She was right, though. I had no intention of trying to kill Harvey. Not tonight or ever. I didn’t want anyone’s life in my hands. I couldn’t change the fact that Ness’s life was in my hands more often than not.
And tonight, Beryl had deprived me of that.
I wasn’t going to stick around and argue with her. I didn’t have time for that. Turning, I sprinted towards the exit. The moment I set foot outside the restaurant, the scenery changed. The cool walls of her underground court wrapped around me again.
My howl reverberated off the walls. Once again, I ran outside. Beryl couldn’t keep this up all night. At some point, she would tire of this game and let me go. I had to be fast enough and wear her down quickly so that I could return to Ness before Alvin changed his mind.
Over and over, I ran. Beryl’s arcana seemed inexhaustible, but my determination would win out. I had to make sure of it. Ness needed me. She was alone, in the hands of her tyrannical Alpha and his demented son.
I spared a laugh for what had happened to Harvey. He deserved his punishment. Now, all would know who had mauled him. They would look at him and see how Ness had won that night.
While distracted by my thoughts, I broke through Beryl’s threshold. I stormed down the street as the sun set in the distance. Dusk was well on its way, stretching its gray veil across the sky. I hoped that I could make it back to Ness before anything happened.
My beast moved uncomfortably within me. It reminded me that Beryl was in the middle of a long game. I did not break through the limits of her arcana. She’d released me.
The thought fueled me. I poured everything I had into running across Lakesedge. The ground itself seemed to propel me forward, as if it wanted to help, too. The air suffused my lungs with power unlike anything I’d known before.
Was this what it was like to bond with one’s territory? Was the very earth here responding to my presence?
I hated to tell Lakesedge that I would not be able to stay. If I did, it would face devastation, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
The territory didn’t acknowledge my thoughts. I doubted it could. This was a matter for another time. Ness needed me right now.