Chapter 184: Do not touch the arrow!

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Do not touch the arrow!

"Hello."

Nobody answered.

Nobody could.

The clearing had stopped breathing.

Swanly was still trapped against Kael’s chest when the first sound finally came.

A tiny wet choke.

Not from the tree.

Not from Azren.

From the ground.

Selka.

Brann moved first.

"SELKA!"

He threw himself forward so violently that one of the guards barely escaped being knocked aside.

The surviving males who still carried Selka’s mating bond reacted almost at the same time.

One stumbled.

Another clutched his chest.

Something had hit all of them through the bond.

Pain.

Cold.

Wrongness.

Brann reached Selka first.

He dropped to his knees.

"No. No, no, no."

The arrow was still inside her skull.

Black shaft.

Dark feathers.

The point protruding horribly from her forehead.

Blood ran down her face in a thin red line.

But Selka’s eyes moved.

Barely.

She was alive.

"Nahla!" Swanly screamed.

The elderly otter healer was already running.

"Do not touch the arrow!"

Brann’s hand froze inches away from it.

His whole body was shaking.

"Nahla..."

"Do not pull it!"

"But..."

"You pull that out and whatever chance she has disappears with it."

Whatever chance.

Not she’ll be fine.

Not I can save her.

Brann heard it.

His face collapsed.

"No."

He carefully lifted Selka.

One arm beneath her shoulders.

One beneath her legs.

He pulled her against his chest like she weighed nothing.

Just yesterday he had told her he would accept whatever punishment Ironwood chose after she gave birth.

He had expected confinement.

Banishment, if they were merciful.

Death, if they were not.

He had spent the entire morning silently begging every spirit he knew for banishment.

Let her leave.

Let him hate her somewhere far away.

Let him regret mating her.

Let her scream that she hated him.

Let her be cruel.

Anything.

Anything except this.

"Selka."

His voice broke.

She blinked slowly.

"Selka, look at me."

Her rust-red ears twitched weakly.

"I’m here."

His tears hit her cheek.

"I’m here. I’m right here."

One of the other marked males dropped beside him.

Then another.

Neither spoke.

One simply touched Selka’s limp hand.

The other bowed his head so low his forehead almost touched the dirt.

Because no matter what she had done...

The mating bond did not care whether love had become regret.

It only knew their female was dying.

And it hurt.

God, it hurt.

Brann made a broken sound.

"Please."

Selka looked at him.

For the first time since Swanly had ever known her, Selka looked small.

Not innocent.

Never that.

Just mortal.

Terrified.

Tired.

Done.

Swanly’s anger disappeared so quickly it frightened her.

Not forgiveness.

Never forgiveness.

People were dead because of Selka.

Nerin carried years of damage because of her.

Varek was dead.

Swanly’s daughters had nearly been taken during the attack she helped bring to Ironwood.

But this...

This was not justice.

Swanly had not even chosen yet.

She had been deciding.

Her blue-gray eyes burned.

"I hadn’t decided."

Kael’s arms tightened around her.

"I know."

"I hadn’t..."

Her voice broke.

"I hadn’t fucking decided."

Soren heard.

His silver eyes lifted toward the tree.

Azren was still sitting on the branch beyond Ironwood’s boundary.

His bow rested against one thigh.

His expression had changed.

The stupid grin was gone.

He looked genuinely confused by everyone’s reaction.

"I thought I was helping."

Nobody heard him.

Or nobody cared.

He pointed faintly toward Selka.

"She was running at my female with a sharp thing."

Still nothing.

Azren frowned.

"That usually means kill the attacker."

Lyssara was nowhere visible.

Neither were the other Veskari.

For once, the prince seemed to realize he might have badly misunderstood the mood.

...

A weak whimper sounded nearby.

Selka’s eyes moved.

Brann followed her gaze.

The cubs.

Three tiny gray wolf cubs lay bundled together in the hide basket.

One had started squirming.

Then another.

Their little noses lifted.

Searching for something familiar.

Their mother’s scent was close.

But wrong.

Weakening.

One cub gave a tiny cry.

Selka’s breath hitched.

That nearly destroyed Swanly.

She knew that sound now.

Her own newborn daughters made it when they wanted warmth.

Her sons had once cried for a mother who had not wanted them.

Children did not understand punishment.

They did not understand betrayal.

They did not understand why their mother deserved hatred.

They only knew:

Mama is there.

Swanly pulled away from Kael.

He caught her immediately.

"Swanly."

"The cubs."

"You gave birth two days ago."

"I know."

"You’re still recovering."

"I know."

She looked at him.

"Help me."

Kael saw her face.

He stopped arguing.

Swanly moved toward the basket.

Her body protested every step.

Nahla looked up.

"Swanly..."

"Just this."

She crouched with Kael supporting most of her weight.

The first wolf cub was tiny.

Soft gray fur.

Closed eyes.

Little ears still folded close to its head.

Swanly slipped both hands beneath it.

The cub whimpered.

"It’s okay."

She lifted it.

For one strange heartbeat Swanly remembered Kairo.

Nilo.

Miko.

Three tiny bodies she had once looked at and thought:

Not mine.

God.

How wrong she had been.

She carried the cub to Selka.

Brann stared.

Swanly said nothing.

She placed the little body against Selka’s chest.

The cub immediately moved toward her warmth.

Selka’s eyes filled.

Swanly went back.

Second cub.

Then the third.

By the time she placed the last beside Selka, tears were running silently down Swanly’s face.

Kael knelt behind her.

One hand stayed on her back.

Brann adjusted Selka carefully.

Her arms were weak.

So he helped her bring them around the three newborns.

Selka stared down.

Her cubs.

For the first time, she held all three together.

Actually held them.

Not while screaming through labor.

Not while afraid monsters would crawl through her prison.

Not while Brann cleaned blood away.

Just held them.

Her expression broke.

One cub pushed its little head beneath her chin.

Selka made a sound.

Barely anything.

Then she kissed it.

Once.

Brann started crying harder.

"Selka..."

She looked at him.

His thick body trembled.

Blood from yesterday still stained one side of his hair.

His chipped tusk showed when his mouth shook.

She stared at him for a long moment.

"You’re still here."

Brann laughed through his tears.

It sounded awful.

"Where else would I be?"

Selka swallowed.

"You should hate me."

"I do."

That surprised everyone nearby.

Brann’s face crumpled.

"I hate so many things you did."

His hand tightened around hers.

"I hate what you made us become."

His voice broke.

"I hate that Varek is dead."

At the name, one of the wolf cubs whimpered.

Brann shut his eyes.

"I hate that I still..."

He couldn’t finish.

Selka did it for him.

"Love me."

His face twisted.

"Yes."

A tear rolled from the corner of Selka’s eye.

She gave the smallest laugh.

"You were always stupid."

Brann lowered his forehead against hers, carefully avoiding the arrow.

"Yes."

One of the other marked males turned away, openly sobbing now.

Selka looked toward him.

Then the other.

Her males.

The ones who had followed her.

Fought for her.

Obeyed her.

Been used by her.

Some died for her.

Some became worse people because she told them to.

Some remained anyway.

Selka’s breathing became shallow.

"I was..."

She stopped.

Coughed.

Nahla leaned closer.

"Do not force yourself."

Selka ignored her.

"I was a bad female."

Brann shook his head violently.

"Don’t."

"Yes."

"No."

"I was."

Her voice was becoming weaker.