49

You have to leave the Tarus fortress and go around it to get to the stables. The route is long and silent. The wolf in front of me marches as if his life depended on it, his steps hard and steady and much longer than mine, so I almost have to run to keep him in my sights. When we finally walk out a door that looks familiar and the cold night air hits me in the face I take a long breath and look at my bare feet that are now freezing in the cold.

Maybe choosing to be barefoot was a bad idea after all.

I notice that the Prince is also looking at my feet, but he doesn't say anything. He keeps going forward, straight ahead, around the property, almost glued to the stone wall, his boots crunching on the neatly trimmed grass.

I follow him, breathing heavily through my nose to ward off the cold that stings my skin.

I'm so distracted from freezing that I bump into his huge body as he stops abruptly in front of me.

I lean on the wall so I don't fall.

— What are you-... — I start irritated, but