Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter Seven (b)

All I can do is nod as Alex tugs me away. We make our way through the crowd, tripping and staggering as fights break out left right and centre. Some people have even transformed into their wolves, and I find myself stepping on furry bodies as we make our way between the seats and into the palace itself.

Once we get inside, Alex and I follow the crowd heading deeper into the palace.

"Maids and guards as supposed to retreat to the kitchens during an attack," he explains between breaths. We're jogging now, and my muscles are starting to hurt. "We have to make it before they shut the doors."

I am suddenly concerned about my sisters. "What about the ladies of Queenstrial?"

His eyes slide to mine. "They'll head deeper underground with the royal family. There's a steel bunker somewhere in the lower floors. Don't worry about them, though; worry about yourself."

I swallow and nod, running with the terrified crowd towards the kitchens. As I do, however, my breaths become heavier, and my heart begins to beat irregularly as I attempt to keep up. Still, I'm slowing, and Alex is starting to notice.

Shit.

We pass a girl with white-blonde hair, and that's when I recognise her as the Nirnsich girl participating in the Queenstrial. For a moment, I'm confused – shouldn't she be with the other ladies in the Queenstrial?

But then I hear her wheezing gasps, and that's when it all makes sense. She fell behind.

We've all fallen behind, I realise as the last of the crowd passes right by us.

I keep trying to run, ignoring the erratic beat of my heart, but there is only so much I can do. A muscle in my legs give out, and I hit the floor face-first, gasping and gasping and gasping. Cursing, Alex hauls me upright. He looks left and right before grabbing the Nirnsich girl in one hand and me in the other, dragging us away from the crowd.

"We're not going to make it in time," he explains, his voice rushed and panicked. "I'm going to find us a safe room. I don't know where they are but it's going to be our only shot."

I nod, but my eyes sting with tears when I register what this means. We may not survive this.

The gasps of me and the Nirnsich girl fill the halls as we run through them. Screams and yells continue to echo in the distance, but I can barely hear them through the rapid thudding in my ears. We are about to make it to the end of the hall when two bulky wolves turn a corner, their eyes dark and cold. They lock onto us and snarl, and all three of us pull up to a stop. My head spins, and I try to focus on the enemy wolves approaching us.

Alex draws his broadsword, standing in front of us to protect us. If it was just one of us, he could probably use his wolf to take them down. But there's two of us, and he needs to remain human if he wants to protect us both at once.

We're screwed.

The wolves continue to snarl and growl, prowling closer with every passing second.

"Why are you doing this?" Alex yells, raising his sword. The wolves don't seem to respond; it's as though they didn't even hear him.

"Answer me!" Alex asks again, more panicked this time. The wolves are less than a few feet away, and they're going to pounce at any moment.

Alex raises his broadsword, and I brace myself. This is it. It's either life or death for us now, and the odds are not looking in our favour.

Just as I believe my life is over, a flash of black flies by my right, crashing into the two wolves. I watch in astonishment as the large, black wolf tears into the two beasts, ripping and tearing flesh. At first, the two snarl and bark in warning, but are quickly left whimpering and screeching as the black wolf tears them apart. Blood splashes on the walls. Chunks of flesh and fur fall to the floor as the beast makes absolute ribbons out of the wolves. Before long, all that is left of them are two gory mounds of fur, the black wolf panting above them.