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Even if she isn’t mine, I vow to protect her until my last breath.

Rapunzel climbs onto my back, her fingers curling tightly into my fur as she settles near my shoulders.

“Be swift,” Aelric says. “If the Wolf figures out our trick, he’ll change direction.”

I nod. “I will.”

He dips his chin in a subtle nod.

“Hold tightly to me,”I tell Rapunzel before I break into a run.

The forest blurs around us, my paws digging into the soft earth as I race in the direction of the river. I’m thankful for the gentle mist falling from the dark clouds above. Perhaps it’s enough to mask our scent if the Wolf comes this way.

I send a silent prayer to the gods to grant us safe passage and vow that even if she never chooses me. Even if she is truly Prince Theron’s lost love and she returns to his side… I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, because she is my heart. Even if I am not hers.

CHAPTER 21

RAPUNZEL

Ren’s steady, rhythmic pace carries us swiftly through the woods. The forest around us is eerily silent, and my thoughts churn endlessly as I think of everything we’ve learned.

Now that I know who the man is in my drawings, I finally have a direction… somewhere to begin my search for the truth.

Prince Theron could be my betrothed. But if he is, what does that mean for me and Ren?

Ren is charming, witty, intelligent, loyal, and brave. He makes me feel safe and cared for. And even though we’ve only known each other a short while, I’m already halfway in love with him, and I don’t know what to do.

How can I build a future with him when I don’t remember my past?

Ren comes to an abrupt stop near a stream, interrupting my troubled thoughts.“We should rest for a bit and have something to eat,”his voice echoes in my mind.“The river is still a ways off.”

When Ren shifts back into his human form, it’s easy to see the exhaustion shadowing his amber eyes. We stand facing each other awkwardly, the distance between us feeling larger than mere steps.

“I—” we both begin simultaneously and then stop.

A faint smile tugs at Ren’s lips, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You go first.”

“No. It’s all right,” I reply a bit nervously. “Please. You, first.”

He hesitates a moment, his shoulders tense, as if unsure where to begin. He runs a hand through his hair. “About this morning… I need you to know something.” His gaze holds mine as he takes a small step closer. “You did nothing wrong. I pulled away because I wanted you too much. Because I was afraid of losing control.”

I frown. “What do you mean when you say you’re afraid of ‘losing control?’ ”

“Like Wolf Shifters, my people are both animal and man. The two halves of our nature in a constant battle for dominance,” he explains. “I did not want to lose myself in the moment and risk pushing you to do anything you are not ready for… or anything you do not want.”

He shakes his head. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you, Rapunzel. I—when I first saw you, I felt the pull of the fated bond. And then when you were able to hear me speak in your mind, I knew it was true. Only fated mates can speak to each other in this way.”

“Can you hear me like this?”I try to project my question to him.

“Yes,”he replies in my mind.“I can hear you like this.”

I inhale sharply. “Can you read all of my thoughts?”

“No. I can only pick up the ones you specifically send to me.”

Ren continues. “Humans do not have fated bonds, and… I wasn’t sure how you’d react, so I kept it a secret.”

“Why?”