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Chapter : 42
Tris didn’t even pause to breathe as he struck the wolf lunging for Jack’s neck, throwing himself in front of the boy to shield him from the attack. The floor grew more and more soaked with blood. Red droplets splattered across Tris’s entire body—yet not a single one of them was his.
“Tris!”
Peta arrived, sword drawn, a heartbeat too late. And he wasn’t the only one. The people who had been frozen in place, staring blankly at Tris fighting, grabbed axes and ran forward. Until now, their fear of wolves had kept them out of the Riverun Forest. Before such merciless beasts, they had been nothing more than prey.
But someone had stepped forward to fight. Courage surged up before they knew it. Strength flooded their limbs. Their hearts pounded wildly in their chests as if to prove they were alive. The scream burst out of them all by itself.
Waaaaaaaah!
Emblin was staying in her bedroom with ledgers in hand. She’d spent all of yesterday in the office, but she still hadn’t finished reading. Most of it she couldn’t understand, but she couldn’t put it down. She read in the bedroom because she never knew when Tris might barge in.
She didn’t know how much time passed when suddenly something rang out from outside.
Aahhh! Kyahhh!
Emblin shot to her feet before she realized what she was doing. It sounded like Kishi and Lea screaming. Gooseflesh rushed over her body. She couldn’t stay still. Heat flushed into her chest and her body moved before she had time to think.
Emblin ran out and looked down over the railing—and nearly screamed. A wolf. A pure white wolf from head to tail had entered the hall. Kishi and Lea were collapsed right in front of it.
Emblin’s expression hardened. What do I do? I don’t have any strength—what do I do?!
Her body moved once more without thinking. She snatched a torch from the wall and ran.
“No!”
Her voice thundered through the hall. Emblin could barely hear the sound that came out of her own mouth. She was so terrified she felt half-mad, yet her feet were already flying down the stairs. There wasn’t a shred of thought about what she planned to do. She just… wanted to protect them. That was all.
“Stop!”
Tris whipped around. He opened his mouth to say it wasn’t what she thought—that it was him—and then something jolted through his chest. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Could it be her? Was it really Emblin?
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes shining colder than a star in the night sky. But what seized him most was the resolve burning across her face.
A shiver whipped down his spine. His lips parted on their own. He was overwhelmed—utterly struck speechless. The Emblin he’d known until now vanished from his mind. Only the woman standing before him existed.
She was a delicate woman—called a princess of the tower, no less—yet she had run here to save others. Emblin looked like a warrior sent by God. She looked strong—royal. He had never felt so overpowered in his life.
He even forgot he had a wolf hide slung over his shoulder.
Emblin blinked, not believing what she saw. Tris? Was he carrying the wolf carcass?
“Tris?”
Tris nodded and finally dropped the wolf body from his shoulder with a thud. He had killed many wolves in the Riverun Forest, and among them there had been a white one. The moment he saw its pristine coat, he thought of Emblin. It would make a beautiful cape for her.
So he had gotten off his horse without thinking and carried it back, which caused the entire misunderstanding. Kishi, hearing the footsteps, had screamed first. Lea, hearing the scream, followed. And then Emblin came.
Tris opened his mouth.
“I caught it in the Riverun Forest. I thought it would suit you, so I brought it…”
Emblin erupted.
“Are you insane?!”
She couldn’t describe how terrified she had been. She’d read about the Riverun Forest in the ledgers today—wolves, their swelling numbers, how they came down to villages to eat people once their food ran short. The moment she read that and then saw a white wolf, she assumed the worst.
Tris raised both hands.
“We killed quite a few wolves, and the villagers can finally eat meat again, so—”
No, that wasn’t what he meant to say. The excuses just spilled out. Damn it. His thoughts tangled. He felt like an idiot. A fool. What was he even doing?
Then Emblin spoke, firm and unwavering.
“Tris.”
He met her eyes—dark as a storm-tossed sea. Thud. Thud. His heart hammered. Something in her gaze kept ripping away his reason.
Emblin drew in a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“Apologize.”
The invisible thread of reason holding him snapped. Tris stepped toward her, reached out a hand, and said,
“I’m sorry.”
His hand cupped the back of her neck. He bent his head and crushed his mouth against hers.
His lips were rough, harsh enough to bruise—hot and clumsy against hers.
It happened in an instant. Emblin’s eyes flew open as she stared at him. He was kissing her—his cracked lips sealing over hers. They were burning hot. His breath scalded her mouth.
His mouth parted, and Tris angled his head and devoured her lips—swallowed them. Her brow furrowed helplessly. She felt entirely consumed. Even as he sucked her lips like she belonged to him, she couldn’t move—not a finger. Her whole body was frozen solid.
At last, he tore his lips away and lifted his head. He swept her lips with his fingertip once, then hauled her into his chest.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
His heart beat so wildly she felt it pounding against her own ribs. Emblin blinked. She heard nothing but his heartbeat. Felt nothing but his heat.
Tris held her tighter, pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, and whispered softly,
“I’m sorry.”
Then he stooped, grabbed the wolf’s tail, and, without looking back, dragged it out of the hall.
“I’ll tan this myself and bring it back to you.”
Gods. He was losing his mind. His heart was going to explode. He had never once broken a vow, and now he had shattered one with his own hands.
The moment he stepped outside, Tris roared.
That evening, the village of Buruk held a festival. For the first time in ages, they feasted on meat. They chattered excitedly about all the wolf pelts they could tan and sell. Tris, unexpectedly, kept only what he needed and gave the rest to the villagers—letting them earn money for the first time in years.
The mood was wild, intoxicating. No one imagined such a day would come. The air buzzed like everyone was drunk on fermented drink. Peta, Ron, and Shon joined in. Fighting wolves side by side had formed a bond stronger than they realized.
Only one man did not celebrate—Tris.
He, who had made the feast possible, stood silent at the edge of the crowd. His face blank, lips sealed, eyes shadowed. The bonfire light flickered across his features in dark, shifting bands.
A few days later, construction of the barricade finished at astonishing speed. Sturdy logs woven tight into a three-meter wall, with a watchtower besides. It breathed life into the dying village. Men volunteered for watch duty. Some even wanted to train as soldiers.
Tris watched silently as everyone worked without stopping. At last, they would ride to Redian Middle Village to buy food. He had always planned to go with them, so he waited until their preparations were finished. The party would be three, including Jack.
Finally, Jack said,
“We’re ready.”
“Let’s go.”
Tris replied curtly and mounted his horse. He left Peta behind—if something happened while he was gone, someone strong needed to be there. With the wall built and Ron and Shon remaining—whose skills had sharpened thanks to Peta’s daily drilling—they would manage.
Someone—or something—made Tris turn to look back. Winter Garden. He hadn’t gone there in days.
Emblin…
His hand drifted to his mouth.
He had kissed her.
Pressed his lips to her red ones—and sucked them like they were his.
His eyes darkened.
Whenever he lay down, he thought of her.
He could picture every curve of her slender body from when he held her, clear as day—and it robbed him of sleep.
His nerves frayed more each night.
He knew Peta noticed.
He didn’t know what to do.
He had never felt anything like this before.
Tris drew in a deep breath.
“Peta.”
When Peta approached, Tris said quietly,
“I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Good. I’ll trust you.”
Redian Middle Village was a day’s ride away. Its once-thriving market was long gone, but travelers still came and went, so trade still happened from time to time. And it was the closest settlement—otherwise they’d have to travel all the way to the capital.
With a blank face, Tris kicked his horse’s flank.
Hyah!
The party followed behind, pulling a cart.
