I meet Wolf at the entrance of the underground dungeon, underneath one of the castle towers.

He’s brought out in chains by no less than a dozen guards, all fully armed with their weapons drawn toward him. Even before they emerge from the dark coven, I can feel the tension in their bodies, the watchful way they eye Wolf like he’s a wild animal waiting to attack.

But Wolf doesn’t pay any attention to them.

His eyes are trained on me like two suns eclipsing the night sky.

As they emerge into the light, I note that Wolf's intensity also shows in corded muscles on his body. His shirt has been ripped and is hanging off in tatters over his sculpted chest. As he gets closer, I can see the marks of struggle, bruises on his face where they hit him, slashes on his body, and blood emerging from one of them. I swallow to hold in my emotions.

When they finally get close enough for me to touch him, I have to grip my hands together to hold myself still. I don’t want to startle the guards by moving too quickly, or they might hurt Wolf in their hyper-alertness.

“Don’t let this happen again, Wolf.” The guard who was leading the procession, a tall light-haired man, says as he reaches out to unlock the manacles around Wolf’s wrist. When he draws back, Wolf flicks his wrist twice to flex them, and at least two of the guards closest to him jump back. Wolf ignores them and starts toward me, his hand wrapping around my waist and yanking my body to his.

I squeak a little, from just how sudden the movement is and how many people are watching.

“Adria…” The word escapes him in a relieved sigh as my legs leave the ground. I stop caring about the audience after he picks me up and I wrap my arms around his neck, inhaling him and barely noticing the soldiers retreating back to the dungeons.

We stand there for I don’t know how long, relief coursing through us. I don’t know what I would have done if Wolf had died due to what he did. Beyond ruining my plans, it would have shattered my heart.

I’ve lost him twice before, when he wasn't this important to me.

I don’t want to do it again.

“Don’t ever do that." I find my voice thick with emotion as I mutter into his shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“Then don’t die,” Wolf grumbles back. “Don't even get close to it. I can tolerate a lot, woman. I understand you have a mission, something you won’t fully explain to me. And sometimes you must put yourself in danger to fulfill that mission. But don’t ever…ever...” He breathes harshly into my hair, not finishing that sentence, and my heart pounds at the sheer depth of emotion in his voice. I don’t want to let him go. I want to stay here surrounded by his scent but soon I’m aware of the sound of footsteps approaching us.

Wolf stiffens and growls, which gives several hints as to who’s there.

But I’m still surprised to pull back and meet Prince Caster’s stricken gaze. I'm not so much surprised that he’s here – it is his home after all – but I'm surprised he’s standing there gazing at us with that heartbroken look in his eyes.

“Adria…” He blinks several times and then bravely approaches as Wolf finally lets me down on my feet.

“Prince Caster,” I greet.

“I heard something happened in the castle,” he says.

“Yes.” I’m only belatedly realizing that he wasn’t at the disastrous dinner. “Where were you?”

“In the Bloodwoods. Our mission took us out of Accacia.”

Just like in the first timeline. Except back then, he left a lot earlier, even before the Pangeans arrived. And I went with him.

I nod. “There was a little misunderstanding at dinner. But I’m okay now.”

“I’m glad." He doesn't look it though. His expression is pained as he swallows, his eyes traveling between Wolf and me several times. And then his gaze catches mine again, lingering. There’s a plea in his eyes, perhaps for me to tell him that he misunderstood what he saw or that I wasn’t truly passionately embracing Wolf in front of his castle.

He wants me to tell him that Wolf and I are just friends.

But I shrug weakly.

I don’t owe him an explanation anyway, and I refuse to downplay my relationship with Wolf to appease him.

Whatever this relationship is.

“We must go,” I say. “Wolf and I need to rest.”

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“Adria…” The Prince’s voice trails off once more but I stop to consider him.

“Can we talk?" he asks finally. "Not now, I have to go give my father the particulars of our mission. But soon.”

I hesitate, but then something in his eyes elicits my pity. He looks so sad and young, so...defeated.

I remind myself that he’s not yet the man who betrayed me and handed me to the King to be tortured. He’s not the man who glared as I was dragged on the streets and only looked away with disgust when my bloodied form was in front of him.

He's not the man who didn't believe that I was innocent.

Right now, he’s simply a boy who has lost the woman he thinks he loves.

I glance at Wolf, and he grunts his acquiesce, although he doesn’t seem pleased about it.

I smile at his grumpy expression, before turning back to Caster. “Sure. Soon.”

***

On the way back, I stop by Jace’s home and the second he opens the door, relief fills his expression as he draws me into a hug.

“Thank God, you’re okay,” he says. He smells a little like fish and the outdoors but I hug him back anyway.

"I've been training all day to keep my mind off you," he says. "We heard that you had been poisoned but the guards wouldn’t let us in to check. I nearly snuck into the castle three nights ago, but Tia stopped me.”

“She was right to,” I comment amused. The last thing I needed was for Jace to end up in the dungeons too. Then I would need to owe Tyne twice. Ugh.

His offer is still ringing at the back of my head, like the song of a serpent offering me a poisonous apple, but I’m fighting to ignore it.

Sure, it might make things easier for me in some ways, but then it would require me to put my faith in Tyne and that’s something I don’t plan on doing again.

But what if he’s changed? If Wolf can change, then so can Tyne. So can the Prince.

It could all be so easy if I do things his way.

I don’t want to follow that dangerous trail of thought so I’m grateful when Jace distracts me by saying, “Yeah, right. I tried again anyway after she left. Luckily as I was about to scale the wall, Seir came out and told me you were fine and that what I was doing would only cause more trouble for you.”

“It would have," I say. "So I'm glad you didn't go through with it. In any case, I think we should meet at my place to discuss the mission. Tonight if possible.”

Jace frowns. “I thought we lost already. We’re way past the time limit. Savannah was pretty upset about it. Also about the fact that you and Wolf were in trouble."

“I already sent Wolf to talk to Savannah." They’re meeting at their private meeting place which only they know. “Can you get Tia and come to my place in a few hours?”

“Sure. But why?”

"Tyne is giving us some extra time to complete the mission because technically I was incapacitated because of him."

His eyes spark. “I knew it. That bastard."

"It's fine. It was my fault anyway for underestimating him. Anyway. I’ll leave now because I need to rest. I'll see you soon."

He nods. "We'll be there."

And then I realize I forgot to ask something important. "How is your mother?"

"She's fine. Better than fine actually. The elixir is working like a charm. She says she feels like a newborn baby. She was in such a good mood she decided to go explore the town with my brother."

"Ah." I've never met Jace's brother. He wasn't home when Wolf and I came over, but I'm imagining a younger version of Jace. "I see. Alright. That's good then. I'll see you."

"See you."

***

I get home before Wolf, but not by much.

I’m just in the kitchen, trying to make something to eat when the door bursts open again. I spin around to find Woolf storming up to me.

“Wolf–”

The words are cut off.

Wolf hugs me tightly again, dropping his nose to my neck. And then he inhales deeply, running his tongue over the side of my neck in a move that disrupts the circuits of both my body and mind.

“I thought you were gone,” he whispers and his voice sounds so anguished.

“I told you King Drogo wouldn't kill me," I tell Wolf. "That's not what the poison was for. He just wanted to make a show, and punish me for whatever reason."

"I would have killed him." His strong heartbeat pounds against my head. "If you didn't come back to life, I would have raided the castle until I killed him."

No. I think. Not yet anyway.

The splinters apart as the touch of Wolf's tongue again. My heart melts and then skips as Wolf kisses the side of my neck. He doesn't stop there, licking and nipping at my skin.

Desire rushes through my mind, and he growls doing it again. "You taste better alive."

The words trickle to my right down to my core, making it heavy and damp, As he nips a particularly sensitive spot, I gasp and arc my neck despite myself.

But I don't enjoy it for long before a sense of wrongness jerks me back into awareness.

“Wait!” I cry out. "Wolf, I have to tell you something about Savannah. "

"What about her?"

"You and her..." I try to organize my scrambling thoughts but it's difficult with him nibbling on my skin. “You and her are in love.”

There it is. That's the thing that should break his fascination with me once and for all.

But Wolf doesn't even pause.

He snorts and kisses another spot on my neck that makes me shiver.

“Wait, Wolf. Back up please, let me just talk for a second.”

He obeys and blinks at me. "You're not joking?"

I shake my head.

“It’s the truth," I say. “You’re madly in love with her.” I can’t hold it back anymore. I need to tell Wolf because I can tell his feelings for me are getting out of hand, and are not what fate intended.

I need to get him back on track so I don't mess up the future.

"With Savannah?" he asks as though to clarify but also in a tone that suggests that I've lost my mind.

"Yes," I say.

Wolf's expression is like a puzzled owl. He doesn't say anything, looking to the ceiling for some time as though an answer awaits him then.

After some time, he finally looks down. "Interesting."

Then tries to kiss me again, but I put my hand up to his chest pushing. "Wait, that's all you have to say? Interesting?"

He shrugs. "What else am I supposed to say?"

"I mean..." I'm not sure. "I thought you would have more questions."

"You say I have feelings for Savannah. I say I don't."

"Maybe not right now. But something happens in the future to drive you two together. I mean in my vision, you and Savannah–"

"Visions can change," he says, trying to pull me closer.

"Yes but this one can't," I tell him. "This one has to come true."

"Why?"

I blow out a breath. "I can't explain it. All I can say is that you have to end up with Savannah."

"What?"

We both jerk and turn in unison to find Savannah standing in the in front of a door that neither of us bothered to close.