here. He unlocked the heavy door at the top of the stairs, gesturing for me to enter first.
The space beyond was dark, the shutters closed, smelling of wood and leather and something else I couldn’t quite identify. I squinted, trying to adjust to the dimness.
“Where’s this amazing view you promised?” I asked, unable to make anything out in the gloom.
The door closed behind us with a heavy thud. A match flared, illuminating the young man’s face from below, casting sinister shadows across his features.
“I am Rowan, brother to Layna, the one your mate had so cruelly madered…”
The malice in his voice turned my blood to ice. I backed away, but there was nowhere to go. The watchtower room was empty except for a chair + no observation equipment, no territory maps. Just a trap
“Rowan,” I began, raising my hands placatingly. “I understand your pain-
“You understand nothing!” he spat, advancing toward me. “My sister was innocent!”
“I know,” I admitted, the confession tearing from me. “I know she was
He paused, surprise flickering across die.”
s his features before hardening into renewed hatred. And yet you stood there and watched her
Before I could respond, he lunged. I tried to shift, to call upon my weit, but something struck the back of my head. Stars exploded across my vision, then darkness claimed me.
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Consciousness returned to me in fragments, each more painful than the last. My head throbbed where Rowan had struck me, and my wrists burned from the ropes bluding them behind my back,
1 blinked against the dim light, trying to make sense of my surroundlings. Cold stone walls surrounded me, damp with moisture and age. This wasn’t the watchtower room where hed first introduced to -I’d been unconscious when he moved me to this hidden Location
The air smelled of earth and something metallic–old blend, perhap dlampness, and a narrow window high in the wall told me everything seeping into my banes…
A weathered oak door, its planks warped with age and
needed to know. I was in a dungeon, the chill of underground
Rowan himself sat on a wooden crate nearby, watching me with an readable expression.
“You be awake.
I tested my bonds, finding them secure but not cruelly tight. “Yeah, am awake. My voice was raspy, my throat dry. “What next? Kill me? He would find me and then kill you.”
Rowan’s lip curled in contempt. “Just like he killed my sister?”
The accusation lingered between us, heavy with truth I couldn’t deny Layna’s frightened eyes in her final moments haunted me still
You know why she was killed,” I began, unsure how to continue. The terrible unfalmess of it all threatened to choke me. “I wish it
never happened, and it still haunts me… but she…
“What is it you wanted to say? Rowan leaned forward, his face suddenly eager. “I know, alright! I know your mother was the true guilty one. I know that you easily twisted things to favour you
I flinched at his words. So he knew. Someone had told him the truth that Layna had died in my mother’s place.
“Im sorry,” I whispered, the words woefully inadequate.
Rage contorted Rowan’s features. “You are sorry? You are sorry! He rood abruptly, pacing the small space like a caged animal. “It is always easier for you guys; you do what you want, and you do not give a shit what others think about it. You murdered an innocent, and nobody cares, nobody give a fuck either,”
“You don’t understand… I didn’t want this, but you are wrong if you thought I didn’t care.” Tears stung my eyes, born of guilt and
exhaustion.
“Oh, I understand.” His voice dropped dangerously, “You wanted your mother alive but did it ever occur to you that I wanted my
sister alive!
The accusation struck true. I had chosen my mother over his sister without a second thought. In that moment, I’d have sacrificed anyone to save her. But could I blame Rowan for wanting the same for Layna?
“Do as you wish,” I said, surprising myself with the calmness in my voice. “I deserve this and I forgive you.”
His steps faltered. “What?”
“Lcaused this; I had pushed him, and I hate myself for it; I lose sleep thinking about her. It isn’t easy on me, but I would not play victim because I am not, I only ask that you make it quick.” I met his gaze steadily, accepting whatever fate he had planned.
Before Rowan could respond, the door swung open. A tall figure blocked the light from the hallway beyond–a silhouette |
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recognized immediately. My blood froze in my velms.
Alaric.
“Well done, boy,” the Alpha King said, tossing a small pouch toward Fan. Coins clinked within it. As promised.”
Rowan caught the pouch, his expression shifting from anger to something like shame. He wouldn’t meet my eyes now.
“You asked how I knew the truth,” he said quietly. “Now you know,”
Understanding dawned, bitter and cold. “You didn’t do
do this for you
your sister, No, you did this for the money.”
He glanced at me then, a flicker of remorse crossing his features before he hardened them again. Without another word, he slipped past Alaric and out the door, leaving me alone with the monster of my mother’s nightmares.
his
Alaric closed the door with deliberate care, his movements unhurried as he approached. The dim light from a single lantern cast h face in shadow, making his smile seem all the more menacing.
“A very improper way to hold a meeting, Alpha Alaric,” I said, forcing bravado I didn’t feel.
He chuckled, the sound devoid of warmth. “You know me, I like my
different and… unique.”
“So to what do I owe this royal honor?” I shifted, trying to relieve the pressure on my bound wrists.
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