A Warrior’s Fate (Wolves of Morai #1)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

W hen Isla broke over the woodland’s edge, it was like she’d entered another world. The forest possessed an eerie stillness as the wind and moonlight battled to break through the dense brush and heavy canopy.

“Where the hell did you go?” Though she hadn’t been too far behind, Kai was nowhere in sight. Her eyes slid closed as she honed her hearing, her smell, trying to pick up any hint as to where he was, but she couldn’t. Kai didn’t want to be found—by her, or whatever he’d run after, she wasn’t sure.Any annoyance she felt was taken by worry, the unease she’d been infected with still crawling beneath her skin. She’d never felt or seen him afraid of anything. Nervous, yes, but not scared.

Reluctantly, she latched onto the emotion, clawing through it to find that tether again, hoping she could use the damn thing to her advantage. But it was weak, the tie fraying. Of course.

Still, she continued her trek, following an instinct she hoped had been guided by the webs weaved through them.Her path grew dangerous over a mess of dips and valleys she hadn’t been expecting as she called out his name—through a link and out into the wind. Pockets of the moon’s glow peeked to greet her.

She’d nearly reached her wit’s end when, finally, she spotted him. A warming rush of relief shot through her, but it didn’t last nearly as long as she would’ve liked .

Kai was postured tall, head held high as if trying to catch a scent in the air. He had to have known she was there, even if she’d been masking herself, judging by the way his clenched fists had tensed, relaxed, and tensed again. Maybe he’d wanted her to find him out in the open like this.

She approached him slowly. “Is this you trying to be funny?”

The query was met by silence. Kai hadn’t even bothered to turn around.

As she got closer, Isla could sense the faintest pull again, but she didn’t need it to feel the simmering rage and bitter worry that emanated from him. But—there was nothing. Nothing obvious here that should’ve sent him running, that should’ve elicited such a vehement reaction.

A chill went up her spine. “What is—”

“Quiet.”

Isla jutted back, the word holding like a block between them as Kai returned to his observation. A sense of quiet urgency seemed to power every breath of his, the twinge of each solid muscle visible through the soaked fabric of his shirt.

“Stay here,” Kai finally spoke, taking a step forward. “Be ready to shift.”

“Shift?” Isla’s stomach turned leaden.

“Yes. Have your wolf ready.”

Isla blinked, finding it suddenly difficult to swallow. The statement had hit her two-fold.

No one besides her father and physicians knew of her inability to tap into that all-important piece of herself—not even Adrien and Sebastian—but the realization that this was yet another way she could be viewed as broken wasn’t the worst.

Shifting itself required a great deal of strength and, to maintain the state, an ample amount of energy. It was the pinnacle of all they could be and why so much training went into preparing for the often days-long Hunt. For that reason, taking on one’s wolf for any type of fight or battle was typically reserved for the greatest of threats, and for lesser cases, warriors had learned other forms of combat to fall back on—hand-to-hand, weaponry. But for whatever was out here…that wasn’t enough.

Finally, she confessed, “I—I can’t. ”

Kai raked a hand over his hair, slicking it out of his face, though some stubborn pieces curled back to his forehead. He turned to glance at her sideways, his eyes dark and serious. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t shift. I haven’t been able to since I was hurt.” The words felt like rocks in her throat.

Kai’s face flashed, not with anger but with concern, and Isla felt not a tug but a twist. He moved in a way that had his body looming over her, blocking her view of the forest…or blocking the forest’s vantage of her.His eyes traveled over her features as if searching for some levity over a twisted joke she’d been playing.

“You’re serious. Why didn’t you say something?” That aura of urgency and desperation had seeped into his voice. Before she even had a chance to answer, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why do you do this?”

“Me?” She stood her ground, pointing a finger, though she felt like a fraud. “ You ’ re the one that ran this time.”

“You shouldn’t have followed me.”

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice.” Kai’s features softened in understanding, but the moment was brief. She countered his displeased look with one of her own. “What’s going on? And if you say ‘pack business’, Goddess help you.”

Kai looked off to the side, a slew of emotions running over his face so fast she couldn’t clock them, but it was enough to give her hope that he may open up. It was a dance they’d found themselves engaging in a few times already, and he’d given her fragments, but she wondered if there would ever be a point when he’d completely give in. Though, what right did she have to all of him?

Thunder rumbled again. The boom and its accompaniment of crashing lightning were so loud that it seemed to shake the earth around them.

At the rush of noise, Kai stepped back with an aggravated sigh and scanned the trees closest to them. He nodded upwards. “Can you climb?” Isla’s face twisted in confusion. Kai added, “Go up into that tree and don’t move until I come back.”

“Excuse me?” Was he insane? “Come back from where? Why ? What is going on?”

“I need you to trust me.” Kai met her eyes again, and she swore she almost found some sympathy in them. “If this is what I think, I don’t want you anywhere near it, especially when you can’t defend yourself.”

Trust him?

“I’ve been trained just as long to be able to fight without my wolf as with it.” The counter was unsteady off her lips, not assured in the statement herself.

“It’s not enough.”

Isla took note of the rippling timber around them. What was she supposed to do? Just go up into a tree and—wait? “I’ll just go back to the infirmary.”

“No. You can’t go back through here alone. It’s not safe.” Kai stepped closer again, though the warmth of his body couldn’t quite melt the ice buried within her. “I need you to trust me, Isla.”

There were those words again, conveyed with a sincerity that almost felt manipulative.

Isla straightened, not knowing what to do with the overwhelming emotion that seemed to be pooling up from her ankles. It grated every part of her to trust him, simply for the fact that the only reason she would was this bond she never wanted to acknowledge again.

Damnit.

Wordlessly, Isla scouted the branches, then pressed her fingers firmly along the cold, slippery bark of the one she’d determined easiest to reach. The limb groaned as she hoisted herself up but proved sturdy, barely trembling from her weight as she sat. As much as she hated the idea—and judging by Kai’s expression, he’d been second-guessing, too, as another gust of wind shot by and the threat of lightning loomed—she couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling this was also the best option. It took scaling up one more limb for her to be nearly masked in the brush, protected from the view of whatever lurked in the shadows.

Kai approached the trunk’s base, resting his hand on the branch just below her. One inch, and he’d just brush her skin. “Stay quiet and hidden. Don’t move. Hopefully, I won’t be long.”

“If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m going after you,” she told him, digging her nails into the bark beneath her. She hated this. With every piece of her, she hated this. “I’m serious. ”

Kai’s face remained unchanged. “I know you are.”

And with that, he disappeared.

Three minutes.

Isla had only counted out three minutes so far, and she was sick of it.She should’ve been out there, helping Kai with whatever the hell this was.

As her gaze lowered to track beyond the trees he’d descended behind, another steady stream of wind cut through. A choir of howls followed in its wake, comforting if the tree hadn’t bucked wildly in response. She braced a hand on the trunk and the other on the branch above her head. The storm was getting worse, the wind stronger, the rain harder. If the mysterious dwellers of the shadows didn’t get her, the weather surely could.

When the surge finally calmed, she righted herself again and wiped her palms on her coat. It didn’t do much for drying; her clothes were still drenched and heavy. Bringing her hands up to inspect them, she noted flecks of the husk dotting her skin—but that wasn’t all she saw.

Golden intangible light looped around each of her fingers, the delicate strands wrapping her wrist, traveling down the veins of her forearm to her heart, to her soul, down to the wolf wounded deep within her. She traced the same path back up to her fingertips, where it mingled with tendrils of shadow before the mirage faded completely.

A sigh fell from her lips.

How could something so lethal, something that destroyed, that she’d seen destroy, be so mystifying?It was all foolish…she was foolish. And she was also tired, scared, and angry and—

In a tree.

What am I doing?

Ten minutes, be damned. He could give her all the shit that he wanted.

Isla observed the forest, seeking out her best path. She jerked back as a smoke-like blur cut over the floor, rousing the creatures in the branches around her, their caws, squeaks, and mewls joining the storm’s symphony.

Heart in her throat, she braced herself and leaned back to glance in the direction it had gone. It was too large to be an animal that lived in these woods.

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, so close and fast that it spooked her. Spooked everything. In a horde, a mess of black-feathered birds soared down from the treetop, their wings catching her face.

Isla screamed as she lost her balance, everything that followed moving in slow motion. She hit branch after branch on the descent from her perch. Then, there was light, air fleeing her lungs in a whoosh when she hit the ground with a splash.

She groaned—or more so wheezed . 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 onto her stomach and pushed herself up. The cold mud seeped into her clothes and coated her hands, neck, and 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.

Isla’s breaths escaped in rapid clouds of white as she shot to her feet. She stumbled back to her tree, bracing herself against it and using it to cover her flank. Keeping her gaze upwards, she lowered to pick up a fallen tree limb. The sound of fast, heavy footsteps came at her back. With her heart hammering, Isla whirled, swinging the branch as hard as she could.

The Beta of Deimos stopped it with his forearm, barely even flinching at the impact.

Eyes wide, Isla dropped the branch. “ You .”

Ezekiel’s eyes traced over her, taking in her disheveled appearance. A look of distaste crossed over his face. “You look wretched.”

She was certain she did, but as always, his tone held a condescending air that grated her nerves. Isla harshly wiped the mud from her cheeks, a difficult task when every other inch of her was coated in it. “I fell out of a tree. 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.

She asked instead, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my alpha.” He crossed his arms over the slick sleeves of his overcoat. Isla was surprised that he hadn’t reprimanded her for the outburst. “I was told he’d last been seen down by the Gate with a woman. I’d hoped 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.

Isla 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,” she told him. “The last thing I want 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.”

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. Once I’m back in Io, I’m out of your hair forever.”

At her words, a laugh passed his mouth, but aside from cavalier, it also sounded bitter. Ezekiel looked off into the forest again. “Our people have been through much in these past years, months—the last especially. What they need is stability and hope. I could never imagine telling them their true queen wants no part of their lives.”

Isla’s breath caught, his words sharp as blades that hit their mark.

He met her eyes again. “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.”

It felt as if he’d stabbed her in the gut and twisted. Isla shook her head to get the sentences to stop replaying. Taunting her. Reminding her. But there was no right for her to feel agitated. He was…right about what they deserved. About what her choice meant. And this was her choice, but—

Isla suddenly felt like she’d been slammed by a mountain of sheer force. She sensed an aura like a beacon. Not a reaction through the bond but the simple reach of an alpha to any surrounding wolves. Pure power. Rage.

Kai.

Ezekiel had felt it too, she could tell.

Both took off.

Isla buzzed through the trees and thickets as quickly as she could, feelings through their bond now ebbing and flowing. They were all over the place—anger, fear, and sadness, and then back to enraged again. A new wave of panic overtook her. Even her wolf grew restless, and that nagging feeling of being watched returned. But she brushed it away and pressed forward, following the beacon and the bond until she finally found—

“Kai.” She let his name out in a relieved sigh when she saw him facing a tree with a base twice the width of the one she’d climbed up. Once again, he didn’t bother turning as she approached, her steps small and slow as she used the time to compose herself, her wolf.

She could relax. He was here. He was alive. He was—

Isla’s eyebrows shot up when she noticed the tears in his shirt, the black ink of lumerosi on the muscles of his back, arms, and shoulders, a low, simmering red. He’d nearly shifted but—stopped himself?

“Oh, Goddess.” She hadn’t realized Ezekiel had continued to follow her path, even up to Kai himself. The older man’s face was pale when she looked upon it, and she followed his gaze.

“What the hell?” she muttered, examining the tree’s bark. Freshly carved, it seemed, were symbols, markings, and—words? She didn’t understand a single bit of it. The only thing she could recognize were claw marks slashed right through them.

“What is this?” she asked and was met by silence. “What does it say?”

Silence.

Isla’s stomach turned as she moved to get a better look at Kai’s face. She held in her gasp as she took in the hard lines, the faint glow of his eyes, and once she dropped her gaze, the drops of blood leaking from his clenched fists. His chest heaved as he battled what seemed like himself, his wolf. And she could feel it—his pain. From what, she wasn’t certain. But instinct kicked in, and she stepped forward, getting as close as she could, not caring about Ezekiel watching a few feet away.

She couldn’t touch him, but she didn’t need to.

Isla reached out and hovered a hand around his, hoping to pull whatever cord or thread she needed to. Kai’s grip loosened, if only slightly, and crimson dripped from his hands, muddying the soaked earth. But his features remained hard, his lumerosi and eyes still alight.

“Kai,” she said his name gently before raising her arm, sending the same absent touch over his cheek, the cut of his jaw. “Kai, look at me.”

He did, and the power radiating from him was suffocating. So intense that it would’ve made any other wolf bow in respect, in fear.

But Isla mustered a small smile. “That was your ten minutes, asshole.”

Somehow, that had done it.

Kai’s eyes softened until she was staring into the storm she’d grown accustomed to. The one that was annoyingly captivating. But something was different, off, in a way she’d never seen. There was pain. Not physical but emotional, deep and buried. All-consuming and unrefined.

His features twitched into a frown, and Isla realized he’d had his own mask on this entire time she’d known him—a beautiful one made of iron, steel, and everything damn near unbreakable. Nothing had gotten through it. Not completely. Not like this.

But whatever was written here—that’s what did him in.

“What’s going on? What is this?” Part of her didn’t want to know, but she kept her hand steady, close to his cheek, fingertips so close to running through his hair that curled at the nape of his neck.

“Alpha.”

Isla’s eyes darted to Ezekiel whose tone was heavy with warning. He knew what this was and didn’t want her to.

Holding back a glare, she looked back at Kai. His eyes had never left her face, even as she’d looked away. As if he’d needed her as an anchor, needed whatever lay between them to keep himself together.

“Kai.” The name was so faint, it nearly got lost in a crash of thunder. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Kai swallowed before drawing his eyes back to the etchings in the bark. His voice was gravelly. “Whoever murdered my brother and father—they’re here.”