But seeing the wolf’s carcass still lying where I felled the beast, its teeth bared in a silent snarl, destroys any thought of reconciliation.

I almost lost the most precious gift I have ever been given. I cannot bear the thought of Kerris leaving me of her own accord.

Of watching her grow to despise and resent me.

This is the way it must be. She lasted two fucking days before her life was in danger. If it had not been a wolf, it could have been a panther or a basilisk. Hell, even Leah is a threat to her safety.

I knew all these things, and yet I allowed myself to believe the lie. To pretend that I could keep her for myself.

Come with me.

For the briefest moment, I allowed myself to consider her earnest offer.

It is not as if I would be losing anything. I no longer have any friends, and all my belongings would fit inside my mother’s trunk.

But then reality hit me like a kick in the teeth.

What happiness could I possibly offer Kerris in Rosehill? I highly doubt anyone would be in search of a hunter. Even if I brought my barrel-top with me, I own no land to leave it on.

My Seelie deserves the sun, moon, and stars, but I am as penniless as the trees in these woods.

So here I stand, alone once again, staring at a wolf as lifeless as I feel.

I want to burn the beast. Actually, no. I want to revive it and kill it all over again. To bathe in its blood and let the crimson flood wash away my rage.

But there is no sense wasting meat when I barely have enough to feed myself for the week.

When I finish gutting the wolf, I tie a rope around its neck and use my pulley to hang it from one of the trees so I can skin it. The pelt would fetch a good price up north, but it would take me three days to get there and three days back—and that is if the rain stays away. The roads are treacherous enough on dry days; in mud, they are downright deadly.

Distant leaves stir, crunching on the barren ground.

I smell my former friend before I see him.

Maddox is only stealthy when he wants to be, and apparently today is not one of those days. He comes to a stop at the edge of the forest and turns his back on me.

His shunning hurts more than it should. I chose this fate for myself, after all.

Maddox and Gryffin still have their lives ahead of them and they would be fools to side with me after what I have done.

“I took her across the bridge, but there were guards,” Maddox murmurs to the high branches, his voice no more than a whisper.

At least Kerris made it safely across the bridge. “Thank you.”