Chapter 102: Only duty
Muffled growls echoed around her. Scarlett slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if her head was about to explode. A sharp pain shot through her temples, and her expression immediately contorted. Every fiber of her body vibrated with discomfort and confusion.
She tried to move, but something was holding her back. Her limbs were stiff, bound. Then the memories began to return, like sudden stabs. And with them, the fear.
She wanted to scream, but her throat only produced a muffled moan. A dirty gag squeezed her lips, preventing her from doing more than babbling.
Her vision gradually cleared. The darkness gave way to a terrifying image: her companions, tied up like her, motionless, their eyes wide with panic. Some were trying unsuccessfully to free themselves. Others were just trembling.
"Grrrr...!"
The icy sound of a growl forced her to turn her head violently. Then she saw them: a pack of silver-furred wolves, their fangs bared, tied to stakes driven into the mud. They howled and struggled with savage rage, as if the slightest mistake would set them free.
A tremor shook Scarlett from the core. The blood drained from her face.
She searched desperately for Kael, knowing with bitter certainty that he was the only one behind this. She wanted to scream at him, demand answers. Why? Why did he lie to them? What had she done to deserve this? They had barely spoken before...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The unmistakable sound of footsteps in the rain caught her attention. She slowly looked up, and there he was.
Standing on a ledge, above them all, Kael watched them with an indifferent expression. Wet from the rain, with his sword still on his back and his black eyes fixed on her as if she were part of the landscape.
For his part, Kael calmly watched the desperate expressions on Scarlett and the others’ faces. Although the others had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t let them live. That would be too stupid of him.