.Chapter 23-1
Kane
It had been three fucking months. Ninety-one days since I’d last seen her, and it had been hell on earth.
Even after I’d killed my mother, even after I’d isolated myself for the betterment of my people and the ones I cared about, nothing had hurt as badly as having the better half of my soul ripped from me. And that was after just a few days of knowing each other. It was as if our souls had recognized themselves, as if we’d shared a connection since the beginning of time.
When we were together, everything felt right. The world just made sense. Colors seemed brighter, food tasted better, and I felt truly alive. Now all of that only lived in my memory, taunting me with what I’d lost and I was so fucking desperate to find again.
I made sure to go over every single interaction I’d had with her every night before sleeping, just so I wouldn’t forget even one detail about our time together. The way she’d challenged me when we first met, her sarcasm and fire even when she was exhausted and injured. How she’d looked when she’d broken my curse, the wonder in her eyes when she’d realized what she’d done. The feel of her skin under my hands, the sounds she’d made when I’d claimed her.
It took me a few hours each night to relive every moment, but it was completely worth it just to be with her again, even if it was only in my imagination. I’d memorized the exact shade of her green eyes, the way her hair caught the firelight, the sweet scent of orchid and vanilla that clung to her
skin.
My routine worked damn well, because each night after I’d relived all those moments, I’d dream of her. It was a blessing, and I moved through each day with the sole purpose of going back to sleep. The dreams were the only time I felt whole, the only time the aching emptiness in my chest would
ease.
But lately it had been harder than usual to maintain my nightly ritual, because my days had been hectic as hell.
After around seventy days of scouting the mountain, going back to Aerith to try and learn more about my son and his security, then returning all over to scout the mountain and kill as many beasts as I could find, which were plenty, I’d been running on maybe three hours of sleep a night. I was trying to avoid magical traps that I’d discovered were also abundant, dodging other deadly creatures milling around the mountain slopes, and gathering intelligence on the four packs that called this place home as if my life depended on it. Which it did. Because without Simone, there was no fucking life.
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Chapter 23 1
The beasts were everywhere, more than I’d expected. Enhanced creatures with that same
poisonous magic coating their claws, moving in coordinated waves against the mountain
settlements. After a lot of watching, it was clear someone was controlling them. I had no idea if
Kellan’s abilities worked on animals or beasts, but it was a possibility that he was behind these
attacks. Or, if it wasn’t him, maybe one of his allies? I didn’t know yet, but what I did know was that
the creatures were trying to wear down the packs’ defenses through constant harassment. It wasn’t working very well.
I still hadn’t been able to track Simone down, though. I regretted not having asked her the name of
her pack, or any more information that might help me find her. All I knew was that she lived
somewhere on this mountain, and the damn place was massive. Finding one woman among four
different pack territories was proving nearly impossible.
But I had found other things. About two weeks ago, I’d stumbled across Indigo Peak Pack territory while tracking a particularly nasty group of enhanced beasts. After arguing with the enforcers about coming in peace, and proving it by helping them kill the creatures that had been stalking their borders, I’d met the alpha and his advisors.
Finn was a good man, about nine years older than me, with the kind of authority that came from earning respect rather than demanding it. His advisors were decent people too, cautious but fair. They’d listened to what I had to say, scowled when I told them I was Aerith’s lost king, and tried to understand my situation instead of just throwing me in a cell and leaving me to rot forever.
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