1. Dacre

CHAPTER 1

DACRE

M y father's fist slammed into my jaw with a sickening crack, instantly sending a metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth. The familiar pain spread across my face like wildfire, making it hard to focus on anything else. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sound of his furious voice and the sting of tears in my eyes. But no matter how many times this happened, it never got easier to endure.

I could feel the heat of his rage radiating from him, his breath hot against my skin. I braced myself for another blow, but it didn't come.

My father's voice rumbled like thunder, filled with anger and disappointment. "You are a damn disgrace to this rebellion," he growled, the words dripping with disdain as he locked his gaze onto mine. "You were born to lead, yet you fell to your knees for her like a coward and let her slip through your fingers."

The weight of his disappointment felt heavy on my shoulders, crushing me with guilt as I stood there unable to defend myself.

"Pull yourself together and step out there." He gestured with a quick nod over his shoulder, and I swiftly brought my hand to my mouth to wipe away the blood that had escaped from my lip. "Don't you dare let them see any of this weakness. The rebellion looks to you for our future, Dacre."

His words were like another hit to the face, snapping me out of my daze. I straightened my posture and took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come.

I walked out of the warrior quarters, away from my father's piercing gaze that seemed to follow me even as I left. The tension in the air was palpable as I made my way outside, where I knew the rest of the rebellion was gathered.

They were all aware my father had an important announcement to make, but I dreaded them finding out the truth. My steps felt weighted with the heaviness of impending doom as I approached the group, their faces a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

My eyes scanned the crowd, picking out familiar faces and trying to avoid the curious stares. I finally spotted Kai and Wren standing near the front, their gazes locked on me.

Wren's narrowed eyes showed her disappointment, already aware of my betrayal, but it wasn't just her knowing look that made me uncomfortable; it was the throbbing pain in my jaw and the dried blood on my split lip that her eyes didn't veer from.

As I approached, she lifted her hand as if to touch my jaw. I flinched and swiftly swatted her hand away, before turning and keeping my gaze fixed forward. The air seemed to thicken around us like a heavy fog. My heart raced in my chest, unsure of what our father would do.

"He did this?" Wren's voice hissed through clenched teeth, trembling with emotion.

"It's not a big deal, Wren."

Kai stood beside me, his normally calm demeanor replaced with a fiery anger. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he glared up at my jaw.

He already knew what happened with Verena; he knew who she was, but even as the memory of Verena's betrayal burned in his mind, it wasn't the source of his simmering ire. Every ounce of fury was directed at the man who led the rebellion that expected blind loyalty.

But I couldn't find that allegiance with the taste of blood coating my tongue.

This wasn't the first time Kai had witnessed my father's violence toward me, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last. Even though years had passed since the first time he'd seen it, it never got any easier for him to stomach.

We had always been protective of one another, ever since we were children growing up in the rebellion together, and now, as adults fighting for our cause, that protectiveness had only grown stronger.

The faint rustle of whispers surrounded us as my father exited the warrior quarters, Reed close on his heels. I could see the anger burning in Wren's eyes and the tension in her body as she struggled to contain it.

My father's hand rose up in a commanding gesture, silencing the commotion around us. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to stay still despite the throbbing pain in my jaw.

My father's bitter voice echoed through the cave as he stood before us, his face twisted in a familiar rage. "The heir to the Marmoris Kingdom is on the run."

A sudden cascade of murmurs and shocked gasps erupted around us. My heart raced as I couldn't focus on anything other than what he had just said, the weight of his words heavy in the air. He hadn't referred to her by name, but instead as the heir.

Because that was all she was to him.

"And she has been hiding within our ranks."

The room erupted into chaos, voices rising in confusion and astonishment, but I just continued to stare ahead at my father.

My father's eyes swept over each of us, his gaze lingering on me before moving on.

"For weeks, Nyra has been secretly training with our warriors," my father continued, his voice filled with disgust. "We're not sure if she was sent by the king or acting of her own accord."

The room fell silent at the mention of Nyra's name.

My father's gaze shifted to me, his eyes boring into mine as if he were searching for something.

"I want all of you to search for her," he commanded. "Bring her to me."

I could feel the others watching me, the weight of their eyes bearing down on me like a branding iron searing through my skin. I could feel the disappointment radiating from them, each gaze sharp and accusing.

"The future of our rebellion depends on finding her!" My father's voice reached a fevered pitch. I held my breath, having no damn clue what he would say next. The air around us crackled with tension as we stood like the soldiers he demanded us to be, waiting for his next spiteful words. "The king will do anything in his power and use every resource to find her. We should have never been so careless to let her escape."

His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and penetrating like daggers.

Guilt gnawed at me as I held his gaze. But the weight of the truth was what bore down on me until I felt like I would suffocate. My father didn't need my truth. I'd been the one to let her run. I had fucked her like she meant nothing to me and let her run.

But all he knew was that I had allowed her to get away.

My father knew she wouldn't have stood a chance at escaping unless I allowed it, and I had.

And that was the only truth he needed.

But I didn't regret it.

Regret flooded my veins like poison, but not for letting her go. I couldn't force myself to regret that.

"The princess is to be found and brought back to me. I don't care if the life has been drained from her body or if she's barely breathing. We do not allow the heir to get back to the palace."

Wren snarled, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared at our father, but he didn't spare her a glance. Verena had been the first person I had seen Wren open up to since our mother's death, and now she was gone.

And I could feel Wren's allegiance to our father wavering with every word he spoke against her. It didn't matter that Verena had lied to her as well. She was her friend.

I had expected this reaction from our power-hungry father, but I couldn't let myself think about a single one of them laying a finger on her because if they fucking hurt her… I cracked my neck in an attempt to calm myself down.

She was a fucking traitor . I knew that to be true. She was a little traitor, and she lied to me over and over again. She lied to all of us, and I was so damn angry, even if I couldn't blame her for doing so.

I was unsure if anything she had told me was true, if anything I had felt…

Fuck .

I couldn't let myself go there. Not now.

Not when my father was already looking at me as if I had betrayed him in a way that no one else ever had.

But even as I tried to push her lies and her soft moans from my mind, I couldn't push her out completely. I couldn't stop thinking about the way she had looked at me when her true name slipped past my lips. The look of betrayal in her eyes as she stared back at me before running from my room.

The scars on her back were the last damn thing I saw as she ran from me.

Her father. That was what she told me. Her father was the one who had given her those scars, and I believed her, even now, even if it had only been a half-truth.

She told me it was her father, but she failed to mention it was the king.

The mere thought of the king sent a surge of primal rage coursing through my veins. Images of retribution and blood-red vengeance consumed my mind, overshadowing any previous hatred I had for the man.

I wanted him to beg for my mercy and struggle for breaths under my grip as I tightened my hand around his throat. I wanted to feel his fear beneath my fingers as I watched the life slowly drain from his eyes.

I had never wanted someone's blood on my hands in the way that I craved his.

Because I had never wanted to protect someone as badly as I wanted to protect her. And that thought left me torn and unsettled. She was the last person who deserved my protection.

A sharp pain stabbed my chest as the thought crept into my mind, but I gritted my teeth and pushed it away.

"We will divide our efforts and scour every corner of the kingdom. We won't leave a single stone unturned until she is found. If anyone is found harboring her, kill them. Just bring her to me!"

Many nodded their heads at my father's instructions, but I didn't. I would find her, but it wouldn't be for the benefit of him, or this rebellion.

Reed spoke close to my father's ear, drawing his attention away from the crowd who began murmuring among themselves.

The pounding of my heart echoed in my ears as I dug my nails into my palms. With every thought of her, the loyalty that had become so ingrained in who I was slipped further from my grip. I was the rebellion leader's son, but she had wrecked everything I knew.

My mind was in utter chaos. Anger, betrayal, regret. My mother had sacrificed everything for this cause, for this rebellion. My whole life had been molded for what was to come once we won, yet the only thought that continued to run through my head was, W hy didn't I go with her?

A whirl of tangled, conflicting thoughts fought and clawed at each other, causing my head to throb.

But one thing was clear, I would not let my father find her.

My gaze was pulled toward my sister, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she looked up at me. The intensity of her glare made me shift uncomfortably, like I was suddenly standing on a wire that could break at any moment.

"I'm going to find her." My voice came out in a strained, determined tone, more forceful than I had intended to allow myself.

The corners of her eyes crinkled in fury, and I could feel the heat of her anger radiating toward me as if I could reach out and touch it.

"I don't want you to find her." She moved closer to me, and I felt Kai shift at my side. "I don't want you or our father anywhere near her."

"Don't lump me with him."

"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow and leaned back, her sharp eyes scanning me up and down. "It seems like you've been taking your training with him seriously. You're truly beginning to resemble the man," she said, her tone dripping with venom.

And she hit her mark.

We both knew I had no real idea about who I wanted to be in this world, but I was absolutely certain that I didn't want to be anything like him.

I could see my father turn to look at us out of the corner of my eye, but I tried to ignore him. "I am nothing like him."

"Then you find her." Wren narrowed the distance between us and jabbed her index finger into my chest. "You find her and don't you dare bring her back here, Dacre."

I stared down at my sister, and I was about to open my mouth, when our father interrupted us.

"Dacre, you are with me." His words were laced with a tone of authority, one that I had grown accustomed to over the years.

"Kai, Wren, and I were just discussing our plan to head out on the search," I lied, but I knew neither of them would disagree with me.

Wren could be mad at me all she wanted, but she'd always have my back.

"That's not going to happen. You are with me. Kai and Wren will be staying in the city until we return."

Wren squared her shoulders, preparing for another round of arguing, but when her gaze met mine, I gently shook my head.

This wasn't a battle we wanted, not when there would still be a war to fight.

"What's the plan?" I asked, trying to sound as if I wasn't ready to burn this entire damn kingdom to the ground before I'd let him touch her.

My father's eyes narrowed. "We'll head north first. The princess will most likely be trying to get back into the palace. We need to be prepared to stop her."

"She's not going to the palace." I spoke without thinking, but even if I was with my father, I couldn't waste time heading north when I knew Verena would be heading as far away from the palace as she could get.

"Did she tell you that when you let her run?" my father snapped, his nostrils flaring.

I clenched my fists, trying to hide my frustration.

"No, but I know her better than that," I replied, meeting his gaze head-on. "She's not stupid. She knows the palace is where we'd be looking for her."

Another lie for the little traitor.

I shouldn't have been lying for her. I shouldn't have cared about where she was at all, but I fucking did.

My father's expression hardened. "She won't last long out there. We'll find her. We won't stop until she's captured and brought back here."

"We will." I agreed with my father for the first time in a long time. I was going to find her, but I wouldn't be bringing her back here.