Chapter 92
I want to reach out and comfort him, to let him know that everything will be alright, but I also need to protect him from the danger I pose. My heart aches with the need to reassure him, yet my mind screams for him to leave before it’s too late.
“Get out!” It comes out harsher than I intend, but he needs to understand the danger. “You can’t be here, Max. It’s not safe.”
I fumble in my pocket for my phone, the device feeling alien and clumsy in my hands. I need Soren; he needs to come get his son. He needs to get Max out safely before I shift. But the screen stays blank, with no reassuring ring or vibration. I hit redial again, desperation clawing at my throat–still nothing-
no answer.
“Please, Max. You have to go. Now.”
His bottom lip juts out in the stubborn way I have come to expect. “No,” he says quietly, with more conviction than a boy his age should possess. “You’re scared. I can’t… I can’t leave you here alone.”
His words sting like a blow to the gut, overwhelmed by his innocence. How can I make him understand? He’s just a kid; he shouldn’t see me like this, much less be near me. I force a smile.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry, everything will be alright.” I turn away, trying to erase any signs of my distress, not wanting him to panic. “I just need to figure out how to get you home.”
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I move toward the cellar ceiling dome, peering out at the dying light. I mentally try to work out the distance and time I have left. If I stick to the shadows, I should be fine. The moon’s touch will force the initial shift. I shudder at the thought of trying to deny the moon. I glance at Max. He can’t stay here; I pick up his scent, which I will now that he has been here; I know I will either hurt myself or him trying to escape those chains.
“Bree?” Max murmurs, and I meet his gaze. His face is a mix of confusion and hurt, but there’s no time to explain, no moment to spare. Every second he remains is a second closer to disaster, to a slip of control I can’t afford.
Without another word, I grab Max’s hand and pull him out of the cellar. There’s an urgency in my step that brooks no argument, and he stumbles after me, still protesting.
“Come on, we need to move fast. I need to get you home!”
The forest looms just beyond my backyard, a dark wall of trees that will hopefully offer enough protection from the moon, but it is the quickest way back to the castle. Already, I can feel the itching beneath my skin, the impending betrayal of my own body as it prepares for the inevitable. The moon, that cursed silver disc in the sky, peeks through the branches, almost mocking me as it rises higher and howls break out. The wolves‘ howls aren’t just a threat; they’re a reminder of how many rogue wolves reside in town that will also be shifting tonight. Each eerie call pierces my resolve, urging me to move faster, to stay ahead of the transformation that threatens to consume me. We need to stay out of their path; they pick up my scent or Max’s, and this can end badly.
Max stumbles over a root, and I have to pull him upright, his
Chapter 92
248 Vouchers
eyes wide and fearful. The silver light of the moon spills over his face, highlighting the freckles scattered across his cheeks. and the terror lacing his eyes. He opens his mouth to ask a question, but I shush him, my senses sharpening with each passing second.
The tree branches sway in the night breeze, their shadows dancing ominously on the leaf–strewn path. The howling wind carries whispers of something monstrous lurking within it, and every rustle intensifies the thrumming in my veins. Ahead in the distance, I can see the imposing silhouette of the castle looming against the murky night sky, an eerie sight amidst the darkness and the only light besides the moon taunting me through the leaves of the trees.
Within seconds, we’re off again, rushing through the underbrush, dodging low–hanging branches and leaping over gnarled roots. As desperation fuels my frantic pace, I feel my control slip inch by inch. An unforgiving chill radiates from my fingers up my arm as we continue our reckless sprint toward safety, accompanied by a dull roar echoing in my ears.
“Almost there,” I whisper more to myself than Max, trying to convince my muscles to keep moving, to obey just a little longer. But as darkness settles around us, pain wraps its cruel fingers around my stomach, squeezing until I’m forced to double over.
