They Called Me Heartless So Reborn I Watched Them Self Destruct novel Chapter 4

4- Howls

Arabella’s POV: 1

Walk from here?

I stared at the driver before looking out the window again. There was nothing but a huge forest. He couldn’t be serious. The only rare times when I had gone outside the pack were when I was sent to buy vegetables for pack meals. I had never hiked through a forest before.

“Miss…” The poor man couldn’t even meet my eyes. “You need to follow the Lycan King’s orders.”

Of course. The Lycan King wouldn’t make life easy for me.

I swallowed and looked outside again. “Umm… which way am I supposed to go?”

The driver finally looked at me and tried to smile encouragingly. “Follow this path until you reach the cherry blossom trees. Turn right from there, and the trail will take you straight to the palace gates. It’s very doable.”

Okay, it sounded easy when he put it like that. I could do it. I slowly opened the car door and stepped out.

Clutching my satchel against my chest, I watched the car pull away, getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared between the trees. Part of me wished I had the guts to chase after it, but my legs simply refused to move.

And suddenly, I was completely alone. The forest felt much bigger, more terrifying than before.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to myself. “You can do it.”

Cherry blossom trees. Turn right. Then the palace. It was doable. Easy peasy.

started walking.

For someone who had spent half her life cleaning, carrying things, and running around after other people, walking wasn’t exactly difficult. But I felt myself growing dizzier with each step.

My stomach had been twisted in knots all morning at the thought of meeting the royal family. I’d only had a piece of bread, and hadn’t had any water. Now I wished I’d brought a water bottle with me.

I adjusted the satchel on my shoulder and kept going, trying to stay positive. At least I hadn’t worn heels, or I might be limping by now.

I kept walking the path. Maybe today wasn’t a complete disaster.

Yet, the cherry blossom trees I was looking for refused to appear.

“Where are they?” I rested my back against a tree trunk and looked around for water. I needed to reach the palace before dark, or rogues could attack me. Being alone in these woods after sunset was the last thing I wanted.

Using all my courage, I started walking again. I had to survive. I had to stay alive! However, as the hours went on, the forest started getting darker, and without a wolf, my eyes struggled badly to see clearly.

As darkness settled around me, the trees began blending into each other. I slowed down.

Was I even still on the right path? Shit. I turned around, and everything looked the same.

“No, no, no…”

Suddenly, I stopped walking when a twig snapped behind me. My breath caught in my chest.

Then a howl echoed through the forest.

Fear exploded inside me, and without thinking, I started running. Branches scratched my arms as I ran blindly.

Another howl rose closer this time.

“No!”

I gasped when my foot suddenly caught on something, and I crashed hard on the ground.

***

Lucien Volkov:

“Hey, little one!” I touched Anika’s portrait that was hanging on the wall. She was wearing a gold medal and was grinning from ear to ear.

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