Chapter 21

Agatha led Mara and Nora down a flight of stairs on the backside of the castle. Their steps were hurried, but quiet.

Agatha halted the group whenever she heard someone near. Nora briefly wondered why Agatha was helping. Kellan would be furious with the healer when he found out. It was a huge gamble on her part.

Nora could always tell Kellan she commanded Mara and Agatha to aide her. As Queen, they would have to obey her. She hoped it would be enough to lessen whatever retribution he would seek on them.

As for herself, Nora didn’t allow her mind to obsess over what Kellan’s reaction would be. Her father was in trouble and nothing would keep her from finding him, not even the domineering King of Wolves.

The stairs led out into a small courtyard which, luckily, was currently empty. At the end of the courtyard was a gate leading directly into the woods.

They rushed through the gate and stopped when Mara did. Agatha’s head moved around in all directions, looking and listening for signs of wolves that might impede their task. Nora was thankful to have Agatha with her. When they found Nora’s father, Agatha could help heal him.

“Hurry,” Agatha whispered.

“Shh,” Mara responded. “I need to concentrate.”

Not for the first time, Nora wished she had control over the elements, that she could freely communicate with them. The earth called to her, but it was usually only when she truly needed it.

She did need it now, but not for herself. Despite what she’d told Kellan, she wasn’t positive the earth would lead her to her father.

Sensations pulsed inside Nora, similar to the vibrations that racked her body when she had a vision. But these were subtler. Calmer. They were pushing her to move onto the path to her right. Nora speculated the earth was going to help her, after all.

“This way,” Mara spoke and took off in the opposite direction from where the sensations were pushing Nora.

Nora hesitated, confused why her body was trying to push her right when Mara had gone left. She ended up following Mara since she was the one that could control earth, not Nora.

The vibrations protested, but she ignored them. The negative feeling was foreign, and she did not understand it. For now, she would trust whatever messages the earth was giving Mara.

They made their way down the main footpath. Mara stopped when they got to the point where several more trails branched off from the main one.

Mara tilted her head, listening. She looked frustrated. There was one trail that seemed to go on forever. Mara directed them onto it. Thankfully, it was wide enough to move without getting caught on one of the thorn bushes.

They moved speedily, Mara in the lead, then Nora, then Agatha. It may have been wide, but it was uneven. Nora’s ankles had a hard time navigating and she stumbled a handful of times. They continued in the same direction for almost an hour when Mara stopped.

She looked to her left and Nora followed her gaze. The area was heavily wooded and dark. There was no clear track into this stretch of forest.

“In there,” Mara pointed as she spoke.

Nora, who had never been afraid of the woods, wavered. Something did not feel right, but she couldn’t say what.

“Nora?” Agatha prompted.

“It doesn’t feel right. I’m not sure …”

“Of course, it doesn’t feel right,” Mara patted Nora’s shoulder. “This is part of the forest that is dying. It’s probably making you feel it’s distress.”

“Oh. Yes, that makes sense,” Nora agreed.

It did make sense. If the earth was dying in this area, it would not beckon or welcome her. It would not be drawn to someone who could only take from it.

“Here, let’s walk side-by-side. It will make you feel more comfortable.” Mara held out her left arm and Nora took it with her right. Agatha moved to Nora’s left and they stepped into the darkness.

* * *

As Kellan approached the castle, he called for help. Several guards came sprinting towards them and drew up short when they saw the bloodied bodies being carried.

“Find Agatha, now!” Kellan ordered.

He carried Edward through the front entrance and down the long hall to the infirmary. Luckily, there were enough beds for the four wounded men.

Kellan laid Edward on one of the beds and checked his bandages. They were soaked through with blood. Kellan knew it was to be expected, considering the severity of the gashes, but it still looked ghastly.

“Rest, my friend. I will bring your daughter to you, so you may have some comfort.”

He turned to Foley and squeezed the wolf’s hand. “Agatha will be here shortly. You will live.”

Neither man responded or gave any indication they’d heard him. He went to the other men and checked them, as well. Aside from their catatonic states, they did not appear to be in critical condition.

Once he was satisfied they were all stable enough for him to leave, he decided to retrieve Nora. She would want to be near her father.

As he exited the infirmary, one of his guards stopped him. “Sir, we cannot find Agatha.”

“Keep looking. Get Alec, he can track her most recent location better than anyone. I am going to my chamber and will return shortly.”

The guard nodded and went off in search of Alec.

As Kellan climbed the stairs, he caught the scent of Mara and Agatha. They must have gone to visit his mate. Kellan wondered how offended they were that the guards would not let them enter the chamber.

He imagined Nora cursing his name, knowing he had given such orders. He would have to face the consequences, and he would, gladly. Nora deserved a husband who would accept the consequences of his actions.

Kellan believed he was acting in Nora’s best interest. He wasn’t used to having to explain or be held accountable for his decisions. He also wasn’t used to making impetuous decisions as he had been doing where Nora was concerned. It was like he became another person when faced with any threat to his wife.

Nora might not love him—goddess knew he’d done enough to deserve her resentment—but he would find a way into her heart. In this, he would not be deterred. Kellan and Nora had much to remedy between them, but he chose to believe it could and would be remedied.

Another step and he picked up Nora’s scent. It was fresh. Kellan’s hands flexed and he fought the oncoming shift.

His wife had left her room. His jaw ticked and his wolf snarled. Someone had disobeyed a direct order. He was sure of it. There was no way she had gotten herself loose.

Kellan’s wolf began pacing, knowing its mate would not be where he had left her. Kellan ran towards their chamber and came upon three unconscious wolves. He bent down, checking each of their pulses. Thankfully, they were alive.

His wolf was desperately trying to break free, but Kellan held him off. He stepped over the bodies, unable to wait a second longer to see for himself if Nora was still fettered to their bed.

Kellan pushed open the chamber door with such force it slammed against the stone wall inside, the sound echoing through the room. The bed was empty, and his wolf wailed in torment.

He looked around for signs of struggle, for some clue of what happened. There was nothing, just the belt he’d used to bind Nora’s wrists. His chest felt tight, looking at that belt, knowing his mate believed he’d acted rashly—to some degree, he knew he had.

There was no time to reflect. Kellan strode back to the hall, to the downed guards.

Plates of food were scattered around their bodies. He picked up one of the biscuits and smelled it. Highly concentrated fennel was what he smelled—a natural tranquilizer for wolves. Whomever had given it had wanted them asleep, but not harmed.

The only other scents in this hall belonged to Nora, Mara, and Agatha. And Nora had been tied to the bed. That left Mara and Agatha. One elemental. One wolf.

Oh, Goddess, no.

* * *

Making headway through the underbrush was difficult. Much of it was dead already, and crunched beneath their feet, but there were still many branches and vines with thorns that caught on their clothing and skin.

Nora failed to see one that hung from above and it scratched across her brow. She wiped at the blood as it trickled down her temple, hissing at the burning sensation.

“Careful, Nora. Here, let me help.” Agatha tore off a piece of cloth from her shirt and dabbed at the wound. Then, oddly, she threw the bloodied fabric onto the forest floor. Nora supposed it would do no good to carry the cloth. Agatha did it a few more times until the bleeding stopped.

A few minutes later, and another thorn caught on Nora’s cheek. She thought the vine had moved into her path, but it happened so fast, she couldn’t be sure.

Again, Agatha tore some small pieces of fabric and cleaned Nora’s face before discarding them into the foliage. Eventually, the blood coagulated, and Nora waived off Agatha’s attentions.

“Here, Agatha. Watch your step,” Mara said, pointing towards an area where the canopy allowed virtually no sunlight through.

Both Mara and Agatha took a step to the side, while simultaneously shoving Nora forward. Nora grunted, flabbergasted they would push her.

Her foot stepped on something hard and two things happened very quickly. Her companions leapt further away from her and a horrendous pain shot through her leg. Nora screamed from the intensity of it as she fell to the ground.

She reached down to her leg and her hands hit metal, some sort of steel. The thick jaws of a hunter’s trap were clamped around her leg, just below the knee. They were covered in warm blood. Her blood.

Nora steadied her breath, willing herself to remain calm. She hoped if her heart rate slowed, the bleeding would slow, as well.

“Looks like it hit an artery,” Agatha observed, looking at the wound. “She’ll bleed out soon.”

Mara nodded in agreement, but neither female moved to help Nora. In fact, they didn’t seem at all concerned.

Mara usually fussed over Nora like a mother hen. Why wasn’t Mara coming to her aide? She was an elemental, like Nora. She had been governess to Nora and her sisters. She had been virtually family.

Nora looked to Agatha. The she-wolf was a healer. She would know what to do. Yet, she did nothing.

Through squinted eyes, Nora looked from one to the other, from the elemental to the wolf, the pieces slowly falling into place. The betrayal slammed into her heart so hard if felt like she’d been hit with a battering ram.

“Mara?” Nora squeaked, having trouble talking through the pain. “No, Mara. Not you.”

Mara did not respond. She watched Nora’s blood as it flowed down her leg, dripping onto the ground below. She was responsible for this. Her face was grim, evidence she took no joy from this plan.

But that did not matter to Nora. Mara’s malevolent duplicity was unforgiveeable. The damage to Nora’s heart was as great as the damage to her leg.

Nora found her voice. She would not die without speaking her piece.

“You raised me, Mara. You were like a mother to me.”

“I know. I am sorry.”

“You had a million opportunities to kill me when I was young. To kill Eden, if you didn’t want one of us on the Burghard throne.”

“I did what I could to prevent the weddings, to ensure Kellan would never take one of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The tonics. They made you both infertile.”

Nora balked. She felt ill, remembering every disgusting tonic forced upon her, believing them something mixed to help strengthen her, to improve her health.

Nothing but lies and treachery were mixed in those glasses. Mara had meant to take away Nora’s chance for children. Eden’s chance, as well. How dare she?

“He should have scented that neither you nor your sisters could bare young,” Mara continued, “it would have prevented all of this. At their core, their only drive is to create more wolves.”

Agatha harrumphed at Mara’s simple-minded assumption, but Mara ignored it.

“No matter what you may think,” she continued, “I did try. I did not want this to be your fate.”

Nora laughed bitterly. “Do not attempt to ease your guilt by pretending you desired a different outcome. My blood is on your hands. And my husband will kill you for this.”

Despite their quarrel, Nora knew Kellan would avenge his mate.

“I know,” Mara exhaled. “I accepted my destiny long ago.”

Nora’s eyes watered. From the pain in her leg, and, now, from the pain in her heart. Mara had been part of her family. Nora would never have done something so deviant to a loved one. It was incomprehensible.

Agatha put a hand on Mara’s arm. “I told you your plan was ill-advised, and this was the only way. Do not waste your breath trying to explain anything to her. She’ll never understand our purpose.”

“You’re right,” Nora agreed. “I’ll never understand such madness. You’ve harmed innocents. Think of poor Isla and all those wolves that died from the sleeping sickness.”

“Yes, that was regrettable, but necessary,” Agatha insisted. “Try not to worry about Isla. She’ll never wake from that slumber. Bogdan made sure her mind was irreparable. Her pain has ended and—”

A noise echoed through the forest, distracting Agatha and Mara’s attentions. Nora glanced all around, trying to determine the direction of the source. Something was moving towards them, and fast. Mara took a step back.

“Wolf?” she asked.

“Bigger,” Agatha shook her head. “Bear. I’m guessing it followed the trail of blood as we had hoped. We need to leave. Now.”

Without another word, the two women fled, leaving Nora helpless on the forest floor. They had hoped a creature would follow? Nora’s adrenaline spiked, realizing they had baited the trap for the animal.

Nora was the bait.