Chapter 33
Gregory
We fled Oakgon like people escaping a contagion, but the rumors followed us. Word of the damned jester’s ruined house had already spread down the lane, and townsfolk gawked, only turning away once when we had passed.
At the gate, the reverence from our arrival had curdled into dread.
The guards who had bowed before now stiffened as I approached.
They shoved Thunder’s reins into my grip, no longer seeing a Lord, but the monster of legend—the Unholy Alpha.
The fear in their eyes was naked, a stark reminder that to them, I was nothing but destruction waiting to happen.
Eager to leave everything behind, I urged Thunder forward down the path into the woods.
The forest floor was still wet and treacherous, making the horse’s footing uncertain and the pace agonizingly slow.
After several hours, we finally stopped, but only because Evan’s discomfort became too obvious to ignore.
He slid from the saddle, wincing as his legs trembled beneath him. When it was time to move again, he refused. “I’m not doing it,” he said, stepping closer. He darted a glance toward Harren, then leaned in to whisper, “My ass is ruined, and it’s entirely your fault.”
The moment the words left his lips, he turned beet red, the color crawling up his neck.
I barked a rough laugh. “My sweet Evan, so blunt and unashamed.”
He burned deeper, turning his face away even as he crossed his arms. “You weren’t the one who fell asleep with something stuck inside you,” he muttered.
My laughter faded as heat rushed through my blood at the memory of how tightly his body had clenched around mine.
I cleared my throat and turned away, seeking distraction, and loosened the straps of Thunder’s saddle pack, the leather warm from the sun.
“Harren,” I called, “we’ll make camp here and rest until morning. ”
“Hey. I’m not doing that either,” Evan complained.
I let go of the straps, and they thudded against the surface of the ground. I straightened, tensing my shoulders as I faced him. “I heard you,” I said.
He bit his lip as the summer breeze played with his copper hair. “I want to jump. All of us. Back to home.” He clasped his palms together in a hopeful plea.
“No.” The denial was automatic, and I crossed my arms. “We ride.”
“I am not accepting that.” Evan planted his hands on his hips, and that defiant fire I was coming to crave ignited in his gaze. “I know how to use my magic now. The memories showed me. I want to practice.”
A phantom ache flared deep in my ribs, a brutal reminder of our portal jump from Emberfall Cliffs. I’d never told him the landing had been a shattering impact that broke me inside. He was already carrying enough pain without my own added to the burden. But this was different.
I ran my hand through my hair and let out a frustrated exhale. “Are you certain you can control it? It’s not just me this time, Evan. If something goes wrong, Harren or the horses could get hurt.”
“Jump?” Harren interrupted. He’d moved closer, drawn by our raised voices despite himself. He seemed as if he would rather be anywhere else, but curiosity apparently got the best of him. “What are you talking about?”
Evan turned to him. “I can open a portal without the need of crystals,” he said, not understanding the terrifying power he was describing.
Harren’s complexion went pale, a sickly gray under the grime of the road. He recoiled, stumbling back until he grabbed the harness of his horse. He hauled himself onto his mount in a desperate scramble, fumbling with the reins. “I won’t be a part of this. I’ll ride. I’ll meet you in Mossfen.”
“Where is he?” I asked Harren as he turned to leave. “Haven’t spotted the wolf.”
Harren stiffened as he diverted his gaze.
“Probably just sliding his knot off the omega he was with last night.” A wan, sad smile flickered on his lips before he cleared his throat and adjusted his grip.
He glanced back over his shoulder, tears gathering in his reddened eyes.
“I’ll make better time alone. I need to stop at Crowedge.
” His voice fell almost to a whisper. “Please, don’t try to fight me on this. ”
I sucked a breath through my teeth. Adam’s order to force Harren along had caused more harm than good. “I will cover for you with Adam and William.”
Harren spurred his horse, galloping away without a backward glance as his quiet, “Thank you,” drifted back. Evan found my fingers, squeezing once, and I returned the pressure.
The drumming of hoofbeats faded into the forest, and Evan’s brow furrowed, his thumb rubbing anxious circles against my skin. He lifted his gaze in question, finding mine. “Why did you let him go?”
“He asked me not to stop him. He has his own will.” I laced our fingers together and brought them up, kissing the knuckles and brushing my nose over his skin to leave my scent there. “Harren has always been reliable and strong. Even if he carries that shame about what he is.”
Evan stared back at the empty path. “He reminds me of some of the kids I used to help,” he murmured, squeezing my hand gently.
“Lost. Angry at the world for things they couldn’t control.
” He faced me again. “The woman who raised me, Anita… She used to pray with me every night. For the ones who lost their path, the ones who let bitterness take root. I hope he doesn’t do anything he regrets. ”
He pulled away, creating a small space between us as the moment of reflection passed and his face hardened in determination. “Let’s go home. Let me jump us back,” he said, squaring his shoulders. “I promise, it will work. Trust me on this one too.”
He kept his eyes fixed on mine, unwavering despite the pleading tone in his words. I allowed the moment to linger, observing the determination evident in him. He was seeking my trust, revealing a vulnerability beneath his demand.
A deep sigh escaped me. “Alright. Let’s do it,” I said, stepping back to give him space.
“Grab Thunder’s reins,” Evan instructed. “Don’t let go of my hand.”
I gripped the thick leather in one fist and his smaller, warmer fingers in the other as I complied. I squeezed him tight, my heart kicking up as anticipation and dread warred in my chest. “And now?”
“Don’t close your eyes.”
“Okay,” I agreed, hesitantly.
He flashed that nervous smile and took a deep breath. “Here we go.”
Evan’s face softened as he placed his free hand flat over his heart. He lifted his foot and drove it down. The moment his boot struck the earth, the forest vanished in a sideways lurch through a widening seam in the world.
Doors opened and closed all around us, revealing quick flashes of towering metal and glass structures scraping skies choked with unnatural light. Roaring steel beasts moved without horses. People rushed past in a blur.
This was his world. This chaotic, impossible place was where he’d come from. I tightened my grip on his hand, an anchor in the strangeness, and my blood thundered as the visions swirled around us.
The strange sights collided with images from the life he now inhabited: a burning city street, a serene yard under a windswept sky, the cabin hearth glowing.
The passage snapped shut the moment Evan’s boot planted on soft earth. Disoriented, I blinked. We weren’t at the cabin. We stood in a wide field in Mossfen, surrounded by purple, orange, and blue blossoms so vivid they seemed alive.
Our arrival sent a shockwave through the glade, causing butterflies to erupt from the grass like scattered jewels.
Flower petals swirled in the air around us as Thunder snorted and tossed his dark mane, though the smell of the fields seemed to quickly calm him.
He relaxed after a moment, ears flicking, but he stayed close.
My mind was still spinning from the journey when Evan’s hold slipped. He staggered sideways, his cheeks pale despite the magic’s lingering flush, and his eyes shone brightly as they locked with mine.
“How was it?” he asked breathlessly. “Did I do good?”
“Marvelous.” Evan’s lids fluttered, his knees buckling before the word fully left my lips. Dropping Thunder’s reins, I caught him as he collapsed. Scooping him up, I held him close to my chest.
He blinked, and a faint smile played on his lips, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Wonder and exhaustion fought on his face. “Did you see it? My world?”
“Strange,” I admitted. The rush of metal beasts and glass towers ran through my mind. “But beautiful. Like you.” Lowering my head, I pressed my forehead to his and kissed him, a soft claim against the lingering magic on his skin.
We stayed like that for a breath, his weight in my arms anchoring me after the disorienting rush of the jump. His eyes drifted closed, and his breathing evened out.
Someone cleared their throat nearby, and I straightened, turning with Evan still cradled against me.
Genevieve stood a few feet away, a basket of cut flowers at her feet.
She had likely been working in the field when we arrived.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat to shield her from the sun, paired with her usual brown work dress.
Her hands were planted on her hips, a broad smile playing on her lips, though her eyes held a hint of seriousness.
“Well now,” she said, her words carried over the field. “You two arrived just in time.”