The Stench of Secrets
Kael
The air in the Bloodrose pack tasted like copper and old lies. I hated it. Every breath felt like I was sucking in filth, but the pull, that invisible, agonizing hook in my chest was tugging me toward the lodge like a magnet.
I didn’t care about the guards or the border treaty or the fact that Darius wanted my head on a pike. I crouched in the tree line, my knuckles white against the rough bark of an oak.
The moon was a sliver of bone in the sky, barely giving me enough light to see the patrol rotations.
"Stupid, arrogant prick," I muttered, watching the guards march past the gate.
"They're going to catch you, you know," Silas whispered, appearing behind me like a ghost. He was shaking like a wet dog.
"Darius is literally looking for an excuse to start a w
