Chapter 491: When the World Comes Back in Pieces

Chapter 490: When the World Comes Back in Pieces

Voices.

They floated through the dark first.

At first, Holly thought she was dreaming.

The sounds came and went like water moving over stone. They were muffled, distorted, wrapped in a dull pressure that sat heavy inside her skull.

Her head throbbed.

Her body felt... wrong. It was too heavy for her. Every part of her body was in pain, she noticed. Not just her head.

"...you didn’t have to go that far."

The words were faint in her ears, but it was a male voice, she was certain of that.

Another voice followed almost immediately. This one calm and female.

"I didn’t think she would black out that fast."

Holly’s brow twitched as the sound crept closer and became clearer.

"You broke her ankle, Brynhild," the male said calmly. "And you crushed her kneecap. That is more than enough to knock out even the strongest wolf."

There was a faint scoff before the woman spoke. "I knew she would black out, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon."

"And it’s been over an hour. She still hasn’t woken up."

"Do you think it’s the wolfsbane?" the woman asked.

Holly’s breathing hitched. The pressure behind her eyes throbbed harder. She knew those voices. She knew them too well.

Orion and Brynhild.

They were talking about her like she was merely an object.

Like she wasn’t—

A sharp spike of pain ripped through her leg.

Holly gasped in pain. Now she remembered why her body was in pain. Why it felt too heavy to even move her limbs.

Orion and Brynhild turned to her immediately.

"You are awake," he said.

Holly’s lashes fluttered. The dark peeled back slowly.

Too slowly.

At first, all she could see was blurred light and grey shapes, a smear of white above them.

The world swayed violently when she tried to focus. Her vision sharpened in painful fragments.

She noticed the snow falling. The grey shapes were Orion and Brynhild. They were no longer in the carriage. She was on the snow-filled ground, her back against a tree bark.

Her breath stuttered. She wondered how long she had been out for. When did they even get here?

This wasn’t a place she had come to before, she was sure of it.

Panic surged through her chest, but her body refused to respond.

The pain from her leg rolled in fully now.

A deep, sick, grinding agony that radiated from her ankle and crawled upward into her knee and thigh.

A small, broken sound escaped her as she remembered what Brynhild had done to her.

Her entire body trembled. There was nothing she could do. She couldn’t even shift because of the wolfsbane that had been given to her.

She lifted her head weakly.

Just as Orion crouched in front of her. His cloak brushed the snow beside her knee.

His eyes were bright in the low lantern light.

Behind him, just a little to the side, Brynhild stood still. Her long black braids fell neatly over her shoulders.

Her silver gaze faced forward. She looked as if nothing at all had happened.

As if Holly’s screams were already forgotten.

Holly swallowed.

Pain tore through her throat.

"I told you," Brynhild said quietly to Holly, "I couldn’t let you go like that. I made it known that if even a single hair on Sophia’s head went missing, I would make you suffer tenfold. And I keep my promise."

Holly’s chest tightened just as her lips trembled.

"I admire your determination," Orion said lightly. "And your... devotion."

Then his mouth curved into a smile.

"But Sophia is my mate."

His gaze flicked to Holly.

"I should be the one doing this to Holly, don’t you think?"

Brynhild chuckled softly.

"You hardly hurt women," she replied mildly. "You forget that’s why I am here with you."

"And the fact that you would be annoyed with me if I didn’t let you get your revenge on her," Orion said, gesturing towards Holly lazily.

Holly shuddered. Her fingers twitched uselessly against the snow.

Her wrists and ankles burned where the restraints bit into her skin.

She recognized the fact that she was prey in the midst of two powerful predators and wanted nothing more than to escape, but she also knew she was trapped. There was no escaping.

Orion’s eyes widened a bit, like he was satisfied, and the look made Holly even more scared. In all the years she’d known Orion, she had never seen him like this.

Orion shifted. Then, slowly, deliberately, he reached down.

Metal clinked softly as the restraints around her ankles fell open.

One by one.

Her wrists followed.

The cold air kissed the raw skin beneath the iron.

Holly inhaled just as her hands fell limply into her lap.

But even with the restraints gone, she didn’t feel free.

Orion stayed crouched in front of her. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Close enough that she could smell him. She almost inhaled on instinct but reminded herself that she wasn’t going to get the luxury to do so.

"Brynhild is harsh," Orion said softly, his eyes searching Holly’s face. "And she is fiercely protective of the people she loves."

"You made the mistake of hurting Sophia."

Holly shook her head immediately.

The movement made her dizzy.

Tears welled in her eyes again.

Orion tilted his head.

"Do you want to speak?"

Hope flared in her chest.

She nodded fast, hoping that she could convince Orion to let her go.

He reached out and pulled the gag from her mouth. The fabric slid free and Holly sucked in a shaky breath.

Her jaw ached.

Her tongue felt thick and dry, but before she was even asked, she spoke.

"I didn’t hurt Sophia’s ankle," she said desperately. "That wasn’t me. It happened during the test, but I didn’t hurt it. It happened when she was luring the tidebreaker Korraths away from Joren and the others."

Her chest heaved.

"She twisted it then."

The silence that followed felt enormous.

Orion watched her carefully. Then he gave a slow nod.

"That," he said quietly, "is the only truth you’ve spoken since all this began."

Something inside her lifted.

Just a fraction.

Her shoulders sagged weakly against the bark.

Relief flooded her chest so suddenly it almost made her sob.

He believed her.

He—

"But," Orion continued calmly.

The word sliced through her fragile hope.

"It doesn’t matter anymore."

He held her gaze as he spoke.

"You still tried to kill her. It’s too late for you now."

Holly stared at him in shock. Her vision blurred. Tears spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Orion straightened slightly.

Then his hand slipped into his cloak and brought out two short swords.