The Blackfang Alphas and Slaves

Chapter 12

KAI

I kicked a loose stone and watched it disappear into the thick undergrowth, my lungs burning with every breath I took. This was the second day we had been wandering around in this gods-forsaken forest, and I was starting to lose my patience. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a bruised purple color, and the moon was just starting to peek through the canopy like a watchful eye. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and kept walking, my boots sinking into the damp earth, but Ivara suddenly stuck her arm out and gripped my chest, forcing me to a dead stop.

"Don't move," she whispered, her voice so low I almost didn't hear it.

I opened my mouth to ask her what the hell she was talking about, but the answer came before I could get a single word out. The bushes to our right didn't just rustle, they exploded, and a massive, thick coil of scales lunged toward us from the darkness. I recognized it instantly by the dull, obsidian sheen of its hide and the sheer size of its head. It was a Tyrant python, the kind of predator that usually stayed deep in the caves, and it looked like it hadn't eaten in weeks.

The snake lunged again, its jaws wide enough to swallow a grown man whole, and I shoved Ivara backward to get her out of the way. I dove to the left, feeling the rush of air as the beast’s head slammed into the tree right where I had been standing a second ago.

The wood splintered with a loud c***k, and the python hissed, a sound that vibrated right in my chest. I didn't wait for it to recover. My blood began to boil and my skin felt like it was on fire as my wolf pushed against my bones, desperate to get out.

I hadn't fully mastered the control after my recent transformation, but the rage was easy to tap into, and I felt my claws tear through my skin as my hands shifted. I lunged at the snake, grabbing it just below the head, and we went down into the dirt in a mess of thrashing coils and flying mud. The python was strong, trying to wrap its body around my ribs to crush the life out of me, but I was stronger. I dug my claws into its neck, tearing through the thick scales until I felt the hot spray of blood on my face, and I didn't stop until the massive body went limp beneath me.

I stood up, panting, and wiped the blood off my mouth with the back of my hand. My heart was still hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, and I looked down at the dead beast, feeling a surge of dark satisfaction.

"We need to move," Ivara said, stepping out from behind a tree and looking at the carcass with a frown.

"The smell of blood is going to attract every other predator for miles, and we shouldn't be out in the open like this."

I nodded, my shoulders slumped with exhaustion. I might be hot-blooded and ready for a fight most of the time, but I wasn't stupid, and I knew my boundaries when I was running on an empty stomach and no sleep. We moved a few hundred yards away to a small clearing where a large, flat rock sat near a cluster of ferns. I sat down heavily, resting my elbows on my knees, and watched as Ivara started poking around the edges of the clearing.

"I think I hear water," she said, looking back at me.

"There has to be a stream nearby. I’m going to go find it."

I didn't stop her. I just watched her walk away, my eyes tracing the lines of her body as she moved through the trees. Even with the dirt smeared on her skin and the small cuts on her arms from the thorns, she had a way of moving that made it hard to look away. She was lean and toned, with a figure that seemed to glow even in the dim light of the forest, and for a second, I forgot where we were. I snapped out of it pretty quickly though, shaking my head to clear the thoughts, and leaned back against the rock to analyze the mess I was in.

Getting out of this forest was going to be a nightmare, but the way we got here bothered me more than the trees did. The attack on the way to my coronation wasn't some random bad luck. It happened at the exact moment I was supposed to be declared heir, which meant someone back home wanted me gone.

My first thought was my stepmothers, those three vultures who lived to make my mother’s life a living hell, but I brushed the thought away. They were cold and manipulative, sure, but they didn't have the guts to hire assassins to take me down.

The men who attacked us were werewolves, no doubt about it, but they didn't smell like any pack I knew.

They were probably just rogue bandits, the kind of filth that hovered around the borders looking to make some quick coin by doing someone else’s dirty work. I didn't care who paid them, though. Once I got back to the palace and sat on that throne, I was going to find every single person involved and make sure they regretted the day they ever heard my name.

I must have sat there for a while because the next thing I knew, Ivara was stepping back into the clearing. She was clutching a fat rabbit by its hind legs in her right hand, and she had a bunch of leafy plants she had dug up held in her left.

"I found the stream," she said, holding up the rabbit with a small, tired smile. "And I found dinner. I hope you're hungry, because I don't plan on eating this raw."

My stomach let out a loud, pathetic grumble at the sight of the meat, reminding me that the last time I had a real meal was yesterday night. My waterskin was bone dry, too, and the thought of cold stream water made my throat ache. I stood up, feeling the hunger gnawing at my insides, and followed her

as she led the way back through the trees.