Chapter 231

I stand very still, not even breathing, as that unknown wolf comes closer, sniffing now around the tree. He’s off to the side from where I am, but if he continues circling, he will find me here. I have no defense, and in the hollow, I’m basically trapped.

For a moment, I think maybe I should make a run for it, but what chance would I have against a wolf? I can’t run as fast as one, and I’d easily be overpowered.

No, my only hope of surviving this is to stand very still and to pray.

The wolf starts to scent the tree closer to me and then closer still. He’s so close now that he is starting to rustle the brush and branches Caleb used to cover my hiding space.

But then, another wolf emergence from the woods. He’s similar to the first, though his coat is slightly fuller than the first and he appears slightly heavier. The first wolf takes notice and chuffs at the second.

The second one shakes his head. When the first has no reaction to that, the second one shifts back to their human form.

I recognize him as Clint, I man who had seemed loyal to Caleb at the event. I wonder if that makes the other wolf his brother, Parker.

“Let’s just go home, Parker,” Clint says. “Please. Everything about this Hunt is all wrong.”

Likely to speak with his brother, Parker changes back into human form as well. “Now is not the time to be a coward, Clint. You always lose your nerve for things like this.”

“Because it’s not right. Be angry at the King if you want, but it’s wrong to kill an innocent woman.”

“She has chosen her side,” Parker argues. “She picked the tyrant, and now she should share in his same fate.”

“If we kill an innocent, are we really any better? Isn’t the whole point of the rebellion to make life better for everyone?”

Parker turns on his brother, and storms closer to him. “I’m starting to think, brother, that your ties to the rebellion aren’t as strong as they should be. You can’t have things both ways. You can’t be loyal to the king while pretending to support the rebellion.”

“Just because I want no part in killing an innocent woman, I’m not a good rebel? Is that what you are saying?” Clint asks.

“You aren’t doing nearly enough for the rebellion,” Parker accuses. “You never have, and this is the final nail in the coffin. Your coffin.”

“What are you saying?”

“You’ve disgraced this family for the last time,” Parker says. “If you won’t do what’s necessary for the rebellion, then I will. By removing you.”

In a flash, Parker shifts and lunges for his brother. A half-second later, Clint shifts as well and blocks Parker’s attack.

For a moment, they circle each other, snarling. Each time one or the other takes a step closer, the other snaps their jaws in warning. The jumps and warnings can’t last forever though, or they will be at an impasse.

Sooner or later, someone will need to make a move, or they will both have to agree to back off.

I hope for the latter. Even in my position, I don’t want to see two brothers tear each other apart.

I’m not ungrateful for the argument though, or the standoff. The more time they spend like this, the more of a chance there is for Caleb to return and save me.

If Parker wins this fight, I’m dead.

If Clint wins, I have a chance, but not a great one. Other wolves will be drawn to the sounds of a fight. Clint might be morally against the Hunt, but his outrage will not be enough to save me from a mob of angry, bloodthirsty wolves.

Suddenly, Parker pounces, making his move. Clint jumps to meet him.

Fur flies, growls and snarls permeate the air as teeth and paw dig into one another. When they separate again, they are both a little bloody and tattered-looking. They circle once more, Parker with a limp this time.

Clint strikes in a flash of teeth and fur. Parker, wounded, does not react as quickly as he needs to stop the attack. Clint shoves down his brother and tears away a part of his flesh with his teeth. Parker, whimpering, stays down.

I don’t mean to make a noise, but the viciousness of the scene draws a tiny gasp from me.

It’s enough to draw Clint’s attention right toward me. He stares me straight in the eye, likely seeing me now, even with the brush blocking the way. He looks down at his brother and then shifts to his human form. There’s blood around his mouth and in his teeth.

“Long live the king,” he says, and then tells me, “Run.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I shove myself out of the hollow and then take off in a wild sprint into the forest. I don’t know where I’m going, but I keep going just the same.

If only I knew were Caleb is!

All around me, the wolves howl, seemingly in every direction. My heart thundering in my chest, I just keep running.

Bethany sits very still while Gladys and Samuel continue to glare at each other.

“By making those move against Harper, you are making one against me,” Samuel says. “You can see that, clearly. But you do not care.”

“I supported you when you were whole, Samuel,” Gladys replies. “But now there is madness driving you. Your desire for this woman has become your main concern, while the good of the kingdom is secondary.”

“So you admit to working against me?” Samuel growls.

Gladys lifts her chin. “You are a shell of the man I thought you were. All of us saw promise in you as the man to help usher in a new age for this kingdom. Instead, you spend most of your time chasing and plotting for a woman who does not want you.”

“She wants me,” Samuel says fiercely. He’s proving Gladys’s point, by becoming most angry at that and not the other accusations Gladys has thrown.

“You are a disgrace,” Gladys says. For the first time, she starts to show an emotion other than unbridled confidence – disgust. “My husband should have seen that. He should be the true leader of the rebellion.”

“Your husband is the main reason the rebellion exists! He was more of a tyrant than even Caleb is,” Samuel says.

“He did what was necessary. What you seem to be unable to do,” Gladys says.

“He ruled with fear,” Samuel tells her.

“And you are a spineless coward,” Gladys replies.

In a fit of rage, Samuel draws back his hand, and strikes Gladys with an open palm across the face. The force of it knocks Gladys off-balance and she topples to the ground. She lands with a thud and an umph.

One of the soldiers starts to step forward, presumably to help her, but he stops short when Samuel glares at him.

Gladys shifts on the floor. Still griping her cane, she glares up at Samuel. “Tell me. Does striking an old, crippled woman help you feel like more of a man?”

Fire flashes in Samuel’s eyes. For a moment, Bethany thinks he might kick her while he’s on the ground.

This time one of the soldiers does step forward, despite Samuel’s glare. He does not step between the pair but that one forward movement sends a strong signal.

Gladys isn’t alone in thinking Samuel has gotten weak.