The King's Prey (Unedited Edition)

Chapter 15 : Crossing Lines

Elysian • [uh-li-zhn]
Beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect.

🖤

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Conditions like these were not made for humans like me. I'm unfortunately learning this the hard way. Every step I take leaves a burning, aching sensation in my legs as I continue my sprint through the trees. My shoeless feet have numbed from the freezing temperatures along with the rest of my body.

Time feels skewed with the endless snow that falls from the sky. I would be lying if I didn't say my stupidity got the better of me. I should've stayed and hidden, should've just waited out Samuel's return. But who knows how long it would've taken for that wolf to break through the glass and rip me to shreds with its teeth.

One thing's for sure though: I'm lost. Utterly and idiotically lost in these godforsaken woods. Every breath I take ignites my lungs. Every step that connects with the ground lights up my groaning bones.

I finally slow my sprint after what feels like forever to give my legs a rest. Continuing to grip the knife in my one good hand, I peer around the dark and eerie space. If I didn't already have chills—if I wasn't about to go into a state of hypothermia—, my arms would be crawling with goosebumps.

I can't tell if I've been running in circles or not. All I know is I made a beeline for anywhere away from that damn house. I bring my steps to a stop, standing in a small clearing as tears begin to sting my eyes and blind my vision.

Unable to catch my breath anymore, the sobs choke out all of the air in my chest. I try relaxing my mind, numbing the thoughts I've been strenuously avoiding since this all began. I bring my hands above my head, hoping it'll calm the panic attack that's settling in.

It's not your fault, I repeat the words in my head over and over again until I can't hear them anymore.

The guilt of it all makes my body collapse into the freshly fallen snow. I don't pay attention to how damp my thin layer of clothes already is and how sitting in this damn blizzard only makes it worse.

I throw my head back as if surfacing for some fresh air, wanting to create an open airway for it. The bright moon above me shines down on my skin, and while I know the moon normally doesn't provide heat for the earth I swear for a moment I can feel some kind of warmth radiating off of its surface, calling to me and urging me to fight.

I shake my head, denying the strange sensation. I can't.

I'm done fighting when I know I'll end up dead. Jace and Bianca never deserved this. Max never deserved this. Mylithia never deserved this. At this point, surviving has become a hopeless cause.

I've been fighting this same battle with myself for weeks, fighting to push through every obstacle I've encountered up until now. This though...This is my breaking point.

Suddenly, a howl echoes through the forest and some of my senses come back into place. The disorientation doesn't help as I try to identify which direction it came from, but I peer around to look for any movements among the trees. I stifle my sobs just to hear better.

Not even a minute later, several more similar noises bounce through the vast forest in response and my body stiffens as a result. The howls sound uninvitingly close and command me back on my feet. My legs groan from the effort, but I try my hardest to ignore the pain.

I start moving, knowing if I stay in one spot they'll surely find me. The wind slows my pace but my persistent steps are full of the fear of being eaten alive.