A Warrior’s Fate (Wolves of Morai #1)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

C old and dark—everything was cold, dark, and numb. Isla felt disconnected, detached like she was floating. On air. On nothing.

Between it all, the world went by in flashes.

“This looks bad .”

“Is she even still alive?”

“I hope so.”

“Tell the alpha we found her.”

Cold.

“What do we do with her?”

“Get her back…pick her up. Move quick, but be careful of her arm.”

Kai?

Dark.

“How much further to the Gate?”

“Almost there—how is she?”

“It’s getting harder to sense her heartbeat.”

“Move faster.”

Numb.

“Oh, bless the Goddess, more are back! Wait—”

“Someone call the Imperial Beta!”

“Is she alive?”

“Isla…Isla! ”

Disconnected.

It felt like someone had gone at Isla’s body with a sledgehammer. Like she’d been broken apart, shattered, and put back together piece by piece but the wrong way. Everything was heavy. Her head, her legs, her arms.

Her arm . Goddess, her arm hurt.

Isla winced as she peeled open her eyes, greeted by a piercingly bright light overhead. She groaned, a dull ache rising in her chest.

Where the hell was she?

This wasn’t the Wilds. It couldn’t have been.

The scent of sulfur had diminished, breathing felt too easy, and the earth didn’t sink beneath her feet.

Actually, her feet weren’t on the ground at all.

White—everything above was white, but she wasn’t dead. Death shouldn’t have felt like this. Heavy and painful.

Isla sluggishly turned her head.

No, she wasn’t dead but was in a room as monochrome as the ceiling. The walls, similar to the rest of the area, were barren, save one dull gray-cast portrait of what looked to be a lake. There was a single cabinet and a sink, both white. And then, what held her attention the longest was a window, the panes painted an eggshell, that seemed to overlook miles and miles of forest. The sunlight spilling through the glass made her choke.

This definitely wasn’t the Wilds.

Isla drew her eyes over her new ivory gown, following the cloth down to her blanket-covered legs and then over to something that startled her.

She wasn’t alone. A man was at her bedside, sitting in one of the few items of some vibrancy. The cobalt chair was pulled up against the mattress enough so that he was able to rest his forearms and head beside her. His face was turned away, but Isla could recognize his silhouette from anywhere.

Dragging over a shaky hand, she whacked Adrien across the head, maybe a little retribution for the multiple times he’d pissed her off recently. The hit was frustratingly weak. She followed it with a hoarse and painful, “Hey. ”

Thankfully, it didn’t take much to jostle the Heir.

Adrien snapped up, though still half-asleep. Lids narrow, he let out a grumble and stretched as if he’d forgotten this wasn’t his bed back in the grand estates of Io and just…wherever they were.

As he scanned the subdued décor for an assailant, he skipped directly over her still frame.

“Good morning.”

At her rasp, Adrien’s widened eyes met hers. “Holy shit, you’re awake!”

Isla cringed at the volume. “Not so loud. Goddess,” she chided, but the corners of her mouth still slid up.

“How do you feel?” Adrien didn’t miss a beat in his urgency.

How did she feel…what a loaded question. “Like hell.”

“You look it.”

Isla snorted, bringing about more nagging pain with the jolt of her ribs. “Asshole.”

His intentions were not lost, judging by his smile, and she welcomed the small sense of normalcy. She wanted—needed—to relish in whatever ignorant bliss she could. Needed to do all she could to detach herself and keep the memories from behind the Wall locked behind her own personal gate.

It wasn’t her who’d spent days in a nightmare, in an unending state of terror. Not her who’d stared her death in the face, not once but twice. Not her who’d felt the empty pit of imminent oblivion. Not her who’d heard the screams of a man before he—

“Where are we?” Isla asked, trying to jar herself from the thoughts.

Adrien leaned back, adjusting to sit comfortably in his seat. “One of Callisto’s infirmaries.”

It had been an unnecessary question. Besides being obvious from her observations, it was where the Hunt always led. It was rare that those who entered left the Wilds unscathed. While some hunters only needed a quick look over after they’d emerged—with injuries that would heal on their own—others required a little intervention, a push in the recovery direction.

Be careful of her arm.

Isla suddenly became very aware of her left side, her arm in particular. The heaviness, the ache so persistent she’d adjusted to its existence. She found it wrapped in a plethora of bandages, propped up, and immobilized at her side.

When she tried to wrench it from its holding, a twinge of pain rocketed through to her fingers. Shit. “What happened?”

“The bak did a number on you. We weren’t sure if they’d be able to save it, but you’re healing now.” Adrien didn’t bother going into the gory details, and Isla was fine with it. In hindsight, she was thankful she’d blacked out.

Gritting her teeth, never one to enjoy being tied down—physically and, arguably, emotionally—she repeated the action, trying to free herself from the platform. She bit her tongue to keep from whimpering.

“They said it would be a slower process than usual.”

“I don’t do slow.” Most of the time, she found using her body helped it heal faster, or at least, that was the excuse she fed to those who tried to make her rest when she was injured. “How are the others?”

Adrien sighed, knowing that any protest he’d make would fall on deaf ears. “A few are pretty bad, but they’ll make it. Everyone else is good.”

A breath of agony and relief fell from her lips when she was finally able to get herself loose, though it rapidly devolved into shallow pants of worry. It was a type of deep, soul-squeezing unease she’d only experienced once before, and it was when she’d heard Kai’s pained howl before everything went dark.

She brought her arm back to her side. “The alpha was with me. Did he make it out? Is he okay? Is he hurt?”

Adrien’s eyebrows rose, a hint of surprise at her distress. “He’s fine. He’ll heal quickly. If he wanted to prove his strength in there, he did and then some. He took down four bak, more than his brother ever did…and saved your life.”

He spoke delicately as if trying to ease her into the reminder of what could’ve been.

Isla’s mind flashed to Kai, standing before her covered in the blood of the beast who’d drawn hers, concern lacing his words, his hard gaze a bestower of comfort. There were so many questions she’d wanted to ask him in that moment—how he’d found her, why he hadn’t howled back if he’d heard her call—but they got lost in the subsequent chaos.

She ran her tongue over her chapped lips. “Is the Hunt over?”

In her heart, she knew the answer she was about to get was one she dreaded.

“There’re two others that haven’t come out yet, but you know the protocol. There’s still time.” Adrien’s voice remained soft like he knew exactly why she was asking.

Even if she’d been prepared for it, the confirmation felt like a punch in the gut. “A bak took the man from Tethys.”

“I know, but no one’s seen his body. There’s a chance.”

“No.” Isla squeezed her eyes closed.

There was no more blissful illusion. She felt the phantom tinge of the sulfuric air on her tongue. The uneven mud beneath her feet. Smelled the bak’s breath as it descended to end her life. Heard the Trainee’s screams. The loop of it all was relentless.

“Hey.” She felt Adrien’s hand on hers.

Her hopeless gaze met her friend’s, and she squeezed him back with whatever strength she had. “Do you still feel like you’re in there?”

“The nightmares stopped after a few weeks, but everyone’s different.”

A few weeks. She could handle a few weeks.

“Pudge!”

Isla and Adrien jumped back from each other, snapping their heads towards the doorway where the third member of their trio strode into the room with open arms. If Isla really needed a distraction from the darkness, Sebastian was surely the epitome of one.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Her brother leaned against the pearly cabinet, folding his arms. His smile stretched as wide as his face. “My favorite baby sister.”

“I’m your only sister,” she replied plainly. “Why are you so happy?”

“You came in second,” he bellowed as if it were obvious. Upon the flat look he received from Adrien, he added, “And bless the goddesses, you’re awake.”

Isla’s jaw went slack. “I was second? How?”

There was no way she was in any early position out of that forest. It had been too much time, and she hadn’t gotten out on her own accord.

“You killed two bak, the alpha killed four, and everyone else only got one of those suckers. You were one of the last ones out, sure—and barely, you know, alive—but they ranked you second.” He adjusted the collar of his coat. “And I am now a richer man for it.”

She couldn’t hold in her laugh, both in disbelief at the fact she’daccomplished all she’d wanted and that her sibling somehow always got his way.

“You have no shame,” she said.

“What’s the point of being a brother if you can’t profit off your sister being a badass? And I’m not a monster; it’ll go straight towards your gift after you get your lumerosi.”

“Your generosity knows no bounds,” she deadpanned, but it was hard to keep a straight face.

New lumerosi, her ranking putting her in a prime position to be considered to lead a team in the coming years—it was all exactly as she hoped and envisioned. Although she felt a twinge of guilt, she tried to focus on the elation. She imagined her mother beaming down at her, proud. Perhaps she’d been with her all along. “Where’s Dad? Does he know?”

“Emergency meeting in Callisto’s Hall—Imperial Alpha, the other alphas. They’re trying to figure out if we should really be worried about whatever the hell happened out there.”

The light dimmed from Isla’s face. “Emergency meeting?” She turned to Adrien. “Aren’t you usually there for things like that?”

Adrien shrugged. “I didn’t have to, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ll get briefed on it later anyway.” Isla gave him a look. “And then, of course, I’ll tell you.”

She grinned as a thank you but did not refrain from narrowing her eyes, a reminder that she hadn’t forgotten him keeping Kai’s secret from her.

Sebastian paced to look out the window, his eyes squinted as if searching for something. “Could those bastards really be evolving to be smart enough to work together?”

Isla looked into her lap. There were more issues than the fact they’d ambushed in groups, that they’d gotten within feet of each other without first battling over who would get the chance to have her as a meal.

“It didn’t kill me.” Isla swallowed, trying not to recall the memory as vividly. “Two times I should’ve been dead, yet I’m here. It took its time. It…studied me. It didn’t make sense, and it still doesn’t.”

Her words hung thick in the air, even for Sebastian, who didn’t have an immediate quip. Quietly, they mulled it over, allowing it to bubble into a tension they typically didn’t find themselves in.

With both Adrien and Sebastian beckoned to other obligations and her father still locked in his meeting, Isla had been solitary with her dour thoughts for far, far too long. She wasn’t supposed to get out of bed until the physician came around to approve it, but she needed to move.

The hallways of the infirmary were relatively deserted as she traveled them alone, occasionally spotting someone or hearing footsteps, forcing her to dip into a vacant room to evade discovery.

Typically, she didn’t know the person who passed, but this time, she was shocked to find the Beta of Deimos.

Isla watched as he powered down the corridor, his heavy steps echoing. He stopped at a door that led to a stairwell, glancing around before pulling it open. Isla’s eyebrow arched, a seed of distrust rooting in her heart.

Was the next move she wanted to make as dumb as it sounded?

She did it anyway.

Carefully prying open its entrance, she broke into the stairwell. The slamming of a door reverberated from the floor above. The cavern air was frigid as she scaled the steps, and upon reaching the next landing, she peered into the entryway’s small window. The hall was pitch-black, abandoned.

Isla sucked in a breath before tugging on the handle, pulling carefully to lessen its groaning. The chilled air persisted when it closed softly behind her.

And then came the voices.

Isla noted the slightest glow of light at the end of the corridor. Feeling an unearthly draw, she went to it. As she neared, the voices increased in volume enough to figure out to whom they belonged.

One of them was the Beta of Deimos’s, and the other was Kai’s.

She hadn’t expected her body’s reaction to his vicinity to be so…intense.

Their tones took on new aggression. As she had in the fields before crossing through the Gate, she picked up pieces of their conversation. They were talking about the meeting. Something about the beta going in Kai’s place while he recovered. Something the alpha hadn’t agreed to.

In a lull, which she figured was a signal the exchange was coming to an end, Isla turned to dart away. But then—

“You’re aware that trust is an alpha’s biggest strength, that belief in their leader is what holds a pack together…you risked your life to save that girl.”

Isla’s steps ceased.

The last words had left the beta’s mouth with such malice. Even though there were very, very few people he could be alluding to, she refused to believe he was speaking about her.

“I’m not going through this with you again, Ezekiel. I wasn’t going to leave her in there to die.” There was a coldness in Kai’s tone she’d never heard before; it chilled her more than the air.

It was as if Ezekiel hadn’t heard him. “Not only did you jeopardize your own hide, but the hierarchy within Deimos, the bloodline of your forefathers. And for what? A woman insolent and dim-witted enough to—”

“Watch your tongue,” Kai growled.

Isla glared, even though the beta couldn’t see it. Her un-bandaged hand clenched into a fist at her side. Protocols be damned if she had him face to face.

“ Who is she?”

“Just someone I met at the dinner.”

“And yet she was bold enough to approach you without invitation? In your graces enough for you to allow her to?”

Kai was silent.

“Need I stress how your personal affairs are no longer your own.”

A pause. More silence .

“You are not just one of the alpha’s sons anymore. The former antics of a second-born prince are over. They cannot happen.” The beta’s words were pointed, sharp. “Any woman you bring to your bed is one your people will cast as a future luna, the bearer of their next leader, a bloodline entangled and buried deep in our soil for the rest of time. It goes without saying the questions that would arise, the unrest that would ensue if rumblings emerged that a potential queen was not only of Io but the daughter of its Beta .”

Isla wasn’t sure which part of his spiel had made her more furious—his casting of her as some hapless girl sleeping with the alpha or his notion that it would be so abhorrent because of who she was.

There was another hesitation, but then came a shallow gasp. Isla could’ve sworn she heard a mumbled no before Kai answered, “She’s nothing to me.”

Upon his reassurance, said so absolute, she had to remind herself that it had been their deal. No one could know about their bond, as they’d decided. It was their choice. He’d spared her from the future she never wanted.

But Ezekiel was Kai’s beta , his second-in-command besides whoever became his luna. That bond was also considered sacred. It required trust, honesty, and understanding. The function of a pack depended on it.

It hadn’t been lost on her that Kai never refuted his beta’s claims. There was no protest to the questions, the unrest, or the threat to his stance as a leader if he dared take her as his mate. It was as if he understood the implications all along…and was always actively avoiding them. Putting on a chivalric show that she’d play along with.

If she thought logically and pitted them together, who was really getting the truth from the alpha’s mouth—the woman he’d known for just over a week whose only tie was something beyond their comprehension or his highest-honored officer with whom he entrusted his pack?

“It’s imperative you keep it that way,” Ezekiel said, his words terse. “It can’t happen.” He spoke as if he knew, as if he’d figured it all out.

Kai’s response was low. “I’ve handled it.”