THE REJECTED MATE BECOMES THE QUEEN

howls fell far enough behind to beco

at hung heavy and cold against her skin. Beside her, Rowan kept the same relentless pace, but she could see the way he fav

d morning without warmth. Rowan finally slowed, then stopped beneat

nutes.

hest ached. The torn bond with Kael had settled into a constant, low throb that flared ever

ne they had come from. After a moment he unwrapped the band

red, but the bleeding had stopped completely.

d his ey

tell me wha

ook her

t... happened. Same a

t your scent and came straight for you. Not me. You. Whatever is wa

her arms aro

problem. Everyone always sai

answered. "And it doesn't make hunters cro

ame strip of cloth, tighter thi

s if we keep moving. Old stone, high ground, plac

cles protested. She

ground rising in long, gradual slopes. Once, Rowan lifted a hand and they both froze while a pair of ord

like healing the way pack healers described it. It had felt like something inside her recognizing a wound an

ld do that, what

lse might

ed the horizon they reach

lapsed arches half-swallowed by moss and ivy. Stone pillars leaned at tired angles. A partial tow

tructure. He moved like he had been here before-checking sight lines, testing which doorways

gets," he said. "We res

k on his face stopped her. She sat with her back to the cold st

m a cracked arch, the wind moving through empty windows, the distant call of a c

her. He looked grey with exhaustion

urn," s

ok his

ing. I can feel it.

es for a while. She kept her back to the wall and her eyes on the approaches. The r

m itche

cut this time. Onl

ame from the far side o

g without a word. They exchanged a look. He pointed two fingers toward the eas

llapsed stair that led to a narrow ledge overlooking the cour

ntered through

r tipped with dull grey metal that made Elara's skin crawl even from a distance-silver. The others had kniv

ifted his head an

d. "The blood is stro

lear. Take her alive if possibl

gers dug in

orner where she and Rowan had rested. He

cen

below. He gave a tiny sha

n stairs toward Elara's ledge. She pressed herself flat against the wall, barely

rose above the e

locked

t second n

opened his mo

outward. The hunter's voice died in his throat. His eyes widened. His body locked as if invisible hands had cl

Rowan

r low and hard, and put him down before the man could raise the

yes fixed on her in pure shock. The pressure coming from her felt like a muscle she had nev

ice snappe

ra-n

ased the

lready climbing. He reached the man before the sound fully formed and

hed back ove

meone else's-spattered his sleev

id you

ands were

g to call the others. I ju

moment. Then he glanced at the two f

hen these three don't report. We t

e of the belts. Elara climbed down on unsteady legs. When she reached the bottom, R

the dress scent as

c smelled of leath

ng fast and low. Behind them the three hunters lay still among the broken

hummed under her ski

t she had done to th

ural as breathing-and that terrified

isappeared behind the trees. When he fin

ready willing to kill for it. We need to

d no a

ho had knelt in the dirt three nights ago was alr