Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 67: A strange companion

"W–we should leave…" one of the Halflings muttered, fear creeping into the woman's voice.

"What about Brienna?!" The second one shot back, her tone sharpened with panic. Her eyes darted toward the trees where their companion had vanished, dragged into the dark. "We can't just abandon her."

Ruelle remained where she was in shock. She had seen it too close. The wolf's fangs had sunk deep into the Halfling's leg, blood spilling under the weak light before she was torn away into the treeline. Her shrieks had already gone silent.

Even Alanna's face had turned pale. She hadn't expected the enormous and feral beast, prowling in Sexton's shadowed woods.

"I don't want to get bitten by that thing! What do you think, Al—" one Halfling's words were interrupted at the sound of paws thudded against wet earth, fast and closing the distance.

Without a word, Alanna bolted first. She didn't so much as glance at her underlings, abandoning them to the dark as if they were nothing more than scraps of bait.

The adrenaline in Ruelle's veins rushed. She forced her body to stand, her limbs trembling with the ache of torn muscle and the sting of fresh wounds. The raindrops streaked across her cheeks as she started to run.

"AHHHH!!!" another Halfling screamed, who got bit by the wolf. The other Halfling scrambled quicker, such that Ruelle, Alanna and the Halfling scattered in three different directions.

Ruelle ran through the forest, not knowing where exactly she was headed. The raised roots on the ground felt nothing less than traps beneath her feet. Her arm throbbed where the Halfling's claw had cut her, blood soaking her sleeve.

Don't stop. Don't stop.

She was sure that the soles of her shoes were going to tear for good today!

As the rain fell, she blinked furiously, straining to see, but the forest was a maze. For one dizzying moment she thought she was alone—until the growl ripped through the dark again, closer this time.

Her legs wobbled, her body threatening to fold, but she pushed harder.

Should she climb the tree? Ruelle asked herself, not knowing if wolves knew how to climb one. Had the others escaped already? Was she the only one still trapped in this nightmare?

"So this is what they mean—out of the pan, into the fire?" Ruelle's breath came ragged, and her footsteps slowed down when she couldn't find the edge of the forest.

The rain finally stopped, leaving the forest quiet except for the drops of water dripping from the branches. Water dripped from Ruelle's lashes, strands of hair plastered to her face, her clothes clinging heavy against her skin. Each step sank into the mushy ground, her shoes squelching as if announcing her presence to whatever still prowled in the dark.

Ruelle wanted to get back to her room. Back to light, to walls, to anything but this endless nightmare of trees.

But suddenly a sharp snap was heard not too far behind her and she froze.

Slowly, she turned, and her eyes met with a pair of golden eyes emerging from the bushes. They were bright and unblinking, pinning her in place like nails.

her face, turning her paler than she

her breath, as if even

a statue, the wolf would let her go, she thought to herself. But the

slipped back on the wet ground. The sound was small,

moment, the beast

raw violence of thunder, paws hammering against the ground, its snarl tearing through the silence. Ruelle's arms jerked up

felt her head ring at the collision and her vision turned blurry for a second.

its paws pressing against her. Its growl vibrated through her bones, low at first. Her hand twitched sideways, fingers brushing something jagged and wet—a stone. The wolf's snarl deepened instantly, fangs gleaming inches away from her face. The sound rattled her so much that she let go of the stone. Her chest heaved against the weight of the wolf, lungs

darkness could shield her from the

slammed against her ribs so violently she thought it might

how she was going

but Ruelle didn't feel any pain, nor did the weight on her chest lift. The wolf was still there. Heavy, looming, its

lashes quivered as she slowly opened her

jaws, ready to rip into her throat. Instead, a quiet whimper brushed past her ear. The sound was so out of place

cheek, coarse and warm. She flinched, but the wolf only shifted lower, sitting on her with its

quickly

dare to move. She hoped the wolf would grow bored and would leave her alone. But the question was for how long she was supposed to stay in this

two, three, steady—but somewhere after sixty her numbers blurred. Had it been five minutes?

wolf

wasn't hungry right now. Maybe it was saving her

so wet, if its fur weren't dripping cold against her skin, she would have drifted off in

wolf stirred and rose, stepping on the ground. The sudden absence

from the bushes. The wolf's head whipped around, a guttural growl

a rabbit dart out from the shadows. The tiny creature bolted across the

wolf looked back. Not

statue. She carefully tried to pull her hand back, only for the wolf to nudge it, pressing her trembling fingers against

me to pat

rose from the wolf's throat. Ruelle's hand moved on its own, scratching lightly between its damp ears. To her disbelief, the wolf's eyes slipped shut, lashes lowered as

crazy, or are you…?" She whispered, staring at the creature that had hunted her. "Weren't you planning to kill me

listening. It had gone still with its nose lifted toward the dripping branches

pulled her hand back

only problem was that she didn't know which direction to take. Her eyes lifted to the moon, faint and silver through the tangle of branches. She picked a direction

to walk, she couldn't take the third step, as something tugged on her dress. The wolf's muzzle was buried in the fabric, teeth clenched just enough to tug but not

to stay?" Ruelle asked, her voice

Then came a low rumble deep in its chest. Its golden eyes held hers before

nudge at her back, the press of its cold,