Dexmon had not been able to stop thinking about her.
His mind kept going back to the clearing. To the blood on his hands and the weight of her in his arms.
He shook his head. No. He had obligations. She didn't fit in that.
That's what he kept telling himself. About seventeen times in the last hour.
Then panic twisted in his chest without warning. He stopped, mid-step due to the sheer intensity of it.
"What the hell..."
His wolf howled in his mind, knowing exactly who the panic belonged to.
She woke up and was afraid. In hindsight, locking her in a room might have been a tactical error.
Then something else happened that made him pause. Her panic tightened into resolve.
Adorable. Unexpected. Potentially problematic.
He entered the healing wing a minute later, and caught her scent immediately.
Fuck.
It was stronger than he remembered. His wolf practically rolled over like a dog getting belly rubs. Traitor.
When he reached the guarded chamber, the sentry snapped to attention and bowed. Dexmon didn't acknowledge him and pushed the door open.
The bed was empty.
For one stupid, suspended moment, his mind supplied the wrong answer.
Safe. She's awake and healed.
Then the truth slammed in.
She is no one
The words came back to him with brutal clarity, spoken in his own voice.
This was on him. He closed his eyes and mindlinked immediately.
Dexmon:The girl. Where is she?
Alaric:In the chambers assigned to her. I checked on her an hour ago. Her silver poisoning is more severe than I thought. She shouldn't be conscious for days.
Dexmon:I am standing in those chambers. She is not here.
Footsteps thundered from the hall. Alaric burst through the door, slightly breathless. He took in the empty bed and blood-spotted sheets.
"Come with me," Dexmon said flatly, already moving out of the room.
It wasn't a request.
Dexmon followed her scent through the corridors, stopping at a tapestry. He yanked it aside and pulled the hidden lever. A narrow door stood ajar.
"Was she an omega servant?" Alaric asked, frowning as they stepped inside. "Even my most senior healers don't know about these tunnels."
Dexmon's brows furrowed, not answering.
These tunnels were royal evacuation routes, known only to the bloodline. Either she'd been briefed, unlikely for an omega, or she'd navigated them on instinct.
Neither option made sense.
He followed her scent deeper, through the labyrinth. Most tunnels were collapsed passages and dead ends.
Yet her trail cut through them cleanly. She took the most direct path.
They emerged at last into open air. Her scent was still there, mixed with blood.
"Be ready to open a portal on my signal," he called behind him, shifting to wolf mid step.
The hunt had begun.
✦✦✦
Serena slipped, crashing on her stomach. A whimper tore from her throat before she could stop it.
For a moment, she stayed there, forehead pressed to the cold ground. The urge to rest was overwhelming.
Just for a moment. Just to close her eyes.
No.
She forced herself upright, and her legs moved. One boot in front of the other.
A leaf cracked nearby and she stiffened. Her eyes snapped toward the sound, breath hitching.
Something was moving towards her.
She caught the scent and recognition hit.
Had he followed her?
"You're the wolf from earlier," she said, voice level. "Thank you for helping me."
There was no response.
She let out a short, humorless laugh and shook her head. "Right then. Good talk. I'm losing my mind."
A voice came from the darkness, steady and unhurried.
"You're not losing your mind. I was there earlier," he answered. "You were wounded, cornered, and acting like the most dangerous thing in the clearing."
"From where I stood," he added, amused, "you looked like a wet kitten declaring war."
Serena sniffed the air, catching something familiar. She sorted through the scents until Elara's emerged. Her pace quickened.
"You thanked me," he continued. "Unnecessary. Polite, though."
Serena didn't respond. A conversation with a stranger in the trees was the last thing she had time for.
"You know, most people don't keep running after the stabbing part. Bold choice." He moved closer but still didn't show himself. "I was curious how far you'd make it. Turns out, farther than expected."
"Your concern is noted," she answered. "Unnecessary. Polite, though."
She heard him laugh behind her.
"Here's the problem," Dexmon said. "You're not actually going anywhere."
"You can try," he added lightly. "By all means. Prove me wrong."
Serena laughed under her breath. "That's a lot of confidence for someone hiding in the dark."
"When you fall," Dexmon said calmly, "I'm stepping in. That's not a negotiation."
He watched her lock onto a fading scent and understood what she had been running toward.
The echo of her pain rode his nerves like a warning. He had already let this go on longer than he should have.
Just as he was about to say something else, Serena came up on a stream. Ice crusted the edges.
Surely she wouldn't...
Without pause, she waded across until she had to swim.
Dexmon exhaled. Below freezing and she just walked in. Unbelievable.
She hauled herself up on the opposite bank, legs shaking. A cough tore from her chest. Blood followed.
That was enough.
Behind her, a black wolf cleared the stream in a single leap. He shifted mid-air, boots hitting the ground as he closed the distance.
"Stop."
Her head turned just enough to register a blurred shape beside her.
Time was running out. The longer she waited, the colder Elara's trail became.
"That scent you are following." His voice cut through her thoughts. "Are you looking for someone?"
Uncertainty flickered across her face.
"I saved your life," he said flatly. "If I wanted you dead, you would already be."
"I saved yours. So we are even," she answered, turning away from him.
He watched her sway. "I am going to assume that scent belongs to someone you care about and that you are trying to reach them."
She drew a steadying breath and swallowed. "Yes. She is like a sister to me. I told her to run when we were attacked."
"I will get her," he said, tone firm. "I give you my word."
She tried to take another step, but her knees buckled. Dexmon caught her easily, scooping her up into his arms.
"Don't take me back," she whispered. "Not there."
His heart cracked at her words, harder than it should have.
Her fear washed into him through their matebond. It was so intense it gave him pause. Was she afraid of Drakenfell? Or was she afraid of somewhere else?
No. Not on his watch. He didn't like it either way.
Before he could respond, her body went slack, eyes closing.
Dexmon: Alaric. I need a portal opened now.
Alaric:Location?
Dexmon glanced once at the surrounding trees, already committing the terrain to memory.
Dexmon:Northern forest, west of the river bend. She has collapsed. Blood loss and hypothermia.
Alaric:On my way.
Dexmon adjusted his grip, and her head settled into the crook of his neck.
Mistake number one.
When her forehead touched his skin, lightning cracked through every nerve.
"Shit," he muttered. That combined with her scent was maddening.
His wolf howled in victory. Of course he did.
A portal tore open moments later and Alaric moved straight to Serena.
"She's either stupid, stubborn, or has a death wish," he muttered, hands glowing gold. "My money's on all three."
"She was separated from her friend," Dexmon answered. "Take her back. I told her I'd find her friend."
He transferred Serena into Alaric's arms and watched Alaric carry her until the portal snapped shut.
His wolf snarled, unhappy that she was being touched and carried away by another man.
At least, that's what he told himself. It was his wolf reacting. Not him.
Irrational? Absolutely.
Dexmon launched into a run, black fur replacing skin, following the trail.
He had given his word.
And he intended to keep it.
✦✦✦
Across the castle, a light flickered on in the east tower.
Agnes Viremont did not sleep well. She slept even worse when Dexmon was not where he was supposed to be.