Chapter One Hundred & One 

...Dead

No... that couldn‘t..... 

I could feel my heart racing at hearing her words. 

Why would she have done that? Why do something before... 

Unless... unless she expected me to rush into war regardless of whether she used him as bait. Because she knew I wouldn‘t have any way of knowing he was alive and would assume that I would come for him blindly anyway

‘It‘s just another move made to hurt me. 

During our stay in the cabin, I‘d always avoided the topic of Aleric marking me. I hadn‘t wanted to tie him t o me knowing I might not be long for this world, and I didn‘t want to put him through feeling that pain upon my death. But I hadn‘t anticipated for the reverse to now become detrimental to me. If only I‘d actually done it, I would have known the minute it had happened and saved everyone from rushing in to save him 

So then, was he actually... dead

And the most guttural, animalistic growl then escaped my lips, forcing several people nearby to flinch and shy away from the pressure. 

This wasn‘t how it was meant to go. 

He wasn‘t meant to die from my own failure to save him in time. 

He wasn‘t meant to die before me. 

I could feel Thea‘s eyes watching me closely, feel the smirk on her face. 

...And suddenly I knew what I needed to do. 

My legs started sprinting towards her, pushing myself to move faster and faster. Several people were fighting between us but I didn‘t let that distract me, manoeuvring around them with ease without breaking stride even once. 

“Aria!” I heard someone yell. 

But I wasn‘t stopping. 

This was because of her. It was her fault. She needed to pay

I kept on running to the treeline, towards the figure waiting for me there. Nothing would be able to stop m 

...Not even the ten or so rogues I could now feel following me. 

They were trailing behind just close enough that they would probably catch up soon, having the advantage of four paws over me But just before I could make it to the trees, I sensed as one of them went to lunge at my legs, trying to pull me down. 

Not that this would be nearly enough against me though. Not when I could see their next move. 

Teffortlessly dodged their attack, countering with a dagger into their side, and their body slowly rolled to a stop two feet away

The others became frenzied at seeing me kill the rogue and began circling around me, snapping and 

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Chapter One Hundred & Une 

growling towards me as they waited to strike. They were now laking their time to size me up as their pack mentality kicked in. 

But I didn‘t have time for this. 

I looked up towards the trees, now close enough to meet Thea‘s eyes, and a mixture of frustration and desperation consumed me. I needed to get to her in time. To catch her before.… 

And then my heart sank as she did exactly what I feared, 

With a final smirk at my situation, she quickly turned around and began running into the woods, away from the battle. 

Fuck. 

“Get lost already!” I yelled at the rogues angrily. “I don‘t want to fight you.” 

Clearly, they took this the wrong way though as I watched them begin eagerly approaching closer. They stupidly ignored what I‘d just done to their comrade and took my words to mean that I was afraid of fighting so many of them at once. 

....Something they then acted upon, attacking me under that false belief. 

Without any further hesitation, they all began to charge me, trying to overpower me with sheer numbers. Unfortunately for them though, I saw every one of their attacks, 

‘Left... dodge... Swipe....‘ 

I moved around all the rogues fluently, swiftly taking them out one after another. 

‘Drop... side–kick... stab....‘ 

And before even five minutes had passed, soon I was all that remained. Standing in a circle of dead rogues around me, covered in their blood as I looked down with distaste. They‘d failed to land even a single scratch on me. 

All they‘d accomplished with their lives now lost was wasting my time. Time that could have been better spent going after Thea. What a meaningless death indeed. 

Aster one final look at the bodies around me, I then resumed running towards the woods, tracking Thea‘s disgustingly sweet scent through the trees. I could feel as the branches scratched against my skin as I ran through the foliage, not caring to take the extra seconds needed to slow down and avoid them. My mind was set on one thing, and one thing only. 

Thea 

“Suddenly, another clearing came into sight, opening up into a large empty plain. I could see how the trees surrounded the area in a circular way, giving it the appearance of being almost like an arena. And yet. something about this place felt familiar. Something that was impossible given I‘d never travelled anywhere near here before, 

on it further as I finally caught sight of Thea, standing in

for a woman now isolated

still. Her demeanour was telling me to

greeted with a smile, sending a chill through me.

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way my name sounded on

didn‘t waste time with pleasantries though. No, I decided to immediately get to the point instead. W e both knew there was only one

“Is he dead?” 

my breath as I waited for the answer, my heart beating

could feel the heavy weight of my

in complete contrast to

side slightly, her eyes watching me

all she

wind had been

None of our lives mattered to her, I already knew this. But it felt like salt in the wound to hear her confirmation a s if we were only discussing the

you,” I whispered under my

as tears stung at my eyes but

just say?” she

going to kill

loudly, looking straight up at her with a burning hatred in my eyes. All I saw was red, saw my own anger

closer and pointed my dagger

from me. Everything. I don‘t care

at my words, finding it more amusing than anything, and it

bloodlust pulsing

without even taking another moment to think.., I charged at her.

the side, but I read her like a book. Using my other hand, I then unsheathed a second dagger and brought it up to strike at her side, aiming

last second, narrowly missing the attack to leave

to move back to begin my next attack, but somehow she moved faster than I expected. Before I could stop her, she caught me on my retreat and kicked the second dagger out of my hand, wielding it for

backwards to create some distance. “This dagger seems familiar. Wasn‘t this the same weapon I killed

low growl escaped my

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! DIUCU UI 

death you need to be concerned about right now is your own,” I warned. “After all, the last time

that, no longer finding the situation as humorous as before.

mock me, child….”

who speaks how

do or think anything else, I then charged at her again, moving faster and faster a si tried to land multiple different blows on her body. Pushing myself to hit her even once. And, before too long had passed, soon only the sound of our daggers colliding filled the air

could sense my moves as

...Oh. 

at me once more, confirming the

was in my head.

this meant the fight was basically impossible for me

wait it out until | reached my absolute limit, something dangerously close already after ordering the rogues.

said, straightening back up to catch my breath. “I would have thought that you could defeat me easily without cheap tricks. After all, you should possess a wealth of knowledge

contorted into a scowl, messing up

up being the very last thing

*Clinnnnk.* 

more, the sound of the metal kissing screeching into the air around us.

barely with a second to spare, and it marked the point of our fight

just a game of

even the smallest mistake here could end in a lethal blow. I was now completely reliant on my instincts as I moved, putting complete trust in my ability to sense her attacks. Despite already being so close to my limit, I needed to hold on for a

back to rest a moment. A drawback of her

more frustrated as our battle progressed, her movements becoming progressively more forceful as opposed 10 swift. It

asked, now smiling in my

dead a thousand times over by now if it weren‘t for

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UNE riunoreu

that was stolen from me.”

mortal were of equal

her attack now focusing on her full strength rather than speed. It was something I‘d anticipated... and yet was

the fact the battle had lasted this long meant something so incredibly important. Something worth fighting for. Something that gave

a kick directly to my chest, sending me flying backwards until I hit the ground roughly. I‘d tried to cushion the fall with my arms but still ended up rolling a

had hurt far worse

side to try and get up but winced from the

Make her

losing grasp on their

she then suddenly asked, walking over to

doing that,” I said, ignoring her

closed the distance between us.

forcing me onto my back once more, “...what

and wheezed at the air, desperate for the oxygen that had been stolen so aggressively. My whole body had already been aching so much from just the

you...,” she started, a frown forming between her brows.

it. The rummaging in my

End her. Get up

–Protect him.’ 

let her

said, straddling my waist to hold

have nothing to hide,” | spat, squirming

lie to

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