Chapter 12

Calm.

"Don't mix up cause and effect. You didn't break your vow because I asked for the separation first. I cut it off before the vow could be broken. That was the whole point. And don't tell me you were heartbroken — ending things was exactly what you wanted. Free to do what you'd been holding back on during the Bond, and then come back and re-Bond with a clean record. Less messy that way."

I paused.

"So now you've gotten tired of Vivienne. And here you are."

I looked at him.

"Declan. That's disgusting."

Each sentence landed. With each one, his face went whiter.

By the end he was swaying slightly.

And then —

Vivienne came out of nowhere.

She glared at me, her voice sharp.

"He's not disgusting. He's a good person. I made my own choice."

She was shaking. I had no intention of fighting with her. I stood up, tucked my towel and water back in my bag, and started to leave.

Vivienne's teeth were clenched.

"Wren. You don't understand him. You never cared."

"I did it willingly. You can think whatever you want about me. Call me a schemer. Say I ruined him. But I love him."

"When my father was sick — really sick, the kind where you run out of money and options — Declan gave me everything he had. No paperwork, no strings. You have any idea what it's like to be drowning and have someone pull you out? I decided that day. No matter what anyone called me. I would pay him back."

Declan was staring at her. Something moved in his face. He was genuinely shaken.

I had my bag ready.

"Paying someone back," I said quietly, "by getting them to this point — is that repaying a debt? Or making it worse?"

Her expression cracked. Something deep and settled began to come apart.

I turned to go.

She lunged forward.

Both hands to my chest. Hard.

I stumbled backward.

Hit the railing.

A sharp creak. Bolts gave way. The railing snapped.

I fell into the river below.

Declan had been leaning on that same railing. He lost his balance and went down with me.

The current was fast. It swallowed us immediately.

Underwater, I caught glimpses: Declan's arms thrashing. Vivienne on the bank, frozen in horror. The crowd starting to run.

Somewhere inside my head, a voice called out.

Cain.

The light was starting to go out when I thought I saw a shape drop into the water above me. Fast and without hesitation.

Light broken into pieces on the surface.

Bright. Unreal.

I'm sorry.

That was my last thought.

When I opened my eyes, the light was still there, very white.

I quickly understood I was in the Pack's infirmary.

What surprised me was who was sitting next to the bed.

Elara. Her eyes were swollen, like she'd been crying for a long time.

I felt a sudden, unnamed dread take hold.

I couldn't name what it was.

She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. She looked at the floor for a moment. Then she lifted her gaze to meet mine.

"Wren. You were unconscious for three days. The healer says you'll be fine now that you're awake. You're going to be okay."

"Some of the team coming down from the summit saw everything and got you and Declan out. Declan wasn't as lucky. His back took a bad hit."

My eyes moved around the room.

Where was Cain?

I tried to ask, but only rough air came out.

Elara let out a slow breath. She looked elsewhere for a moment before speaking again.

"I did it deliberately. That day I let you see me holding him. I had noticed a thread from your sleeve cover on his collar, and I kept watching after that and started putting things together. What I didn't expect was that you were the person from the Wildlands — the one who traveled with him all those years ago."

"I grew up telling myself he was just a solitary person, that he cared about me a lot and that was enough. Then I saw how he looked at you, and I understood that some things just aren't equal."

Her voice was very quiet. She almost smiled.

"When you went into the water, the current was strong. Nobody moved. He came running from halfway up the hill. He never stopped. He jumped straight in."

What I'd already guessed was now confirmed, and it only made me more afraid.

"Where is he?"

I managed to get those words out, rough and barely audible.

She looked at the window. At the trees outside.

The leaves were moving in a light breeze.

"He's dead."

The world went quiet.

I frowned, oddly.

What is Elara saying?

"The rescue team found you three kilometers downstream. You were face-down on a rock shelf, unconscious. When they found him, he was already..."

I watched her mouth move.

I kept watching it.

Something about this felt completely separate from me. Like she was talking about a stranger.

Then I felt the force of it with no warning.

I sat up.

Threw off the blanket.

Put my feet on the floor.

Got my shoes on.

Elara stared at me. "Where are you going?"

I looked at my feet. Kept working on the laces. I had no idea where I was going.

I just needed to leave.

She was quiet for a moment. Then she reached out and held up a small blue velvet box.

"I found this in his room. There's a ring inside. I think he was going to ask you. I don't know why he never did."

I went still.