Sold To The Cruel Pr Chapter 69: In His Eyes

Chapter 69: In His Eyes

The wolf’s gaze was fixed on her, unblinking, sharp with focus. The snapped twig lay beneath one of its paws, half-hidden in the undergrowth. Its head was lowered, ears pricked forward, body tense in that dangerous, watchful way that ant it was deciding whether she was a threat, a al, or simply entertainnt.

Aveline knew very little about wild animals.

But she knew hunting dogs.

She had been thrown into their pen before, made a plaything for creatures that had no rcy and even less patience. More than once, she had co away bleeding. More than once, she had learned the hard way how to keep her body moving, how to make herself less easy to catch.

Her muscles tightened on instinct.

She took position.

The wolf did not retreat.

Fear crept cold and slow through her chest. The old terror returned with it—the mory of being trapped, helpless, stared at by teeth and hunger and nothing she could bargain with. Her throat tightened.

No.

She would not die here.

"Hamilton!" she shouted, her voice sharp with panic.

When they were in the cave, the wolves did not attack Helena. Maybe if Hamilton were nearby, this one would hesitate too. Maybe if that ridiculous pudgy little creature were by her side, she would not be standing here alone in front of a beast with teeth.

But Hamilton was nowhere.

The wolf shifted.

Its whole body turned toward her now, hind legs bracing, front paws settling into a more balanced stance. It was facing her properly.

Aveline knew what that ant.

It was going to attack.

Her fingers moved on instinct, reaching again for the shadows beneath the tree, trying to summon whatever strange power had answered her before.

Nothing.

The darkness did not stir. Not for her. Not at all.

Her breath caught.

Am I going to be wolf food?

The thought ca with a terrible, stunned calm, as if her mind had finally accepted what her body still refused to believe.

-----

In the distance, beneath a tree that the moonlight barely reached, Kael stood in plain sight.

He did not bother hiding.

There was no point anymore. His prince already knew he was there, and Lady Aveline—well, none of his tricks seed to work on her for long anyway. Sohow, this ridiculous choice had worked in his favor.

Earlier, he had almost given himself away, but a conveniently aggressive skunk had saved him from disaster. Now, Lady Aveline had not noticed both of them as she was... otherwise engaged.

For a mont, Theron had made him believe he was truly going to leave her there, alone in the forest.

But then, abruptly, his prince had ordered the knights to keep moving, muttering that he had "private business to handle."

Kael, the knights, and even the youngest pageboy among them all knew exactly what that private business of their liege was.

Kael had followed, of course. For so reason his liege allowed it. And now he watched as Theron stood at a distance, staring.

He had expected her to break. To cry. To give up. To co stumbling back through the trees with tears on her face, frightened and miserable.

Instead, she was there.

Kissing that hideous beast as though it were nothing more than a ridiculous kitten she had decided to adopt.

The woman had gone completely mad... and she wasn;t even thinking of him and the hurt she had caused him.

Theron had intended to keep watch over her through the night, to see how long she could possibly hold out, but she had already found shelter, gathered firewood, and acted with more determination than anyone had any right to expect from her.

He had even wanted to see how she would make the fire.

But now there was a wolf.

Theron’s fingers moved, beginning a rune ant to drive it off.

Kael stepped forward at once and knelt before him. "My liege," he said quickly, "you may not want to do that now."

Theron looked down at him, irritation already tightening his brows as the rune still flickered at his fingertips. "And why not? If this is one of your little deceptions, Shadow Strider, I—"

"She nearly killed Noctyrr earlier, sire."

The rune vanished at once.

Theron’s attention snapped fully to Kael, though even now his gaze remained torn, half on the man before him and half on the girl in the forest.

"Explain."

Kael lowered his head.

"She saved you from Noctyrr," he said. "And then, sohow, I have no idea how, she replenished your energy. As for ..." His jaw tightened. "She almost killed . I swore fealty to her, and she let

go."

Theron’s voice dropped several degrees. "Why did she want to kill you, Kael?"

Kael’s mouth pressed into a hard line.

"You know why, sire."

He clenched his jaw, though he knew very well that the gesture would not save him if his liege decided to put a sword through him for his sins. It might help, if only a little.

He still did not know why Lady Aveline had not exposed him. He did not know why she had let him live.

But he would not keep it from his prince.

If he confessed now, perhaps Theron would spare his family. If the truth reached him another way, Kael had no doubt the consequences would be far worse.

Theron’s hand shot out and seized his collar.

"You let that creature out," he said, the words low and dangerous.

Kael bowed his head once more.

He wanted to say he was sorry.

He was not.

If he had not done it, he would never have witnessed Lady Aveline’s magnificence.

"The wolf won’t hurt her, sire. I have a feeling."

Theron gave a quiet scoff, but his grip on Kael did not loosen. Feelings be cursed. His Aveline was in danger.

He turned his head toward Aveline again, still holding Kael by the collar as though he might forget to be furious if he let go. Aveline’s back was to him. The wolf faced her squarely, tense and wary, every muscle in its body drawn tight.

And then Theron saw it.

The shadows.

They shifted around her—not in any spell she was casting, not in any motion she seed aware of. They simply answered her presence, gathering and stirring in the air and at her feet like sothing alive.

The wolf’s ears twitched.

Its posture changed.

Then, slowly, almost unwillingly, it backed away.

Theron’s brows drew together in disbelief.

"What is going on?" he muttered, his voice low with wonder as he watched Aveline.