"Thank you," she managed before turning away from him and coughing up more river. Breathing had never hurt this much.
"You're welcome," he panted. "If you're trying to get my attention, it's working."
Before she could respond, howls sounded in the distance, which meant the pack was circling back.
She pushed herself to stand.
The guy stayed kneeling, chest heaving, watching her like a corpse that got up, dusted itself off, and had someplace to be.
"If you're found on these lands, they will kill you. Follow me," she whispered.
He recovered fast and was vertical in one fluid move. She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the forest at full don't-fuck-around speed.
Fifty yards away sat the cave that had kept her alive through one of Cassian's tantrums when she was twelve. It was about to do it again.
The moment they were inside, both of the man's arms locked around her, pulling her against his chest. She was absolutely freezing and did not complain. He felt like sunlight and smelled like pine and this felt entirely too good to be real.
The violent shivers racking her body stopped. That's when she noticed steam rising off of him. His clothes were already almost dry.
Warning sirens blared in the back of her mind. Stranger danger. They could go to hell. She was busy.
His thumb traced slow circles on her back, something she didn't notice until he stiffened and stopped. It was as if he had just realized he was doing it too.
Then the sound of leaves crunching echoed off the boulders. Followed by the frantic snuffles of a wolf tracking. They were close. Too close.
She stole a glance at him. His jaw worked once. The man looked thoroughly livid. Like he wanted to set someone on fire. Or maybe he was afraid. She couldn't get a full read.
She wasn't even sure if he had a wolf. He could be a runt for all she knew. Either way, he'd be outnumbered. This man had saved her life, and she wasn't about to let anything happen to him.
The noises grew closer. It was no longer a matter of if, but when they would be discovered. Her heart beat furiously against her ribs.
"Don't leave this cave until you hear them gone," she whispered, pulling out of his arms.
"Wait."
She didn't.
In a blur, she was outside of the cave, just in time to stop Cassian's wolf from entering.
He shifted back to human form. "Well, well. Looks like Father's favorite has been keeping secrets."
"Lovely to see you, Cassian. You'll have to be more specific," she replied, voice calm.
He gave a dark, unimpressed laugh. "Don't play coy. Father was preparing to send an army to retrieve you. Now he'll know exactly what his little hero has been hiding."
Behind him, Tyler Draven, the Beta's son, approached, shifting back into human form.
"She has a white wolf. I'll be damned."
"I don't know what you're referring to."
A smirk tugged at Tyler's mouth. "You've always been a terrible liar, Gwen. Too many people saw you."
More wolves closed in around them, shifting as they came.
"Bind her," Cassian ordered with no warmth in his voice. "Father doesn't tolerate liars, and neither do I. Should the prisoner resist, the rope becomes silver."
"Riveting dialogue, Cassian. How many times did you practice that one in the mirror? Be honest."
Snickers erupted around them. Whoops. Usually they didn't laugh.
Gold rose in her brother's eyes the way it always did right before he proved he was his father's son.
SMACK.
The blow sent her stumbling, and the laughter died like a snuffed torch.
When she touched her lip, her fingers came back red. Eyes watering, she forced herself straight.
"Cassian," Tyler clipped. "She's just surprised you're threatening her with silver."
A warrior moved towards her with rope. But Tyler intercepted him.
"I'll do it."
Detached, she watched him wrap the rope around her already raw wrists. He wouldn't meet her eyes until he finished and returned to Cassian's side.
"Why are you wet and half dressed?" Cassian demanded.
"I decided to go for a swim for fun in the middle of winter, Cassian." Her voice was dry as sand.
Cassian frowned, apparently unsure if she was serious.
"Careful not to think too hard. You'll hurt yourself."
More snickers came. Again, unexpected. They never laughed at her jokes. This was new.
Her brother moved to backhand her again. Tyler moved faster, stepping between them as if he hadn't noticed. His attention stayed fixed on her face as he reached up and touched her frozen hair.
Guinevere blinked. He had never touched her before.
He sniffed. "Who touched you?"
Her insides twisted. The whole point of her stepping out was so the man in the cave wouldn't be brutally slaughtered.
She opened her mouth to respond, but a cough came instead. Followed by a wave of dizziness. Maybe hypothermia was catching up, or it was sheer exhaustion. Either way, it won.
The ground came up to meet her.
✦✦✦
"Princess. Wake up. Please."
The please was what did it.
Guinevere cracked her eyes open to her own bed, her own room, and an omega at her side. Warm. No chains. No ropes.
Civilization. She had missed it.
"Princess, your father requested to see you immediately. And to wear this," the omega said.
A white dress with gold accents. It was beautiful, and expensive.
That meant her father needed her for something or to impress someone. The 'I have a daughter and I love her very much, please notice' starter pack.
The bath was hot enough to sting. Mary worked oil into her hair with hands that had been doing this since Gwen was twelve.
Her father had ordered her to be made beautiful in a very specific way, and she did not want to know yet why.
There was a knock on her door, and a crown was delivered to her. She raised her eyebrows. Whoever was downstairs was important enough for the full costume.
She glanced at the omega who was watching her.
Mary was wearing the face of a woman with bad news she had been told not to share. "What you did in that throne room for us… I just want you to know that it was the bravest thing I've ever seen. And we support you."
Guinevere blinked, momentarily stunned by her words. Mary had always been kind, but people usually distanced themselves from her.
"Thank you, Mary. How worried should I be?" She flashed a grin. "On a scale from one to should-I-escape-through-the-window, what are we working with here?"
Mary laughed at that, then lowered her voice. "I don't think he'll harm you, Princess. But there are visitors here and I'm not sure of the nature."
"Visitors?"
Plural. Always worse when it was plural.
"Yes, Princess. You've been out for twelve hours."
Guinevere's stomach dropped. Twelve hours wasn't a nap. That was a coma.
"How many visitors, Mary?"
Mary did not answer right away, which was its own kind of answer.
"Enough that your father had the entire west wing cleared, Princess. And the east."