Page 39 of A Crown of Fates

I push my wolf forward as I free-fall, letting his power rip through me. The familiar sensation of bones breaking and reforming, the primal energy of the shift grounds me—if only for a moment. By the time I hit the grass, my wolf has taken over, and we bolt. His paws tear into the earth, propelling us forward, faster, harder, as if we might be able to outrun the pain, the guilt, the truth.

The forest rushes by in a blur of green and brown, but none of it distracts me. All that matters is the speed, the exertion. I need this. I need to feel the burn of my muscles, the sting of the wind against my fur. My wolf howls, and the sound echoes through the trees, raw and filled with the sorrow and anger we share.

I thought I was avenging my pack. I thought I was honoring them, protecting my mother. But now I wonder…did those men even know what they’d done? Did Orix play them just as he played me? Were they victims, too?

The questions make my chest ache, and my wolf pushes harder, but we can’t escape the fear that nips at us: what if I’m no better than Orix?

“You’re done controlling me!”I seethe within my mind, having no clue if Orix can hear me, but I hope he knows I’m no longer afraid. I’m done being played for a fool.

My wolf’s claws dig harder into the dirt as we cross the forest, hunting for the unknown. His canines are out, ready for blood, but our enemy never appears as we run under the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Minutes pass, or maybe it’s hours, before I feel calm enough to face Estee and her family. I still don’t feel worthy, but I have to end this nightmare, to have my life back once and for all.

I’ve hidden for too long, and it ends tonight.

We circle back toward the castle, just as eager to return as we were to leave. Outside the back entrance closest to my office, my wolf relinquishes control, and I shift back to my human form, fully dressed. I walk into the castle with my head held high and push down the shame that attempts to choke me. I can’t change the past, but I can do my best to fix the future.

My chest still rises and falls in ragged breaths, but not from rage, from determination. I’ve lived too long in Orix’s shadow, let his control dictate my every move. No more cowering. No more running. He’s taken nearly everything from me—my pack, my freedom—and now he’s after Estee, too.

I won’t let him have her. I won’t let him hurt her the way he’s hurt me.

I stride up the stairs two at a time, each step heavier, more purposeful. A war drum beats in my chest, my wolf pulsing with the need to protect and destroy. To reclaim all that’s mine.

As I round the corner on the third floor, my mind racing with strategy and thoughts of vengeance, a familiar scent hits me like a shock to my system. Pomegranates and orange blossoms.

Estee.

My heart lurches in my chest, and I quicken my pace, the hallway narrowing in my vision as I focus only on her. She’s coming toward me, her eyes wide with worry and something else—something that matches the fire burning inside me.

I don’t stop moving. Neither does she. We collide halfway down the hallway, and before I can speak, before I can pluck the words from the storm within, her arms are around me and her lips are on mine.

The kiss isn’t gentle or patient. It’s fierce, desperate, full of promises we’ve both been too afraid to say out loud.

My hands tangle in her hair, pulling her closer. She responds with equal fervor, her nails digging into my back, her bodypressed against mine as if she’s trying to anchor me to this moment—to her.

“Estee…” I murmur against her lips, my voice broken with everything I want to say.

She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes blazing with passion. “You’re not alone in this, Theo. I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever.”

Her words crack something open in me. The vulnerability, the raw truth of them, makes me feel like I could break. But instead, her presence and support steels my resolve. I cup her face, my thumb brushing over her cheek, and for a moment, all the anger, all the chaos, quiets. “Thank you,” I say, my words rough but certain. “I won’t fail you. Orix won’t get the chance to hurt you. I’ll die before I let him take anything more from us.”

Her eyes soften, her lips parting as she searches my face. “We’re going to fight him, Theo. We’ll find a way to take him down, but,” there’s a pain in her eyes as she finishes, “you can’t be involved.”

I stumble back as if she’s struck me. “I know I’ve messed up, but you can trust me. I’m not going to fall victim to him again. I can do this.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that we don’t trust you, but Orix is in your head. He already knows too much. Until your thoughts are safe, it’s better if we do this without telling you everything.”

Fury rises within me that this is just another thing Orix has taken from me, but this time my emotions feel controlled, lethal. He’s going to pay for this. Even if I don’t know the details, at least I know I can trust the people taking charge.

“Okay,” I say quietly. “You, Isla, and Asher handle this. I’ll focus on the kingdom and be here whenever you need me. Jerome is also available to you. He’s the only person I’ve been able to truly count on since becoming king.”

She smiles at me, and my chest hollows out. She’s too perfect, too beautiful, too good for me and yet, she’s all mine.

“Thanks for understanding,” she replies. “I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon with my sister and Asher then we can all have dinner together, if that’s okay with you.”

I take her hands. “If you’re involved, it’s always okay with me. That’s all I want or need. You and me. Together.”

I press my forehead to hers, the power of the moment settling between us as she closes her eyes and repeats, “Together.”