Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rain poured relentlessly from the heavens, soaking Helena to the bone as her father dragged her through the overgrown path. Her boots skidded across slick stones, and her wrists ached from the iron grip he had on her arm.
“Let me go!” she cried, twisting against him. Her voice broke with desperation. “What are ye doin’? Where are ye takin’ me?”
Chester didn’t answer, his face a mask of stony resolve as he yanked her forward. His boots crushed the wet leaves beneath them, his broad shoulders hunched against the rain.
“Faither, please!” Helena screamed. “Ye cannae do this! Ye’ve lost yer mind!”
“Quiet,” Chester growled.
Helena tried to dig her heels into the muddy path, but he was much stronger. Every attempt to wrest herself free was met with a harder tug, jerking her forward and nearly off her feet. Her tears mingled with the rain, her heart pounding with fear and frustration.
“Why are ye doin’ this?” she pressed, her voice trembling. “What have I done to deserve this?”
Chester stopped abruptly, spinning to face her. His face was red with fury, droplets of rain running down his weathered skin.
“What have ye done?” he barked. “Ye’ve shamed me, lass! Marryin’ that brute without askin’ for me permission? Thinkin’ ye could run off and live yer life?”
Helena flinched as he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. The sting burned hot against the cold rain, and she gasped, stumbling back.
“Ye should’ve thought harder before betrayin’ yer own blood,” Chester snarled.
He seized her arm again, dragging her toward the shadowed tree line that followed the river.
Helena’s chest heaved with sobs as she stumbled along behind him. “Betrayed ye? Is that what ye think this is?” Her voice cracked with anger. “I did what I had to do to stop this madness! This war has cost us everything, Faither! It’s killed our kin—”
“Enough!” Chester bellowed. “This war’s nae over, and it’ll end when I say it does!”
Helena’s stomach churned as his words sank in. “What does that mean?” she demanded. “What are ye plannin’?”
Chester’s lips curled into a cruel smile, his dark eyes gleaming with malice. “I’ll tell ye what I’m plannin’, lass. I’m takin’ ye back. I’ll marry ye off to the highest bidder—someone with the coin and the men to finally crush that MacAllister swine and his kin.”
Helena’s breath caught in her throat, her horror bubbling to the surface. “Ye cannae mean that,” she gasped.
“Oh, but I do,” Chester said, his tone cold. “It’s time ye stopped thinkin’ that yer life is yer own. Ye’re me daughter, and ye’ll do as I say.”
“Why so much hatred, Faither? Why?!”
“Ye cannae ken me reasons, child,” he growled. “Ye cannae ken what it is like to lose the woman ye love!”
“So ye would take me from the man I love?!” Helena’s fury boiled over, and she dug her heels into the ground again, trying to wrench free of his grasp. “I’ll nae let ye do this!” she shouted, her voice trembling with rage. “I’ll nae let ye sell me like cattle!”
Chester’s grip on her tightened painfully, his patience snapping. “Ye dinnae have a choice, lass. Ye’re mine, and ye’ll do as ye’re told.”
They passed by the crumbling outer wall of the ruined fort, its jagged stones slick with moss and rain. Helena’s mind raced, her heart thundering in her chest. She knew she couldn’t overpower him, but she spotted an opportunity, a momentary lapse in his focus as he adjusted his grip.
Gritting her teeth, she suddenly threw her weight sideways, slamming her body against his with all her strength. The impact sent Chester stumbling, his back colliding with the stone wall. He grunted in surprise, his grip loosening just enough for her to pull free.
Without hesitation, she turned and ran, her breath coming in panicked gasps.
The forest loomed before her, dark and foreboding despite the dim daylight filtering through the branches overhead. The undergrowth was thick with brambles and thorny vines, but she didn’t care.
“Helena!” Chester’s voice roared behind her, filled with rage. “Get back here!”
She ran faster, her lungs burning with the effort, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Branches tore at her arms and face, leaving thin, stinging cuts. The undergrowth clawed at her skirts, threatening to trip her, but she pushed forward, determined to put as much distance between herself and her father as possible.
Her breaths came in ragged bursts, each one mixing with the sound of cracking sticks beneath her boots. The forest seemed alive with noise, the creaking of branches, the rustling of leaves, and the relentless thudding of Chester’s boots.
“Ye’ll nae escape me, lass!” he bellowed, his voice echoing through the trees.
Helena’s chest tightened, her fear threatening to consume her. But she forced herself to focus, her eyes scanning the darkened woods for any sign of a path or a hiding place. She couldn’t let him catch her. She wouldn’t.
Her fingers grazed the rough bark of a tree as she veered to the right, hoping to lose him in the dense undergrowth.
“Helena!” Chester’s voice was closer now, his tone furious.
She bit back a sob, her resolve hardening. “Ye’ll nae take me, Faither!” she shouted over her shoulder, her voice defiant.
The forest seemed to close in on her, the dim light barely piercing the canopy above. Her hands pushed away low-hanging branches, the sharp edges of leaves slicing at her fingers.
The sound of Chester’s pursuit was relentless, his heavy boots pounding against the forest floor. She could hear his curses, his threats, each one driving her forward.
The forest seemed endless, a maze of shadows and rain. But Helena refused to give in. Her fear was matched only by her determination to escape, to find her way back to Alexander, or to lose Chester in the depths of the woods.
“Ye’ll nae run forever, lass!” Chester’s voice was closer than before.
Helena’s heart pounded, and her vision blurred with tears and rain. She pushed forward, her heavy breaths mixing with the storm, her desperation driving her through the endless maze of trees.
“Helena!” Chester boomed, his tone dripping with malice. “Ye cannae run from me, lass! Ye’ll do as I say, or by God, ye’ll regret it!”
Helena’s chest tightened, and she bit back a sob. She clung to one thought, one desperate hope: the horses. If she could make it back to the horses, she could warn Alexander, or at least escape and find help.
“Ye’ll never control me!” she screamed over her shoulder, her voice hoarse. “I’m nae yer pawn, Faither! I’m married, and I’ll have Alexander’s bairns! This feud will end with me!”
Chester’s cruel laughter cut through the storm, sending a chill down her spine. “Ye daft, wee fool,” he shouted back, his footsteps drawing closer. “Ye think ye can decide how this ends? Ye’ve always been childish and stupid! Ye’ll do as I say, or I’ll drag ye back meself!”
The thought of Alexander gave her strength. She had to find him, warn him, save him if she could. She couldn’t let Chester win. Not now, not ever.
The forest seemed endless. Her lungs burned, and her muscles screamed for relief, but she refused to stop. Then, as she broke through a dense thicket, she saw him.
“Alexander!” she cried, her voice cracking with relief.
He stood in the small clearing, his dark hair clinging to his face, his shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths. His tunic was torn, his sword in hand, and his piercing hazel eyes widened as she stumbled toward him.
Helena collapsed into his arms, her body trembling as he caught her. She clung to him, her fingers gripping his soaked tunic as sobs wracked her frame.
“Helena,” he murmured, his voice low and steady. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as if shielding her from the storm itself. “Ye’re safe now, lass. I’ve got ye.”
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her doe eyes searching his face.
Despite the bruises and cuts, he was alive, and that was all that mattered. Without thinking, she reached up and pressed her lips to his, the kiss filled with all the fear and relief that had consumed her.
He kissed her back, his arms tightening around her, and for a moment, the storm and the forest faded away. It was just the two of them, their love a shield against the chaos.
“Alexander,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Me faither, he’s close. We’ve got to go. He’ll—”
Before she could finish, a crashing sound came from the trees ahead, and Chester emerged from the shadows. His face was twisted with fury, his eyes narrowing as he took them in.
“So, this is where ye’ve run to, is it nae?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “I should’ve kenned ye’d crawl back to him, lass. Ye’ve nay loyalty to yer blood.”
Alexander stepped in front of Helena, his broad shoulders shielding her from her father’s glare. His sword remained steady in his hand.
“She’s me wife now, Chester,” he said, his voice low but firm. “She belongs with me, and ye’ll nae take her.”
Chester sneered, taking a step closer. “Yer wife? Ye think that means something? She’s me daughter, MacAllister, and I’ll do with her as I please.”
Helena’s fists clenched, and she stepped out from behind Alexander. “Nay, ye will nae!” she shouted, her voice filled with defiance. “I’m nae a wee lass ye can order around anymore, Faither! I’ve made me decision, and I’ll stand by it. Alexander is me husband, and I love him!”
Alexander’s gaze flicked to her, a hint of surprise in his hazel eyes. He turned back to Chester.
“This feud between our clans is pointless,” he said, his voice unwavering. “It has brought nothin’ but death and ruin to us both. But it ends here, Chester. Helena and I will make somethin’ better. Our clans can have a future if only ye’d see reason.”
Chester barked out a laugh, his shoulders shaking with cruel amusement. “Reason? Ye think love and pretty words will stop me? Ye’re a fool, MacAllister, and so is me daughter.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. “Ye cannae come between us,” he said. “I’ll fight ye if I must, but Helena stays with me. She’s nae a pawn in yer schemes.”
“Ye’ll be dead before the day’s end, MacAllister,” Chester sneered, his voice low and menacing.
As if on cue, the sound of footsteps echoed through the trees, and Helena’s heart leaped into her throat.
Chester grinned, his eyes gleaming with triumph. “Do ye hear that?” he taunted. “That’ll be the end of ye, lad.”
Alexander raised his sword, his stance unwavering. Helena stepped closer to him, her hand brushing his arm, her breath catching as the footsteps drew nearer.
The figure that emerged from the trees wasn’t one of Chester’s men. It was Michael, his tunic bloodied but his sword drawn, his expression grim and determined.
“Nae today,” he said, his voice steady despite the pain etched on his face.
Helena’s breath caught, hope blooming in her chest as she looked between the two men. Alexander nodded at his brother, who had come to his aid despite his injury, his expression fierce.
Helena stepped back, her heart racing as the tension crackled in the air. She knew this fight wasn’t over, and she truly feared what was about to happen. She could see Alexander was tired, still recovering from his injury, and that Michael was also injured, even if he tried to hide it.
She didn’t want her father dead, despite everything he’d done to her. She truly wanted peace, but she knew there was no way to stop the two feuding Lairds.
“Let’s finish this,” Alexander said, his voice filled with resolve. “Protect Helena, Michael. Return her to our home, nay matter what happens.”