Violet

Part of me hoped she wasn’t lucid. That she would pass by without noticing, without stopping, without—

I tore the thought away, guilt twisting in my stomach.

How could I think that? How could I wish confusion on a woman who had shown me nothing but kindness?

I stood there, frozen, as her presence drew closer.

And then passed.

Her footsteps continued down the corridor, fading into the distance.

I exhaled slowly, my heart pounding.

She was gone.

I should have felt relieved. Instead, I just felt sad.

I hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye to her or even thank her for that night. But I couldn’t think about that now.

I had to go.

I extended my senses outward, searching for Bei. She was somewhere in the castle, her presence a steady hum at the edge of my awareness.

I was sorry I couldn’t tell her. Sorry she would wake tomorrow to find me gone without a word. But if I told her, she would insist on coming. And I couldn’t let her do that.

This was something I had to do alone.

I stepped out into the empty hallway, my footsteps silent against the stone floor.

The letter I had written sat on Rowan’s pillow. I had spent an hour composing it, trying to find the right words, knowing there were no right words for something like this.

I had promised to return, and I had begged him not to come after me.

I didn’t know if either of those things would be enough, but it was something.

I made my way through the castle, tuning into my senses and lowering my presence until I was little more than a shadow. The guards didn’t notice me, and the servants didn’t see me either as I slipped past checkpoints and out into the night within seconds.

The capital sprawled before me, its buildings dark against the star-scattered sky.

I didn’t stop.

Using my syzygy, my pace quickened and I wove through streets and alleys until the buildings thinned and the roads turned to dirt. It was only when I reached the border of the capital, miles from the castle, that I finally allowed myself to stop.

I turned and looked back.

The castle rose in the distance, a dark silhouette against the night sky. The windows glowed faintly and somewhere in there, Bei was probably reading a book or settling in for the night. Elise was wandering the halls, lost in her own world.

And Rowan was miles away, in another pack, thinking I would be here when he returned.

I allowed myself one last look at the castle, then I turned away and raced into the night.

The pull guided my steps, leading me toward answers I desperately needed.

[ - ]

I moved without stopping, and my syzygy propelled me forward faster than I could run. The white-barked trees blurred past me, their pale trunks ghostly in the darkness, and the cool night air burned in my lungs with each desperate breath.

I didn’t let myself think about what I was leaving behind.

I just ran.

At some point, the moon tracked across the sky and the stars started to fade as morning came. I wasn’t entirely tired, but I didn’t want to stop until I was out of the territory and into an external neutral zone. Every moment I lingered was another moment for someone to notice I was gone. Another moment for a servant to check my room, or for Bei to sense something wrong, or for Rowan to return early with that gentle smile on his face, expecting to find me waiting for him.

The thought made my chest ache so fiercely I nearly stumbled, but I kept moving on.

The landscape shifted gradually as I travelled. The elegant white-barked trees of Silverwood began to thin, their graceful forms giving way to rougher, wilder growth. Soon, there were overgrown trails and rocky outcrops.

By the time night fall crept over the horizon, I had reached the border of Rowan’s territory.

I had made sure to keep track of how many days it had taken me to get here. Two days and three nights, with this being the third.

I collapsed to the floor and sat at the very edge of Silverwood, my chest heaving, sweat dampening my clothes and plastering my hair to my forehead despite the cool night air. I was not entirely exhausted, but I was tired.

Despite taking energy from the sun, moving without food, water, or rest, all while keeping my presence hidden and taking routes avoiding patrol wolves had taken a bit of a toll on me.

But I felt a bit happy I had made it.

The neutral zone stretched our before me, a different direction from where Rowan and I had first entered his territory.

I allowed myself a moment to catch my breath before eating and drinking. I contemplated sleeping, but was caught between doing it outside the safety of Silverwood or out there where it would be more dangerous.

I decided to find a safe spot at the border to sleep. I didn’t want to wait until exhaustion would catch me by surprise.

I pulled the map from my bag and spread it flat against a small boulder. The paper was slightly worn from how many times I had studied it over the past few days before leaving.

I traced the route with my fingertip, matching the landmarks around me to the ones marked on the page.

The relief that washed through me was almost overwhelming. I had actually done it. I had slipped out of the castle, through the capital, and across miles of territory, all without being caught.

After inspecting my surroundings more closely, I went to sleep.

It was early in the morning when I woke up, a lot more refreshed than before.

I was just ready to go when I sensed a familiar presence moving fast and coming from the direction I had just fled.

My blood turned to ice.

No.

I extended my senses further, desperately hoping I was wrong, hoping it was just some patrol or random wolf passing through.

But I wasn’t wrong.