Chapter 134- Running Out of Time
Lexy
The forest never slept, but tonight it felt like it held its breath.
My boots sank slightly into the moist earth with every step, but I didn’t slow down. Moonlight streaked through the trees in pale ribbons, and every whisper of wind through the branches sounded like Tarria’s voice, just out of reach.
Time. Time was slipping through my fingers like water, and I couldn’t afford to lose another drop.
Nine. I had to be back at the tribe before nine. By then, the Council would gather. The outer packs would expect answers. And if I wasn’t there to give them, rumors would spread like wildfire—rumors of weakness, of instability, of a queen who had lost one of her own.
But none of that mattered more than Tarria.
I clenched my jaw and pushed forward, ducking under a low branch and scanning the ground for signs—anything. A bent blade of grass. A footprint. Blood. Something to tell me I was on the right path.
My fingers still smelled faintly of the crushed berries I’d used in a quick spell earlier—nothing major, just a tracker charm to guide me toward Tarria’s energy. It had led me here, to the northern ridge where the forest grew thicker, quieter. It was almost as if the trees themselves knew they were guarding something sacred.
“Tarria,” I whispered. “Please let me be close.”
Her absence had been like a howl through my chest. The moment I realized she was gone, the ground beneath me cracked. I had trusted her to be strong—she was one of our fiercest warriors—but someone had still managed to take her. Someone had slipped through the defenses.
There was a conspiracy brewing—and Tarria was at the center of it.
I stepped cautiously into the clearing and let my hand rest on the dagger strapped to my thigh. My other hand lit up on fire. Prepared in case someone attacks.
She was here. Recently.
My eyes scanned the ground, and I saw it: a scuff mark, dried mud overturned. Nearby, a faint print. Smaller than most. Lightweight. Precise.
Tarria.
“She escaped,” I murmured, wonder threading through the relief in my voice. “You clever, stubborn girl.”
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, but it didn’t last. If she’d escaped, she’d be running—alone, hunted. And I had no way of knowing what state she was in. Injured? Weak? She could be bleeding out under some tree, waiting for help that was already too late.
No. I couldn’t think that way. I wouldn’t.
She was alive. I could feel it in my chest, like a thread pulling me north.
I broke into a jog, weaving between trees, letting the rhythm of my breathing guide me. I whispered an old prayer to the moon goddess and mother Abellona. The ones I’ve been reciting since I was kidnapped the first time.
There was no room for doubt. Only instinct.
The sky was beginning to pale in the east. A reminder. I checked my watch for the time. Just under three hours until nine.
I had to find Tarria, and I had to get her back.
My thoughts raced faster than my feet. If she was part of a plot to crown a new leader, the coup would start soon. I was going to continue the search when I stopped in my tracks.
Then—
A rustle.
I froze.
A shape moved through the trees ahead—fast, low to the ground. I stepped forward carefully, raising my hand. “It’s me,” I called, just above a whisper. “Tarria, if that’s you—”
Another rustle. This time, closer. My pulse spiked. When a rabbit jumped in my direction. The disappointment could clearly be felt by just looking at me. I pushed through the feeling and continued to try and trace the direction she came from.
I had less than an hour to get back now.
I stood, forcing my mind to refocus. She had a head start. If I followed her now, I might not make it back in time. And if I didn’t, everything I’d built could start to unravel. But if I left her alone out here, gods only knew what might happen to her.
I turned back toward the forest, my fists clenched. I hated this choice. Hated the fact that I had to make it. But I was the queen. My duty was to all of them. If I lost the tribe, I couldn’t protect her—or anyone.
I chose to hide her special kit the way she taught me to. In case she passes back, she has a way to take care of herself and communicate with me. I turned to the scouts who finally caught up to me and left them their orders.
Then I ran.
The forest blurred around me as I moved faster than I had in days. My muscles screamed, but I pushed harder. Downhill now, through the old trail, across the river crossing near the eastern border.
I cleared the final rise and saw the village in the valley below.
Smoke curling from chimneys. Watch guards standing at attention. The outer banners had already been raised.
They were preparing for the morning address.
I burst through the territory line as the tribe members were beginning their morning routine.
8:45 a.m.
I didn’t stop. I went into my office where CJ had left my clothes prepared with a bucket with water to clean myself up. I prepared myself as fast as possible and made my way to the hall.
Because I had been out there. Fighting for one of our own.
Inside the hall, the council had already begun to gather. Adrian stood near the front, brows raised, lips curving in a false smile.
“You made it,” he said smoothly. “We were beginning to worry.”
I looked him dead in the eyes. “Don’t pretend to care.”
His smile didn’t falter, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes.
Good.
I stepped up to the dais. “The meeting starts at nine,” I said flatly. “And I’m here.”
The room fell silent. I stood tall, surveying them all—elders, envoys, challengers.
They didn’t know I was coming from the edge of the world. From the scent of blood and broken stone. From a place where our enemies hid in shadows, building something I hadn’t yet seen.
But I would find out. And when I did, I would burn their secrets to ash.
I glanced once toward the open doors.
Hold on, Tarria.
I’m coming.
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