Chapter 22

A valynn held Mateo tight. She didn't care about the rabbits' blood, guts, or stink. All she cared about was being close to him and holding on and not letting go. The hunt was over. They killed their prey. All that remained was carrying their prizes to the finish line. She dreaded the thought of it.

Everything would change from that moment.

Mateo would get the healing seeds he needed and return to his life in the Sublands. She would resume her position as Princess of House Stromm, heir to the throne of Faevenly. It felt as if duty bound shackles around her heart, and she shuddered at the weight and significance of her pending return to the palace. Her father and mother surely would not approve of any ties with or to a lowborn Sublander. They wouldn't understand what she had come to know about him. She also knew they would never listen to her enlightened views on the Sublands.

He cocked his head sideways. "What is it?"

She mustered a small smile. "I am relieved, that is all." Beyond the cave's mouth, daylight sliced through the night and unraveled the inky darkness. It painted the forest with a hazy gray sheen. She ached from the night's stress and physicality. But mostly, she ached at the thought of never seeing Mateo's face again. Never touching him. Never kissing him. "I am exhausted as well."

"I am tired too." He hoisted the Shadowblood carcasses on two spears. He handed one to Avalynn and kept the other. "Let's get out of here and claim our prizes."

She rested the wood on her shoulder. It was time to face the inevitable—her father and the other royal families. With Eiric and Finnian gone, there would surely be a formal inquiry. She would find out soon enough if Selene had made it back safely or met her end in the forest. "Yes, we have no choice. We must go." Life and duty awaited. She could love and live with Mateo in the Green Falls forever.

They made their way out of the cave. The sky brightened to a soft blue as the sun kept rising. She peered into the early morning sky. "I wonder where that dragon hides?"

"No idea. But if we stay in the trees, we will be fine. Do you think your father knew about it?"

"It is a possibility." She had learned the ways her father undermined and manipulated her. He'd arranged a secret marriage to Eiric and bargained with Selene. "But maybe more like a probability." The hunt had only heightened her mistrust of her father, the High King of Faevenly.

With each step through the forest, something odd and strangely sad happened between her and Mateo. A tragic distancing like a widening abyss between their souls. Like the echo of a fading melody. She sensed the silent erasure of their cherished moments together. They spoke little, walked feet apart, and their strides fell out of sync. Perhaps it was over before it began.

It was just as well .

Stormshroud recognized the inscrutable shift too. She sauntered closer to Mateo, then closer to Avalynn, as if having a hard time choosing between the two. Did Mateo feel it? The slow breaking of their connection, and her heart? If his silence was any indicator, then she had to believe he did.

The tall and clustered trees grew further apart. The dirt and leaves underfoot became grass and flowers. The sweet smell of hyacinth and daffodils tickled her nose. A kaleidoscope of butterflies flitted across her path. She wondered where they went and foolishly imagined scooping Mateo's hand and chasing after them. What would it be like to run away with him?

She would never know.

They broke from the forest and faced the flat meadow that led to the palace gardens. They faced the hunt's finish line—back to where they started. The brilliant sun rays overhead offered a bright homecoming, while inside of her darkness loomed.

Her father would not approve when she and Mateo presented their kills together. If he threatened her after she danced with Mateo at the ball and left bruises on her body, what would he do when they crossed the finish line at the same time? He would escalate the harm for sure. She would be lucky to live out her life in the dungeons while Lily took her place atop the throne. More likely, she would be disqualified for violating the High King's orders, rules, and edicts. She would be drawn and quartered like the other enemies of the Stromm crown. Maybe even banished.

Raelor the witch would react even worse. At her father's command, he could compel Mateo again, drag him across the meadow with his magic. Her father might even declare him the last place finisher and end him on the spot, along with her.

This would not end well for her or Mateo.

Mateo stopped walking. He faced Avalynn. "My world is no longer on fire. You should know that the Green Falls meant everything to me."

She nodded. "Me too… Everything." That's why she would never forgive herself if she did not try to save them both.

Closing the distance to the palace grounds, the massive structure with ivory and gold turrets and spires came into view. It sparkled like a precious stone, glinting under the sun and casting a radiant hue over the horizon.

Royal fanfare drifted toward them on the wind. Trumpets blared, and people cheered. The crowd gathered in front of the dais. With banners flapping, they formed a long walkway that stopped in front of her High King father and High Queen mother. Lily stood beside them, dressed in purple. Avalynn was not yet close enough to see their expressions, but she could well imagine her father's and mother's angry glares. She could see Lily's snicker at seeing her big sister with Mateo.

Avalynn's heart raced.

As they neared the first batch of revelers, the cheering tapered. Banners lowered. Quiet gasps and noisy whispers found her ears. The word lowborn spread like a nasty contagion and quickly rose to a din. The atmosphere morphed from celebratory to turbulent.

Heat flushed her cheeks. She needed to remember that she was Princess Avalynn Stromm of the highest house. Highborn. She was next in line to the throne. Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin and focused on the dais. Her hair in disarray, her clothing bloodied with rabbit guts, she walked as if she wore her finest threads. A regal dress of silver and gold, a crown perched on her head. She was royalty and would act every bit the part.

Close enough now, her father zoomed into perfect focus. His face filled with the fury of fifty Shadowbloods. His eyes blazed with dangerous intensity. That look sent shivers down her pond-healed spine. Every line across his rippled forehead screamed savagery. She had been right. His furrowed brow meant only one thing. He would not tolerate her defiance. The air crackled with his rage. With a twisted and evil smile, he patted Lily's head.

Lily … Her father threatened her little sister now. But she could not veer from her chosen path. She controlled the outcome. As queen, she would do things differently. Until then, she would use her considerable influence to justify doing the right thing.

She remembered when Kragar asked about her weaknesses while reviewing the hunters during training. She told herself she possessed none and placated him with the easy answer. "My weakness is confidence." But she had been wrong and knew the correct answer today, right now. Her decisions would always favor honor over self preservation. She could not forsake her duties in favor of her heart–doomed to a life of an unloved slave to her crown.

She slowed her pace. The purple finish-line ribbon crossed the pathway. It flittered and furled in a crosswind. Her mind shut off. She set love aside. Duty kicked in. She swiped her leg across Mateo's ankles, shoved him to the ground, and then darted through the ribbon.

The crowd erupted with excited cheers and even wilder laughter. She turned and saw Mateo on his knees, eyes wide and mouth open. At her betrayal, his face hardened. He locked eyes with her. "Avalynn!"

His cry cut deep into her soul as Stormshroud howled and darted between her and Mateo. Like the Enbarr on that first night, Stormy tried to bridge the gap between them. But that was impossible now. It was over. She had chosen. To protect Lily, and hopefully Mateo, she had to preserve herself first.

"I am sorry," she whispered as her vision blurred with tears and Stormy howled. If she kept her position, she could work on her father. Maybe with her intervention, she could convince him to spare the Sublands and provide them with much-needed healing seeds. She needed to survive her father to make that happen. She was no good to Mateo, Lily, or the Sublands if she was in a dungeon or dead. But alive and as a winner of the hunt with much power, she could affect a different outcome. If Mateo had won, the same could not be said about his ability to save her, Lily, or the Sublands. She hadn't seen it until now.

Brandishing his axe, Master Kragar rushed to Avalynn's side. He waved his cold weapon toward Mateo. "Take him to the dungeon! And his wolf too!"

A troop of guards sprang into action.

Mateo jumped to his feet. He jabbed his spear toward the guards. "Stormy, go!" He hollered. The wolf bolted through the guards' grasp while Mateo collapsed under the entire troop's weight.

Avalynn blinked her tears away. Her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. She turned away, unable to watch. She had fallen madly in love with Mateo and, for the first time, shared herself in the most intimate way. And now she'd betrayed him to save herself. What a wicked choice.

Kragar slammed his hand against her healed back. She thought of the waters of Green Falls as Kragar scooted her forward. "Present your prize, my princess." He winked. "First place finisher."

She had witnessed the formal presentation of the prize dozens of times. She had dreamed of this moment—herself in the winner's circle. Now that it was here, her gut twisted so hard she thought she might retch. Who had she become? Peering at her father's smug face, the answer was easy. She was her father's daughter, bruises and all. She disgusted herself and wished she'd never won.

She ripped the Shadowblood Fox from the spear's tip. She balanced it in her hands. She approached the dais. She bowed and extended her kill. "It is my great honor to present to the High King and High Queen the first place kill for this year's Summit Range Hunt."

The crowd exploded with hooting and hollering. A wicked grin spread across her father's face. Her mother offered the slightest of nods. Lily jumped up and down with a grin so wide Avalynn thought she might rip her little lips.

Behind her father loomed Raelor. His diamond eyes were sparkling with menace. A hunt attendant dashed forward with a silver tray. He took the Shadowblood, placed it on top, and stepped back.

Her father rose and raised his hand. The crowd quieted. His voice boomed. "The High Queen and I accept the prize as offered by Princess Avalynn Stromm of Summit Range. She is recognized as the first-place finisher." He turned to the left. "We also accept the forfeit of Selene Baffin of Sand Bluff. Without penalty." He turned to the right. "We honor the bravery and sacrifice of Eiric Lind of Cuesta and Finnian Baffin of High Meadow."

A series of trumpet blasts and the cheering cranked back up. She searched the crowd for Selene but didn't see her. Not that it mattered.

Her father raised both hands. As the crowd quieted again, he shot Avalynn an ominous glare. His lips curled at the edges. "The High Queen and I declare the Sublander as the last place finisher. Execution of their hunter in three days and banishment of the province in thirty days hence. As it is declared, so let it be done."