8: Rope

ya's

oaning beneath us while the captives trudged behind on f

soft thudding of weary footsteps. When I awoke, dawn had barely broken. Xareth

," he said, turning his

drifted in and out of restless slumber, and every t

lease," I began gently, "can you giv

hy are you worried about t

firmer as Zevarion's words echoed in my head. "They don't hate me out of cruel

is voice. "Tell me, did they try to understand you? When you were alone, when the whole pack tu

low-burning, pai

You were the perfect scapegoat. A cursed girl, an orphan, an outcast. Tell me whe

lying, and that made it worse. They hadn

gh, maybe they'll change their minds. But they wo

You don't need their love. You don't even need their re

my wolf stirred, not to shift, not out of rage or dange, but in agreement. She liked w

apart trying to win their favour, you are not their savi

eluding myself. Hoping for kindness fr

ll give them food and rest. After all, I need them to be hea

victory, but my che

its crashing base, shimmering like broken glass in the sunlight. The air was

ding as ever. "Because of Vireya," he announced loudly, "you all ge

is men and disappeared into the woods to hunt, his lo

agerly with their hands, splashing their faces. Some wept. Others simp

m, searching the crowd for Zevarion. Just as I spotted h

s were torn, her eyes full of hate. "After taking everything from us, now

d near my feet. A ges

y, maybe Xareth was right, maybe

forward and gently took my hand. I told hi

make you forget who you are," he said softly.

like a storm pulling back from the shore. I took a deep breath, and

together in silence, letting the moment stretch without the need for words. But that fragile peac

ame, rabbits, pheasants, even a young boar, his m

n the two of them was already dangerously thin. I didn't want to be the blade that mad

ed bright and orderly for Xareth and his men.

abbits and a deer, more than enough to feed them all. But th

unger but from desperation. Growls broke through the air like a thunderstorm crashing into

my meat, his men chuckling and making vulga

r the other, bit into his roasted meat wit

is selfish. Strip them of their comfort, and the beast underneath shows. The

could have been enough for all of them. If they'd shared it calmly, sat down, and taken turns, they woul

ise, his voice rising above the shouts, hands raised in a peaceful gesture. He pleaded wit

hing left worth saving in people. Even n

ptives tear into each other like wild dogs, I realized something inside me h

clutching his throat. Blood gushed between his fingers, he had been stabbed in the neck with a sharpened bo

ked toward them, his presence was thunderous. The captives scramble

rowning in his own blood. With a smooth, practiced m

owd ga

ade on the grass. "He was already d

nce

aid coldly. "I simply put him out of his misery. A