Freya's POV
No matter how many times I tripped or scraped my skin raw as I ran, I did not stop. I did not stop even after I fled my mistress's estate, nor after I reached the city and forced myself into the press of people, letting strangers brush past me as if I were no more than another shadow among them.
I kept running.
That damn goddess. I had thought this last wish of mine would delay him.
I thought it would give me time to live up to my previous death moment so I can get back my wolf at least. A chance to live, even briefly, without looking over my shoulder.
As though dragging me back into the most miserable life I had ever known was not punishment enough, he had found me within hours of my return.
Quicker than my previous lives.
That was why I could not stop running. This was my last life. The very last thread the goddess had granted me. If the King found me now and tore it from me as he had before, there would be nothing left. No rebirth, escape or mercy waiting beyond the end.
I did not have time to think further when my foot caught against something, and I fell hard to the ground. Pain flared through my knees and palms as they struck the stones. I gasped and tried to push myself up fear urging me forward, unwilling to waste even a heartbeat.
That was when I saw the shoes.
One pair, planted oddly in my path, the toe tilted upward as though whoever wore them had been waiting for me to stumble.
I felt my blood run cold as another pair stepped into view beside it. Then another. And another.
I gulped down nothing as I slowly lifted my gaze and I felt color drain from my face on seeing who it was.
It was them.
The same boys who had made my first life unbearable whenever they could. The same ones who had mocked me, tripped me, cornered me in alleys and laughed while I cried. The same faces I had seen last before the King came to take my life, in my first life.
"And where do you think you are going?"
The lad in the middle spoke. When I did not respond and instead began to slowly crawl backward, his mouth twisted, and he asked again, leaning forward slightly.
"Did you steal something from your mistress, you mutt?"
"No," I said quickly as I forced myself to stand. "No, I did not."
My words tumbled over each other as panic pressed into my chest. "My mistress is waiting for me. I was sent to fetch something for her. Please, let me go."
The lie tasted bitter, but I clung to it all the same. I only needed to leave. To put distance between myself and this place before the King found me.
Instead, the lads stepped closer.
Their movement forced me back, one step at a time, until I realized too late that I had backed into an alleyway. The same dead end alleyway.
Oh no… I muttered to myself as realization dawned on me.
"Did you hear that, boys?" the one in the middle said, glancing at the others with a grin. "She's running errands for her mistress."
He looked me over slowly.
"That means she's carrying money."
"I am not," I said quickly. "I swear it."
Some of the lads were already moving toward me to search me. I knew what would follow. When they found nothing on me, they would beat me for wasting their time.
They did not even bother to prove me wrong this time.
Rough hands searched my sleeves, my skirt, my bodice. When they found nothing, their leader brushed me off the ground with one kick.
I fell to the ground, my head striking stone. Pain burst behind my eyes and I groaned.
I tried to push myself up, but a sharp blow struck my face and sent me back down again.
"How dare you waste our time," he thundered in irritation, "when you have no money."
You did not ask, I wanted to say.
But I held my tongue.
"I am going to teach you a bloody lesson today you mutt," he said as he straightened.
I had no doubt he meant it. I had seen how this ended before. Bruises and broken skin, and I really cannot afford to spend more time here.
Before he could strike again, panic clawed up my throat and I shouted the first word that came to mind.
"Gold!"
He halted mid-motion then slowly lowered his raised fist that hovered mid air he had meant to deliver a punch.
"What did you just say?" he asked.
I was not sure what I was doing, only that I could not let them hit me again. I forced myself upright, ignoring the ache in my head, and turned to face them.
"There is a treasury filled with gold," I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to steady it. "My mistress sent me to fetch it. The Duke has come to ask for her daughter's hand, and she wants payment prepared."
I swallowed and pressed on, knowing hesitation would ruin me.
"I have no money on me. But there is gold. I can show you where it is."
The lads exchanged glances. For a moment, no one spoke. Then the one in the middle laughed, revealing his crooked teeth. I thought they did not believe me.
Then his hand closed around my arm.
He yanked me to my feet and slung an arm around my shoulders, gripping tight enough to hurt.
"You should have started with that, missy. Come on, let's go get our gold." he said, already steering me out of the alley with his troops now following behind.
I was already plotting how to ditch them when we suddenly got surrounded.
By soldiers… the king soldiers.
The lad who had his arm hooked around my shoulders stiffened at once. His grip vanished as quickly as it had come. He shoved me forward without warning, throwing me down before them. I hit the ground hard, breath leaving me in a sharp gasp.
"She's the one with the gold," he said hastily, fear edging his voice. "Not us."
I rolled my eyes and forced myself back onto my feet.
I looked around the soldiers and realized the King was not among them.
They were all mounted, armored, and watchful, but their formation left an open gap. It looked like it could be a trap, but I was desperate so I lunged for it.
I hadn't taken two steps in preparation to make a run for it, when a figure emerged through the opening.
At first, I did not recognize him. His cloak was darkened with mud, his boots caked as though he had walked a long road without pause. There was no crown upon his head, no sigil announcing rank or power because everything was covered in mud.
Till he drew out his blade.
The steel slid free with a sharp sound.
And I immediately recognized the blade.
How could I not? It had carved its way through me more times than I wished to remember. It Had split my flesh as easily as wheat beneath a sickle. It had been the last thing I always saw before he snatched my life away from me.
I spun sharply, searching for another route to escape but there was none. The soldiers had closed in without sound, their horses forming a living wall.
When I turned forward again, he was already before me.
I stepped back, but his hand shot out, closing around my neck with iron strength and pulling me to him.
"I wonder," he said through clenched teeth
And in that moment, I knew. I knew exactly what was coming as he began those familiar last words.
"I wonder what the blood of the last descendant of the moon goddess tastes like.." he said in a whisper.
Well, this is it, I thought. At least I did my best.
His grip around my neck tightened, causing me to whimper.
Then, unexpectedly, he released me.
I pried open my eyes to see him step back, turning his back to me as if nothing had occurred.
Was this some new trick? I wondered, heart still hammering as I tried to catch my breath.
He gestured to his soldiers without facing me again. "Take her back to the Ashwood estate," he commanded, his voice hoarse yet absolute.
With that, he walked toward a waiting carriage, where the Duke peered curiously from within.
I stared at him in shock, watching him go as I struggled to catch my breath.
He had never let me live before.
And I couldn't help but wonder what had just happened.