Between Three Desires

Chapter three

Chapter three

Chapter three

Esmeralda

"They're leaving!"

The demons began to flee, stumbling over one another as they escaped the courtyard.

I stood frozen, watching them go. These were the same creatures that had torn through our defences without mercy. One had grabbed me so easily that I'd thought I was going to die. Yet now, they were running from me.

Why?

Light poured from my skin, illuminating the courtyard. I stared at my trembling hands, turning them over as though they belonged to someone else.

"What is happening to me?" I whispered.

Nobody answered.

I looked up, desperate to find someone who could explain. Instead, I found fear. People who had spent years mocking me for being wolfless were backing away as though I were something dangerous.

I took a step towards them.

They retreated.

My throat tightened. Kael had just rejected me in front of everyone we knew. Now, the same people who had watched me grow up couldn't bear to stand near me.

What had I done?

"She's a white wolf, impossible!" someone whispered.

The words spread through the courtyard.

No. They had to be mistaken. I'd never had a wolf. I'd spent my entire life enduring their insults, wondering what was wrong with me.

How could I be something I'd never been?

The light began to fade, but the fear in their eyes remained. I wanted someone to tell me I was still Esmeralda, that none of this changed who I was.

But nobody came forward.

Then a whisper slipped into my thoughts.

"Run."

I turned, searching for whoever had spoken.

"Run, Esmeralda."

I didn't know who the voice belonged to. I only knew I couldn't stay here, surrounded by people who suddenly looked at me like a monster.

“Esmeralda!” I could hear Kael calling after me, but I couldn't stop.

I couldn't face him. Not after what he'd done. Not after standing before an entire pack and tearing apart every promise we ever made to each other.

My heart still ached with the pain of his rejection, but something else was happening to me.

The power that had burst from my body in the courtyard was overwhelming, coursing through my veins like a force I couldn't control.

I needed to get away.

Away from the palace. Away from the people who had watched me fall apart. Away from Kael.

So I ran.

I didn't even know where I was going or how I was moving so fast. The trees blurred around me as I cut through the forest, ducking beneath low branches and stumbling over exposed roots.

The images kept flashing through my mind, one after another, like a disc that refused to stop spinning.

Kael's face. His voice as he told me he couldn't accept our mate bond.

The creature's enormous hand closing around my body. The blinding light exploding from my skin.

And the voices. ‘White wolf’, they called.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment but it didn't help. The memories were still there, eac one colliding with the next until I could barely tell what was real.

I had spent my entire life being ridiculed for not having a wolf. I endured the insults, the whispers and the pitying look. Even when Kael stood beside me, I was always reminded of what I was.

Yet, tonight those same people looked at me as though I were something terrifying.

Something they didn't understand.

How could I be a white wolf when I have never had a wolf?

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

I stumbled.

My legs suddenly gave way beneath me and I crashed to the ground. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and before I could brace myself, my head struck something hard.

A rock.

Pain exploded across my skull.

“Ah!" The sound escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

For a moment, I wanted to lie there. To close my eyes and let the darkness swallow everything— the pain, the memories, the questions I couldn't answer.

But I couldn't stay.

I didn't know whether those creatures came back to attack the palace. I didn't know if Kael was safe or if the people I grew up with had survived.

And I didn't know what would happen if anyone found me.

I forced myself onto my hands and knees.

My hands throbbed as I struggled to stand. My vision blurred and I had to grab a nearby tree to keep myself upright.

I took one steady step, then I heard it.

Hoofbeats.

Through the trees, I saw a horse approaching along the narrow path. Its dark coat gleamed beneath the faint light flickering through the branches and its rider sat in the saddle, dressed entirely in black.

For a fleeting moment, I considered running.

But my body had nothing left to give.

The house slowed as it drew closer. Its rider pulled on the reins, bringing it to halt in front of me.

He dismounted swiftly.

“Are you alright?" He asked, his voice deep with concern as he approached me.

I tried to answer but my mouth felt too dry.

The stranger stopped in front of me, his expression tightening when I swayed.

He caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Easy,” he murmured, one arm secured around my waist, the other supported my shoulders. I felt the warmth of his body through his black clothing and for a brief moment, I clung to him simply because I had nothing else to hold onto.

I tried to lift my face to look at him. I wanted to know who he was.

But my eyelids grew heavy.

The last thing I felt was the stranger's arm tightening around me as he held me against his chest.

*********

Korvan

My horse neighed when the burst of light exploded in the distance.

I pulled the reins, turning towards the source of the strange glow. Even from several metres away, the brightness had been impossible to miss. It illuminated the surrounding trees, bathing them in a brilliance that lasted only a few seconds.

I narrowed my eyes as I considered investigating. Whatever produced that light wasn't ordinary, but I had an assignment to complete and I couldn't afford to get distracted.

I urged my horse forward.

The road ahead stretched towards the crossing between two packs territories. Once I reached it, my journey home would become considerably easier.

I was almost there when something caught my attention.

Movements in the trees.

A slowed my horse, studying the figure stumbling through the undergrowth.

It was a woman, judging by her appearance. Although, she looked like she'd been through a battlefield.

I guided my horse towards her.

Up close, I noticed the blood running down the side of her face. Her clothes were torn, her breathing uneven, and she looked barely capable of standing.

I dismounted immediately.

“Are you alright?" I asked, moving closer with concern tightening around my chest.

She opened her mouth but no words came out.

Her knees buckled and she swayed.

I caught her before she could hit the ground, one arm wrapping around her waist while the other one steadied her shoulders.

"Easy,” I muttered, tightening my hold.

Her fingers suddenly curled in front of my chest.

The moment her fingers brushed my chest, something inside me snapped.

I stiffened in shock.

A sharp, unfamiliar sensation shot through my bones, stealing my breath.

My wolf stirred violently within me, clawing at my chest as though desperate to break free without command.

I stared down at her in disbelief. "What the hell?”

She clung to me, her trembling body pressing against mine. For one suspended second, everything seemed to disappear. There was only the strange pull between us and the wild agitation of my wolf.

I tried to make sense of it, but before I could gasp what was happening, her grip loosened.

Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Hey!” I exclaimed, tightening my hand around her as her body went limp. Look at me!"

She didn't respond.

I stared down at the unconscious woman in my arms, trying to understand what had just happened.

As I carried her into my arms, my wolf growled, fighting against my restraint, desperate to reach her even though she was already in my arms.

I'd never seen him behave like that.

And he wasn't calming down.