Chapter 228

The military servants with their guns come closer to us. Already, I can see Caleb sizing them up, along with everyone in the room.

Caleb is the strongest werewolf in the pack. Maybe he can take them all. Maybe he can even win, while protecting me in the process.

But the carnage would be immense.

My eyes are drawn to the children in the room. Still present, they continue to chase each other on the other side of the room, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding on this side. Their parents must be in the room, too. Their families. Everyone they’ve ever known.

Caleb would likely spare the children, but he would be unable to save them from the sight of the carnage.

“What is your plan, Caleb?” Gladys continues to mock. “Fight your way out? Do you not want to play my game? Do you doubt your ability to protect Harper?”

I place my hand on Caleb’s chest in an attempt to redirect some of his attention and cool some of his fury.

The children’s parents might be advocating for violence in this moment, but the children themselves are innocent.

Caleb looks down at me and then follows the length of my stare to the kids. He chuffs slightly, dismissive, as he looks back to me.

Not in front of the kids, I try to convey to him with my eyes.

In the past, he would have given no consideration to my request, seeing me more as a nuisance rather than someone whose opinion and thoughts were worth consideration.

Now, however, my worries do give him pause.

“Your soft heart makes things more difficult,” he says to me, his rough voice low, for my ears only.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, meaning it. If I was a different woman, a harder woman, maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess at all.

But I am who I am, and I know he cares for me because of the way I am. I cannot regret that.

Caleb waits, and in his waiting, he is signaling Gladys that he will continue to entertain this idea of hers without ripping anyone’s head off – for now.

Gladys looks at the pair of us with some amusement in her eyes. Though, she doesn’t wait long before she starts to speak once more.

“Why don’t we move outside now, where everyone will be more comfortable?”

Everyone waits for Caleb and I to move first.

With a short, curt sigh, Caleb, his arm around my waist, leads me toward the doors that open up to the gardens outside.

Earlier, we walked among these beautiful flowers, admiring their beauty. Now, in the darkness, their beauty is shrouded in shadow. Better, I suppose, for the memory of their bright and beautiful colors to not be tarnished by the fear quaking through me now.

Caleb and I continue walking until we are near the back of the gardens, nearer the tree line of the forest. There, we stop and turn to face the others, who have all followed us outside, Gladys at their head. Fortunately, the children and their nanny seemed to have stayed inside.

The relief didn’t last long.

Slowly, I watch in muted horror as all of the werewolves, with the exception of Gladys and Caleb start to shift into their wolf forms. Some are bigger than others. Some have more terrifying features, long teeth and sharp curling claws digging into the grass and dirt. All of their eyes sheen under the moonlight, various shades of red.

“Harper,” Gladys says, when the shifting is completed. Her words are accentuated by the hundred quiet growls behind her. “You are the hunted.”

A shiver runs through me.

“If you somehow manage to survive until the morning, I will let you live,” she says.

“That’s not enough,” I shout. I’m frightened but I’m also furious. “I want my handmaiden returned to me as well.”

“You think you have any power here?” Gladys asks, dismissive.

“As you know my father and his abilities, then you should know how fast I can move,” Caleb says. “Do you truly think I can’t kill you before anyone else has any time to react?”

Gladys straightens slightly in defiance, but there is a flash of fear in her eyes. “Fine. I will return your handmaiden if you survive.” Under her breath, she huffs, “Unlikely.” Louder, she says, “For the sake of competition, I am gifting you a twenty minute head start.” She checks her watch. “I encourage you not to squander it.” She raises her hand. “Starting… now.”

In a flash, Caleb grabs me, lifts me into his arms in a bridal carry and dashed into the woods.

Anger threatens to consume Caleb. All he truly wants to do is rip out the throat of every wolf would dares chase him and Harper. Caleb is Alpha King, and Harper is his favored consort. Neither should be made to play mice in this cat and mouse game.

If it wasn’t for Harper’s doe eyes, begging him for the sake of those children, Caleb would have slaughtered everyone in the room a long time ago, solider servants with guns or no. His rage would have been set off, and there would have been no holding him back.

Yet Harper had asked him to restrain himself, and then she even set new terms for the game. To save Bethany, they had to actually abide by the rules of the hunt.

Harper likely doesn’t know the rules, but Caleb has attended enough of these types of events to know the prey is confined to a certain distance. With dear and other animals, this had been enforced with fences and wire. For Caleb and Harper, he imagined there are more soldier servants with guns ready to mow them down if spotted.

Caleb is furious, not just at these wolves, or at Gladys, or even at the rebels. He’s furious at Harper too, for putting him in this position. For holding him back. For going along with this game.

When they are a fair distance away, Caleb lowers her down and takes in their surroundings, scenting the air. There’s danger in every direction.

“Caleb…”

“Don’t talk to me,” he snaps.

His harshness seems to surprise her and she’s taken aback for a moment, before she starts to recover. “You are angry with me.”

He doesn’t dignify such an obvious remark with an answer.

“Why are you angry with me?” she asks.

He continues to ignore her, or at least, tries to. But when she touches his arm, he turns on her in a flash. Grabbing her by the upper arms, he roughly pushes her to the trunk of a thick tree.

“Caleb?” she asks, but he cuts off any more talking with a biting kiss.

As predicted, she succumbs to him immediately, melting against him. Her lips are pliant under his. Her fingers loosely cling onto his shirt.

He devours her mouth with his own, claiming her with his tongue while wishing he could claim her in other ways too. There’s no time for that now, unfortunately.

When he pulls back, she is breathless, her eyes glassy as she looks up at him from under her eyelashes.

Anger still pulses through him, but he can see it a bit clearer now, enough to more fully understand where it is coming from.

It’s fear driving his anger.

He cannot lose her. Not here. Not now. Not ever.