Chapter 28

Kael’s POV

Laura forgave her that easily?.That didn’t sit right with me.

I had known Laura for years, long enough to understand how she worked, and forgiveness was never something she gave out so freely, especially not when she felt wronged. And from what I had seen, Tori had crossed lines she shouldn’t have crossed more than once.

So no, something about it felt off.

I paced around the room, my thoughts refusing to settle as time dragged on longer than it should have. It was just a hike, nothing complicated, nothing dangerous if they had followed the proper trail, and by now, they should have been back.

Unless they weren’t where they were supposed to be. That thought alone made my jaw tighten.

A few moments later, the door creaked open slowly, pulling my attention toward it immediately. Laura stepped in, her movements slower than usual, and instinctively, my gaze shifted behind her.

No one else followed. Tori wasn’t behind her. Where the hell was she then?

"What took you so—" I started, but the words died on my lips the moment I took a proper look at her.

Mud.

It was all over her.

My brows furrowed as my eyes scanned her from head to toe, trying to make sense of it. It hadn’t rained, not even a drizzle, so there was no reason for her to be in that state.

She lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting mine, and for a second, neither of us said anything.

"Where is Tori?" I asked, my voice sharper now.

She didn’t answer or even try to, and that made me more angry. The fact that she wasn’t answering.

"Say something," I snapped, stepping closer to her.

"It’s too late," she said finally, her voice breaking as she wiped at her tears. "I think... I think she’s dead."

My expression tightened instantly, disbelief flashing through me. What? No!

Tori wasn’t that easy to kill.

"Stop talking in circles and tell me exactly what happened," I demanded.

"We went off the trail," she said, her words coming out rushed now. "There was... there was sinking sand. She got stuck. I managed to get out and I tried calling for help, but it was too late."

For a second, everything went still. Sinking sand? They weren’t supposed to be anywhere near that area. I haven’t gone hiking, but I knew how things worked.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, already moving past her.

"Where are you going?" she asked quickly, grabbing onto my wrist. "Didn’t you hear what I said? She’s dead. And it’s dangerous to go back there now, especially with the sun already down."

I yanked my hand out of her grip without hesitation.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" I shot back, my patience wearing thin.

"She’s just a slave," Laura snapped, her frustration spilling out now. "Why do you care so much? You’ve known me for years, but you don’t even look at me the way you look at her."

Her words barely registered. How the hell did she get to figure out that she was a slave? What the hell did Tori say to this woman here?

"I thought you two were friends," I said coldly. "Do you even care at all?You should be urging me to do something and not trying to stop me too."

I stepped closer, my gaze hardening as suspicion crept in.

"I care about you and—"

"I don’t want to hear anything from you, if I find out that you had anything to do with this. I won’t let it go and I will make sure you will regret it."

I didn’t wait for her response before turning and storming out.

The moment I stepped outside, I shifted, moving at full speed toward the hill, my senses sharpening as I pushed myself faster than I had in a long time

Even if Tori was just a slave, I wasn’t going to let her die like that. There were other ways to die

Not like this and that was all it was. That was what I told myself as I ran. It was normal to feel this way towards a slave.

By the time I reached the hill, most of the people had already left, the area eerily quiet under the dim glow of the moon. I slowed slightly, focusing, letting my senses take over as I searched for any trace of her.

Her scent was faint, but it was still there.

I followed it without hesitation, moving through the rough terrain until I reached the area Laura must have been talking about. The ground looked unstable, the kind of place no one should have been near in the first place.

I stepped carefully at first, then faster, scanning the area as my frustration grew.

There was no sign of her.

Her scent lingered, but it was fading with every passing second. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You can’t die yet," I muttered under my breath, dragging a hand through my hair as irritation and something else twisted inside me.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She wasn’t supposed to die here.

Not before—

I stopped myself, and that was the only reason.

My knees gave in slightly as I exhaled, the image of her face flashing through my mind uninvited, and that alone made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t like.

The way I had held her while we both kissed. Everything was starting to resurface.

There was no replacement for her. I needed to accept it, and also move on. It was normal for people to die.

Just as I was about to turn away, a stronger trace of her scent hit me suddenly, sharp and undeniable.

I froze.

"I’m alive," a weak voice came from behind me. "I’m stronger than you think."

My head snapped in that direction instantly, and she was standing there.

Standing unsteadily a few steps away, her body covered in mud up to her neck, her breathing uneven as if she had been fighting for every second just to stay upright.

For a moment, I just stared. How the hell did she get out?

She swayed slightly, her strength clearly giving out, and that was all it took for me to move. I closed the distance quickly, catching her before she could collapse completely, her weight falling against me.

"I just want to be free..." she whispered weakly, her voice barely there. "Is that too much to ask?

Her body went limp right after.

Something in my chest tightened sharply as I held onto her, my grip instinctively firm, as if letting go wasn’t even an option.

I felt that feeling. Pity. It coursed through my body while she closed her eyes slowly