It been three days since someone reported seeing me near the forbidden river. Three days of interrogation, torture and pain.
Alpha Dante decides to handle me personally.
"You've been sneaking out at night," he says, circling me like a predator. We're in the punishment room. Just the two of us. No witnesses. "Where have you been going?"
"Nowhere, Alpha," I lie. My voice is shaking. "I just needed air."
"Air?" He grabs my hair and yanks my head back. "You think I'm stupid? You think I don't have wolves watching everything?"
"Please, Alpha. I wasn't doing anything wrong."
"You were at the forbidden river," he says. His breath smells like whiskey. "Meeting someone. Who?"
"No one. I was alone."
His fist connects with my stomach. All the air leaves my lungs. I double over, gasping.
"Who were you meeting?" he roars.
"No one!"
He hits me again. This time my face. I taste blood as the room spins in my vision.
"Tell me!"
"There's nothing to tell!"
Again and again, his fists come down. My ribs. My back. My arms. Everywhere. I stop trying to defend myself. I just curl into a ball and try to survive.
"You're protecting someone," he says between hits. "You stupid, worthless girl. Who is he?"
"There's no one," I sob. "Please stop. Please."
But he doesn't stop. Not for a long time.
When he finally finishes, I can barely move. Everything hurts. I think some of my ribs are broken. My face is so swollen I can barely see.
"If I catch you at that river again," Dante says, standing over me, "I'll kill you myself. Understand?"
I nod. Or try to. Everything is fading in and out.
He leaves while slamming the door shut.
I lie on the cold floor for what feels like hours. Maybe it is hours. Time doesn't make sense anymore. All I know is pain.
I have to get out. I don't know why, but something inside me screams that I need to get to the river. Need to see Stark. Need to...
I don't finish the thought. I just drag myself to my feet. Every movement is agony. I stumble out of the punishment room, through the pack house and into the night.
No one stops me. No one even sees me. They're all celebrating something in the main hall. I hear laughter and music as I slip into the forest.
I don't remember the walk to the river. My body moves on instinct. Left at the dead oak. Right past the three stones. Straight until the water appears.
The moon is full tonight. Or maybe half full. I can't tell anymore. Everything is blurry.
"Stark," I whisper. My voice is so weak. "Stark, are you there?"
No answer.
My legs give out. I collapse on the riverbank. The cold water touches my hand. Everything goes dark.
---
I wake up to cold hands on my face.
"Roselyn. Roselyn, open your eyes."
That voice. I know that voice.
I force my eyes open. Everything is spinning. But I can make out pale skin and dark hair and eyes like endless night.
"Stark?" My voice is barely a whisper.
"I'm here," he says. His face is twisted with something that looks like pain. "What happened to you? Who did this?"
"Alpha," I manage to say. "He found out. About the river."
Stark's expression goes completely dark. "He did this because of me?"
"Not you," I say. "Just... the river. He doesn't know about you."
"That doesn't make this better." His hands are moving over my body, checking my injuries. When he touches my ribs, I cry out. "You're badly hurt. Some of these are broken."
"I'm fine," I lie.
"You're not fine. You're dying." His voice cracks on the last word. "We need to get you help."
"Can't go back," I say. "He'll finish the job."
"Then I'm taking you with me." He slides his arms under me, lifting me like I weigh nothing.
"Wait," I say weakly. "You can't take me, they'll kill you."
"Let them try," he says. And then he's walking into the water.
"Stark, no," I protest. But my voice has no strength.
"I'm not letting you die," he says simply. "Not for following some stupid rule."
He carries me across the river, onto vampire territory. I expect alarms. Shouting. An attack. But there's nothing. Just silence and moonlight.
We walk for maybe ten minutes. Then Stark turns off the path and heads toward a rocky hillside. There's a cave hidden behind some bushes. He carries me inside.
The cave is small but dry. There's a blanket on the ground. Some supplies in the corner. Like someone's been living here.
"Is this yours?" I ask as he lays me down gently on the blanket.
"Sometimes I sleep here," he admits. "When I don't want to go home. When I want to be close to..." He stops. "When I want to be alone."
He pulls out a small jar from the supplies. Inside is some kind of thick, silver paste.
"This is going to hurt," he warns. "But it'll help you heal."
"What is it?" I ask.
He hesitates. Then says, "Vampire healing salve. Made from... from our blood and other things."
"Vampire?" I repeat. My brain is foggy from pain, but that word cuts through. "You're a vampire?"
Stark goes very still. "Yes. I thought you knew. I thought it was obvious."
"I thought you were just... I don't know. Someone different. Not..."
"Not a monster?" he finishes bitterly.
"No," I say quickly. "That's not what I meant."
"It's fine," he says, but his voice is tight. "I understand if you want to leave. If you're scared of me now."
I look at him. Really look at him. At his pale skin and dark eyes and the fangs I can just barely see when he talks. At the hands that are shaking as he holds the jar of salve.
"Are you going to hurt me?" I ask.
"Never," he says immediately. "I would never hurt you."
"Then I don't care what you are," I say. "You're the only good thing in my life. The only person who's ever been kind to me. So I don't care if you're a vampire or a dragon or anything else."
His eyes shine with something that looks like tears. "You mean that?"
"Yes," I say. "Now please put that salve on before I pass out again."
He does. And it does hurt. It burns like fire across my skin. But slowly, the pain starts to fade. The swelling goes down. My ribs don't hurt as much.
"How long have you been hiding this?" I ask as he works. "That you're a vampire?"
"The whole time," he admits. "I was scared you'd run if you knew. That you'd hate me like everyone says werewolves are supposed to hate vampires."
"I could never hate you," I say softly.
He looks up at me. Our faces are very close. His hands are still on my skin, gentle and careful.
"Why would you risk your life for me?" I ask. "You crossed into enemy territory. You could start a war."
"Because you matter," he says simply. "You matter more than rules or wars or anything else. When I saw you lying there on the riverbank, I thought... I thought I'd lost you. And I realized I'd rather die than let that happen."
"Stark," I whisper.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I know this is complicated. I know we're supposed to be enemies. But I can't pretend anymore. I can't pretend that you're just a friend I meet at the river once a month."
"Then what am I?" I ask, my heart racing.
"You're everything," he says.
And then he kisses me.
It's not a gentle kiss. It's desperate and tender and full of months of wanting. His lips are cold against mine but somehow they make me feel warm for the first time in years.
I kiss him back. Even though it hurts my split lip. Even though this is wrong in every possible way. I kiss him like he's oxygen and I've been drowning.
When we finally pull apart, we're both breathing hard.
"I shouldn't have done that," he says, but he doesn't move away.
"I'm glad you did," I reply.
"Roselyn," he says seriously. "You need to know something. Being with me... caring about me... it's dangerous. More dangerous than you know."
"I don't care," I say.
"You should care," he insists. "I'm not just some vampire. I'm a vampire prince. My family is powerful. If they find out about you–"
"A prince?" I interrupt. "You're a prince?"
He nods slowly. "My father is the vampire king. Which means if anyone finds out I'm in love with a werewolf, it won't just be dangerous for us. It'll be dangerous for everyone."
"In love?" I repeat, my voice barely a whisper.
"Yes," he says, not looking away. "I'm in love with you. I have been for months. I'm sorry if that scares you."
It should scare me. Everything about this should terrify me. But instead, all I feel is...
"I think I'm in love with you too," I say.
His smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"Then we're both in terrible trouble," he says.
"Worth it," I reply.
He leans down and kisses me again. Softer this time. Like a promise.
And that's when we hear it.
The sound of wolves. Lots of them. Coming closer.
And they're not just any wolves.
They're Alpha Dante's personal guard.
They've found us.