Chapter Four

Lily’s POV

The sun was a brutal hammer against my skull. I groaned, forcing my eyes open only to squeeze them shut again as blinding light seared through. Sand coated my tongue, my lashes, every inch of exposed skin. For several long moments I simply lay there, half-buried, letting the reality of survival settle over me. We had made it through the sandstorm. Barely.

I pushed myself up on trembling arms, sand cascading off my shoulders like dry water. My body ached in places I didn’t know could hurt. When I turned my head, I saw him, Daron still unconscious a few feet away, half-covered by a fresh drift of sand.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

The small dagger I’d seen him use during the raid was still on him. I remembered how cleanly it had sliced through my packmate’s throat. The memory sent fresh rage surging through my veins, burning away the exhaustion.

I crawled over to him, every movement sending sharp protests through my muscles. My fingers found the hidden sheath inside his inner cloak. The dagger slid out easily, cool and deadly in my palm. His name was etched into the hilt in sharp, elegant runes. I raised it high, aiming straight for his heart.

One strike. One moment of justice.

I was about to drive it down when his eyes snapped open.

I froze. Before I could even process what was happening, his hand shot up and grabbed my wrist, stopping the blade inches from his chest. In one fast move he rolled us over, pinning me under him. His other hand wrapped around my throat and squeezed.

I gasped, my legs kicking uselessly against the sand. Black spots danced across my vision as his furious gaze bored into me. For a terrifying second, I was sure he would kill me right there.

Then he released me.

I rolled onto my side, coughing violently, desperate for air. My throat felt raw, bruised. Before I could recover, his palm cracked across my face with brutal force. My head snapped sideways. Tears stung my eyes.

“Fuck you, Daron,” I rasped.

He didn’t respond. He reached into his cloak, pulled out a thick rope, and grabbed my wrists.

“What are you doing?” I asked, struggling to free myself, but he was too strong.

He tied my hands tight, the rope biting into my skin. Then he yanked me close by the rope, his face inches from mine dark with barely contained fury.

“When we reach my pack,” he said, voice low and venomous, “I will skin you alive. I will make you regret every second of defiance. And when I’m done, I’ll send whatever’s left of your worthless body back to your pathetic pack.”

He jerked the rope again, forcing me to stumble after him, “If you act funny after this stunt you’ve been pulling since yesterday, I will gouge out your two eyes,” he added, starting to walk. I stumbled behind him, the rope pulling my wrists.

We trudged through the endless dunes. The desert stretched endless in every direction, golden waves of sand under a merciless sky, heat shimmered off the surface making the horizon waver like a fever dream. My legs burned and my mouth was dry as bone.

“Daron… I’m tired,” I finally shouted, voice cracking. “We need to rest.”

He stopped abruptly. For a moment I thought he might hit me again. Instead, he turned slowly, jaw tight.

“Your pride irritates me more than anything else.” His voice was cold. “I will settle our score properly once we’re out of this cursed desert.”

He shoved me hard. I fell onto the scorching sand, wrists still bound. Pain flared through my shoulder.

“Rest,” he ordered. “And don’t do anything stupid.”

He walked a short distance away, scanning the horizon, probably trying to signal his guards. I watched his broad back, hatred and exhaustion warring inside me. My eyes grew heavy. Hunger gnawed at my stomach. The heat pressed down like a weight.

Eventually, I passed out.

***

When I woke, the desert had transformed. The sky was a deep indigo scattered with stars, and a small fire crackled between us, casting flickering shadows across the sand. Daron sat on the other side, elbows resting on his knees, watching me.

I stood up groggily, staring right at him, my hands still tied.

“You are finally up, Lily,” he said.

I looked at him in shock. How on earth did he find out my name? I thought. I’d never told him.

He tilted his head slightly. “Your pack’s weapon totem had your name on the back, in case you’re wondering,” he said, as if reading my mind.

Of course. I should have known.

“What do you want from me?” I shot back at him, angry. “Secrets about my pack? How we make our weapons? You’re wasting your time. I won’t tell you anything.”

Daron’s lips curved into a humorless smile. “How naive. If I truly wanted you to talk, you would already be begging to tell me everything.” He leaned forward, the firelight sharpening the hard lines of his face. “You’re also incredibly ungrateful, little wolf. I saved your life during that sandstorm. The moment you woke up, you tried to kill me again. And even after you passed out from exhaustion, I still gathered wood and lit this fire so you wouldn’t freeze.”

He shook his head, almost disbelieving. “I don’t do that for anyone. Yet you keep forcing me to act out of character. Believe me, you will be punished once we leave this desert.”

My anger flared hot and bright.

“You kidnapped me. You killed my packmates. And you expect me to thank you because you saved my life in some stupid desert storm, huh?” I yelled at him, angry. “And you didn’t save me out of kindness. I’m still useful to you. That’s the only reason I’m breathing.”

His expression darkened. “Correct. You are useful. And the moment that changes, that sharp mouth of yours will be silenced permanently.”

“Yes, I know you’re remarkable and renowned throughout the continent,” I said, lifting my chin. “So I look forward to that. But with the Wolf Lord election near, disappearing for too long might not work in your favor.”

He turned to look at me, studying me. “I might as well just kill you now and reclaim the Wolf Lord position later,” Daron shot back. “Because it has always been mine.”

He rose to his feet and stalked around the fire toward me. He crouched in front of me, one large hand gripping the back of my neck pulling me way too close. I could feel his warm breath against my skin.

“You are far too daring… too bold,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “It infuriates me.”

I stared right into his eyes, refusing to look away. “I hate you, your existence, and your…”

I couldn’t complete my statement before he covered my mouth with his hand. His palm was rough and warm.

“Shhhhh,” he said, putting a finger on his own mouth. His eyes weren’t on me anymore. He was listening.

A sound was coming from one direction, a low, angry buzzing, like a hundred wings beating at once.

He stood up, pulling me with him by the rope, as we both looked back.

I froze completely.

Massive, giant-sized bees were coming toward us from over the dunes. They were each the size of a wolf, their stingers long as swords. There were so many it was hard to count them, a black cloud blocking the stars.

Daron’s grip on my arm tightened, but even he looked momentarily stunned.

In my head, one thought echoed clearly:

This desert really is called Death Desert for a reason.