Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

ELIA

Her neck ached from being craned up in the curve of the bag, and her stomach was sick from the swinging motion. She'd stopped trying to convince Jak to let her go, and started focusing on breathing and not throwing up on herself, when she heard the roar and her heart leapt.

Jak's pace picked up and the swinging got worse, but Elia smiled.

"He knows," she said. "And he's coming for you."

"He's too late," Jak said ominously.

Elia swallowed.

*****

An hour later, finally, the swinging stopped, and she was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. She sighed with relief to be laying flat, but most of her body ached. She began to push the rough burlap back, off her face and when the cool, morning air hit her skin she sucked in a deep breath. At the same time she looked up to find five different men standing over her. One of them Jak, the others all wolves.

She bared her teeth.

"Well done," one of the wolves growled.

"She's weak as a kitten," Jak sneered. "It was like taking a child."

Elia's anger bubbled, but so did her fear as the men all leaned in, and one smiled a cold, malicious smile. "Welcome to the New World, Elia," he said, his teeth flashing in the early morning light.

She kept her eyes locked on him, but didn't answer, her heart pumping so hard she knew her voice would shake and give her away.

The men straightened and looked at each other.

"What now?" Jak asked.

"Now we tie her, and we wait."

*****

RETH

They crouched in a thicket of trees close enough to the encampment to hear the voices and bustle, but downwind, so they wouldn't be noticed. Behryn had sent two trackers to find the Queen's location in the encampment itself, while the rest of them waited.

Reth snarled silently. He had twenty men—more than Behryn had thought they should risk—but it wasn't going to be enough. This encampment was far larger than they'd anticipated. Not an encampment so much as a town.

How had they missed this? How had the scouts not found it sooner?

"We need to move. The longer they have her, the greater the risk," Reth's voice was rough. He was weary. He hadn't slept. He'd run for hours. But his heart thumped and he was struggling to sit still.

Elia was in there. In wolf hands. Because of a traitor. An equine traitor!

"You are not moving anywhere," Behryn breathed.

"If you believe I would sit here while others seek out my mate, you—"

"Behryn, Sir, we have located her!" One of the trackers materialized out of nowhere. Behryn just nodded, but Reth startled. These men were remarkable, able to move silently and quickly without raising any of his senses.

But did that mean the wolves had equally skilled males and females among their ranks?

"Where?" Behryn asked.

The tracker pointed up the hillside. "There's a crevasse in the mountain. Trees grow from the rockfaces alongside, so it is difficult to see the floor. It's at the back so the full encampment is spread out before it. But there is a concentration of traffic there, and we caught her scent. Jak's as well.

"They have her tied and surrounded. I could identify ten different scents, but there are a lot of Anima. More could be very near, or would come."

"Did you recognize any of the scents?"

"Other than Jak, none that I would know their names, but…"

"But what?"

"The entire place reeks of Lerrin and Lucine. They have been everywhere within it."

Reth ground his teeth. How many betrayers were among their people? How many soldiers, guards, or advisors secretly supported the wolves?

"We need a diversion," Behryn said. "Something to draw enough of them away that we can have the birds drop in and bring her out."

"Sire, I could go in," Charyn said nervously, running a hand through his hair. "I could take a message, or raise an alarm. Pretend to be… pretend I am on their side…" The male swallowed, his fear plain to all. Reth shook his head.

"I thank you for your willingness, Charyn, but our scents are on you now. They will suspect you immediately."

"Everyone will be on the highest alert," Behryn breathed. Then he turned to the guards, all crouched in rows around him. They were mainly equine, but he had three birds, and several lions. Reth watched his friend examine the men, considering and discarding plans.

"I should be the diversion. I'm the only one who will hold their attention," Reth growled.

"Absolutely not!" Behryn hissed. "We cannot risk losing both of you!"

Reth turned to him. "They will be on high alert, just as you said. A simple disruption will not draw any of their strength out of the Crevasse, nor will it hold their attention long. They'll quickly figure out what we're up to. If they think I have come alone, seeking her, seeking to open lines of communication… they won't believe you'd ever let me do that, Behryn. You know that."

"Because I won't! Because it is simple foolishness!"

"Surprise is our greatest ally."

"Reth, you cannot be serious!"

"You tell me another thing we are equipped to do that will draw most of the attention and hold it?"

"I do not know, but this is not the answer!"

Reth ground his teeth. "If I approach from the other end, calling for the leaders to meet with me, everyone will want to watch. Some will be sent back to tell them, but most will stay to guard me or to be there for the slaughter.

"You drop the birds in to either pull her out, or to take out the guards closest to her, so the others can climb down. They've made a mistake putting her in a defensible position. If we can take it, we can defend it from them."

"And meanwhile, I suppose, you think they will simply let you walk away?" Behryn ground out. 

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