Chapter 97
“Where’s Bree?” The question tumbles from my lips. My gaze flits across the tangled undergrowth, the silvery moonlight casting long, slithering shadows on the forest my men are coming out of, they create a perimeter immediately. I strain my ears for a sign, a whimper or rustle that would tell me where Bree is I know she wouldn’t have let him walk home on his own or did he not make it to her place at all? Peering around, there’s nothing and no one else except a dead body discarded on the ground of a man.
Max’s sobbing slows as he clings to me, his small fingers digging into my arms. His eyes still glazed with terror. I pull him closer to shield him with my body, even as I scan for any hint of where Bree went.
The thought of my guards having to wrestle her to safety sends a shiver down my spine. Bree is like a fawn, skittish and delicate; though she wouldn’t be in wolf form, however, the thought of their rough hands on her makes my stomach turn. She wouldn’t understand, would only feel the threat, and would fight against it with the wild panic of a cornered animal.
“Stay close, Max,” I murmur, my voice a low command meant to soothe. He nods against my chest, his breaths coming in jagged hitches. With one arm securely around him, I raise my other hand to signal the men and am about to send them off for her while I take Max home only Max lashes out once again, wailing and screaming.
“No… Not without Bree!” he screams.
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“Where is she, Max?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady despite the dread that tightens around my own heart like a vice and he stops thrashing suddenly peering at the river.
“Down there,” he gasps between sobs, pointing to the relentless plunge of water. “She jumped… You have to get her, she jumped…”
The words hit me as I turn to look at the waterfall, I stagger a step back in shock.
“What?” I worry.
“She told me to run, I was scared but then… she started to shift.” Bree, the rogue who’d found her way into our lives, now potentially sacrificed herself to the merciless raging waters
for my son.
“Stay with the guards, Max,” I instruct, though my voice sounds distant to my own ears, drowned out by the roar of the river and the roar of my blood.
Damian’s hand shoots out, snatching Max by the back of his pajama top. The boy is wild, hysteria and fear pumping through his small frame as he tries to lunge toward the waterfall’s edge again.
“Soren!” Damian growls, his voice low but fierce, “this is why a rogue should never be near your son. They are dangerous-”
“Let me go!” Max screams, thrashing in Damian’s grip like a caught animal. His face is streaked with tears and dirt, his eyes wide pools reflecting the moonlight. “Bree! Bree!”
“Max, calm yourself,” I say, but it’s no use. His little heart is pounding against my palm as I try to soothe him, to hold him
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still. Damian is still yelling at me for my carelessness but I am staring into the river looking for any sign of her. Not wanting to believe she plunged from this height, she isn’t as durable as Lycans.
“Damian, enough,” I command as I turn to glare at him, but my words falter when I follow Max’s gaze. The waterfall churns below us relentlessly, but there’s no sign of Bree.
“She jumped!” Max’s cry slices through the tumult of rushing water and the heavy night air. “She knew… she was gonna turn… she didn’t wanna hurt me!”
“Jumped?” Damian echoes, skepticism lacing his tone, but even he can’t hide a flicker of concern as he peers into the depths.
“Please,” Max begs, the word broken, “she hasn’t come up. You have to save her!”
But as I look into the water, I’m met with nothing but the dark water, swallowing all hope with it.
“Take him back to the castle,” I command, my gaze still locked on the waterfall’s furious cascade. The guards exchange glances, their unease palpable even in the dim light filtering through the trees.
“Your Majesty, we should all search-” begins Damian, but I cut him off with a sharp look.
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