Just like Jules said, Darian fell asleep about an hour after he drank the tea Jules spiked with a sleeping tonic of Killian’s. Cara felt so much guilt as she disentangled herself from the man who was now her husband.

She’d tried to get him to see what had to be done but he loved her too much to let her go back.

He’s going to be so angry when he wakes up and discovers what I’ve done.

Cara kissed him gently on the lips praying it wouldn’t be their last kiss. She dressed into new clothes. The blue dress with the short sleeves and low cut neckline would serve her best. Aldrich would look at her in it and see the scared woman he was so bent on breaking.

Her heart pounding, she tip-toed from the room, leaving Darian asleep and alone in the bed.

Jules waited in the courtyard. Her green eyes looked black in the evening light. “Ready?”

Cara nodded.

Rafi bowed his head to her and then slowly Jules did too. “What are you doing? We have to go before he wakes up,” Cara said.

“You are the female alpha now. We are showing you our respect.”

“I’m just me. The same woman I was an hour ago.”

Jules shook her head. “Nope. There’s a big difference now. You belong to Darian. He’ll break our necks when he hears we took you back to Aldrich Town.”

“We’ve been over this. I’m the only one who can get inside. I haven’t turned yet. The poison for the werewolves won’t work on me.”

“You sure you have what it takes to kill him?” Rafi asked. The worry on his face giving her little reassurance.

Cara nodded even though she wasn’t so sure. The will to kill him? Yes. Did she have the strength to fight him? Probably not. She had to take him by surprise, it was the only way.

“Here, take this. All you need to do is cut him, just once and the poison on the blade will kill him.” Rafi handed Cara a sheathed knife with a leg strap. The blade appeared to be the size of an envelope opener. Cara lifted her skirt and strapped the knife high on her thigh.

“This way, let’s go,” Jules whispered.

Cara followed Jules, and Rafi followed behind. It was just after sunset, not quite dark. The forest ahead thick with shadows made Cara’s heart pound faster.

Quit being scared, Cara. You have to do this. Think of Uncle Mortimer and his family. Aldrich will have made someone pay for my escape. I have to end this.

Cara had to run to keep up with Jules. Rafi was right behind her. She was breathing hard, not sure how far they’d gone or how far they still had to go. Cara just knew that she was getting tired.

When Jules slowed to a stop in front of her, Cara was prepared to take another tongue lashing. “I’m pushing myself as fast as I can go,” Cara said.

Jules held up her hand. She leaned forward tilting her head to the side.

She is listening, Cara realized.

Jules looked back at Rafi with a shrug. His shoulders were rising and his head lowering and his eyes had shifted into those of his grey and black wolf.

Cara couldn’t hear anything beyond her heart pounding and her heavy breathing.

“It’s just the elk. Don’t you smell them?” Jules asked him.

“Get down, Cara,” Rafi growled, his voice vibrating with a snarl as he began to shift. Black and gray fur spread out over his skin as he fell forward on to his hands. His growl was deafening as his bones shifted under the fur.

Cara dropped onto her stomach. Scanning the forest for any sign of danger. The broken dried leaves fluttered up and around her face as her heavy breathing stirred them and dust into the air.

Two men from Aldrich town raced out of the darkness. Their faces were twisted with fear and hatred. “No, wait,” Cara cried out. The silver spears they were carrying were aimed at Rafi.

One of the hunters threw his spear and it stuck into the ground where Cara last saw Rafi.

Where is he?

A female cry sliced through the air. Cara pushed up onto her knees. She turned toward the scream in time to see Aldrich standing behind Jules. A silver spear protruding from her chest. Jules let out one last whimper as Aldrich bit into her neck.

The dark eyes of Aldrich were on Cara. He was enjoying the horror on her face. Cara shuddered with disgust. Tears burned her eyes as Jules stared blankly. She was gone.

He’ll never stop killing. I have to end this.

Cara remained on her knees. She had to make him think she was weak. That she wouldn’t fight him.

Aldrich dropped Jules to the ground. He stomped his booted foot into her back and pulled out the spear. “Come out and play, Rafi,” Aldrich called, his voice full of anticipation. “You’ve killed the hunters. Aren’t you coming for me?”

Cara kept her eyes on Aldrich. If Rafi killed both the hunters, he’d delivered a swift and silent death to both men.

He must be hiding in the shadows.

Cara couldn’t see him, but she knew he wouldn’t leave. He would never pass up the chance to kill Aldrich.

Aldrich pulled something from his pocket as he came toward her. “Did you really think you could escape me? Leave me? You belong to me, Cara. Your life is mine to take.”

Cara pushed up to her feet. The silver spear was at her chest before she could make a move for the knife hidden below the skirt of her dress. He pressed it forward, the tip pierced her dress and skin.

She cried out from the pain. It didn’t just hurt, it burned like fire. Her body was already becoming affected by the silver.

A blur of movement behind Aldrich came to a sudden stop as Rafi dropped to the ground. His body stiff, as though he’d been flash frozen mid step.

“Like it?” Aldrich asked Cara holding a small tube. “Paulina helped me to perfect it.” Faster than was humanly possible Aldrich snaked out a hand, grabbing a fistful of Cara’s short hair. He dragged her forward until his face was only a few inches from hers. “I made special bullets, filled them with my own special brew of poison.”

His hand in her hair jerked to the side, forcing Cara to look at Rafi.

“Is it he, who ravished your body? Did he tell you he loves you, Cara? I can smell it all over you. Wet dog.”

Cara was inching her dress up her side. She needed to get to the knife. Glaring at him she refused to answer.

“You could save him. Do you realize that? Look,” he gestured to Rafi with his pointer finger. The nail filed into a long sharp point.

Cara spotted the capsule stuck in Rafi’s shoulder.

“With every moment that passes, the pain increases,” Aldrich laughed. “The paralytic makes it impossible for him to remove the capsule that is leaking more and more of the poison into his body. I laced his with silver, regular poison won’t kill a werewolf.”

He yanked her hair again, pulling her head back as he ran his tongue over the bloody hole in her dress, and up her neck. His tongue was like wet sandpaper on her skin leaving a burning, raw trail in its wake.

Aldrich groaned a sickening sound of pleasure.

Cara finally had the skirt pulled up high enough she could reach the sheath. She unfastened the sheath and pulled the knife from the holster.

Bringing the knife up, she felt it hit something hard.

Aldrich, looked down where the knife cut through the shirt but no further. He gripped her wrist and twisted with crushing pressure. Cara screamed, holding on to the knife as long as she could. She could feel her wrist beginning to break. Her fingers filled with a tingling sensation, weakening her already precarious hold on her only weapon.

The knife fell, sticking in the dirt.

Aldrich continued to twist. “Now you remember who I am. I am king. Your master. Beg me for forgiveness,” he growled.

Never.

Cara spat in his face. “You are nothing to me.”

He roared like a feral animal. He let go of her wrist to grip her neck with both of his huge hands. “I’m everything,” he told her as he squeezed.

“Aldrich, you’ve come out of your hiding place?” It was Darian, she knew his voice.

Aldrich loosened his grip on her neck. His black eyes widened with fear. “I’ll snap her neck,” Aldrich said. “I’ll do it.” Aldrich maneuvered her so that her back was against his chest, with one arm around her neck as he began to dig in his pocket.

“He’s got a gun,” Cara cried out trying to warn Darian.

The arm around her neck tightened cutting off her air again.

“All Valor had to do was bite me and none of this would have happened,” Aldrich growled.

Darian’s golden eyes were holding hers as he came out of the shadows. He seemed to say, I’m coming for you. Don’t be afraid, without words.

“Save this innocent girl, Darian,” Aldrich yelled, that same fear apparent in his voice. “Lay down and show me you’ll let me take her home. Her father missed her so much he died, but her uncle and cousins are still waiting for her to come back.”

My father is dead?

The darkness seemed to be getting darker. Her legs were growing weak.

“She’s fading fast, Darian.”

You’re still standing by. Do something.

Cara let go of the arm around her neck. She reached back where she could feel him hiding the gun. She yanked it from his hand tossing the gun away.

Aldrich’s arm around her neck tightened for an instant and then was gone.

Cara landed on her hands and knees. She was still dizzy, still trying to get a decent breath of air as she crawled over to Rafi and pulled out the vile that protruded from his chest.

Rafi rolled over and threw up.

“No please,” Aldrich cried out. “Just kill me.”

“You put your hands on my wife and you killed Valor,” Darian’s voice was dark with no room for forgiveness. Not for Aldrich.

Cara turned back as Darian lifted Aldrich into the air and brought him down like a long stick over his knee. Aldrich screamed in agony as his back broke.

Darian dropped him to the ground.

The pack arrived coming out of the dark forest.

“He is a traitor,” Darian’s voice carried over all the snarling, and growling coming from the pack. “He dies a traitor’s death.”

“No,” Aldrich screamed.

Darian stepped back. “Rizer pack, I give him to you to exact justice.”

Strong arms wrapped around her, lifting Cara as the forest became a blur all around her. When Darian stopped, they were standing outside Aldrich Town.

Cara stiffened. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “I know I shouldn’t have gone after Aldrich without you. I’m sorry.”

“You’re right. You should not have gone after him at all. Now I’ve broken my promise to you.”

Cara shook her head. The desperation and fear in her chest so strong she couldn’t draw in air. “I don’t care about that. Please don’t do this.”

Darian gathered her close. “Do what? Cara, what is it?”

“You’re leaving me here. You’re angry with me.”

Darian smoothed back her hair as he shook his head. “Angry yes. But, how could you think I would leave you? Cara, you are my heart. I don’t want to live, if it means I have to be without you.”

His mouth captured hers in a possessive, deep caress. “You’re mine, Cara,” he said resting his forehead against hers.

“And you’re mine,” Cara smiled through the joyful happy tears running down her face. “But, I don’t understand why we’re here. Why did you bring me back here if not to leave me?”

“You hate this wall. I thought you’d want to see it happen. I thought you’d want to tell everyone they can take it down. Tell them they have nothing to fear from the Rizer pack, as long as they don’t hunt wolves.”

Cara nodded, as she battled the emotion so strong in her chest she struggled to speak. “I will.”

She started toward the water but Darian pulled her back.

“You can’t go inside. You’re a shifter now. The poison will kill you.”

“No, Jules told me that it won’t because I haven’t shifted.”

Darian’s face hardened. “She was happy to sacrifice you and get Aldrich in the same token.”

Cara frowned as the realization of what would have happened if they’d made it to Aldrich town before Darian could stop them hit her. “I should have listened to you.”

“Call out to them,” Darian smiled.

Cara nodded and turned toward the wall. “Aldrich Town,” she yelled out cupping her hands around her mouth. “Guard on the wall,” she tried again.

“Cara?” Her uncle called her name from the guard station. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” Cara answered around the emotion that swelled in her chest. “Aldrich is dead. You’re free of him. You have to take down the wall.”

She could see him now as he leaned out of the guard tower. “The shifters, Cara. It’s too dangerous.”

“No, it isn’t. Aldrich lied to us. They were never after us. Aldrich killed members of the pack. He was hiding inside the town. He made us all serve him. Don’t you see?”

She could see the fear on her uncle’s face as he relayed the message to the townspeople gathering below him under the tower.

“Cara, there are too many of us that are afraid. We don’t know how to live outside the wall anymore. It’s safer inside.”

“No. You’re not even living inside the wall. It’s nothing but a cage. You’ll be free again. Tell them they’ll see the sun, and feel it on their face. Remind them about the waterfall, fresh water, fresh food. They can hunt and the shifters won’t come after you as long as you don’t kill the wolves.”

She watched him holding her breath as he began to relay again to the people below. Darian put his hand at the small of her back, giving her his support.

When her uncle again turned back and the look on his face was strained Cara didn’t wait for him to tell her they were still afraid.

“I was afraid too,” she called out even louder. “I thought I’d die when I left Aldrich Town. I was terrified. Since I’ve been gone, I’ve felt the wind on my face, I’ve watched the sun rise and set. I found love beyond the wall.”

Darian pulled her in close to his side. They waited again. Cara leaned into Darian afraid that they would never bring down the wall. They’d die inside the cage.

She searched her mind trying to find the right thing to say.

“Look,” Darian said pointing out toward the guard tower.

Her uncle shoved a loose stone from the top of the wall.

“They’re taking it down,” Cara whispered, afraid if she said it any louder they might stop. She hugged Darian tighter. They watched all night as stone by stone the wall came down. The poisonous water was buried under the rubble by the time it was finished.

The sun rising illuminated their hopeful faces.

Darian kissed the happy tear that rolled down her face as she looked out at the people who had suffered the cage too.

It was like looking at a memory of the scared young woman she was when she’d escaped and believed she knew all there was to know about love and hate.

Cara didn’t feel hate anymore, or fear. There was nothing but happiness and safety welling up inside her as she held onto Darian.

“We’re free,” she said looking up at her husband.

“What do you mean? You were free, weeks ago.”

Cara smiled nuzzling his neck. “I thought so too but, we weren’t.”

“Cara, what are you saying?”

“You and the pack have been stuck waiting here for Aldrich. He’s gone and now-”

“Now we’ll live, love, and travel as much as you like.”

Cara waited for that feeling she’d lived with for so long to spring up and demand they run as far as their legs could carry them. But it was gone. There was nothing to run from anymore, no need to escape.

“Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

*****

THE END