The second I step away from the tree, I hear them. Their scent hits me before I see them—filthy, traitorous, trembling. The parents. The ones who ran. The ones I trusted. Guards surround them, ushering them toward the clearing like criminals, their heads bowed, their steps hesitant.
But it’s too late for shame.
I feel Caden’s rage rise like magma inside me, fusing with my own until I can’t tell whose fury is whose. My hands shake with the effort it takes not to tear the father’s throat out on sight. His eyes lift to mine and he takes a step back.
Wrong move.
I cross the distance in a blur, grab him by the scruff of his neck, and slam him into the blood-soaked earth. The ground still reeks of death. Let him choke on it.
“WHERE THE f**k DID YOU GO?” I snarl, my voice shredded raw.
His
