Page 29 of Darkest Craving
VICTORIA
A laska eats her mix of timothy, orchard, and teff in silence in her stable.
Wolf’s black stallion is here too now—he said he took it back from my father’s—bringing back memories from when I was failing to ride him.
Both horses look unbothered as they enjoy each other’s company.
I guess I’m the only one still rattled by yesterday’s events.
My husband came back to bed late at night, but only to check on me. He hasn’t slept at all and left pretty quickly. In fact, I haven’t even seen him around at all today. I don’t know where he disappeared, but I assume it has everything to do with the shooting.
Who was that? And were they trying to kill everyone on the property, or just me?
I poke around my Caesar salad with a fork, not having an appetite, then chew on a small piece of chicken, trying to stop myself from spiraling.
I haven’t gone riding again. Not because I didn’t want to, but because Alaska might not be ready yet. I don’t want to push her unnecessarily, so for now, I choose to give her some space. Besides, I have no idea if the grounds are safe. When Wolf comes back, I’ll ask him.
Gravel crunching under boots gets my attention.
“Is she okay?” Ekaterina asks, making her way to me.
I clear my throat, rotating my body to face her. “She seems okay. I just… don’t know.”
“If she wasn’t hurt, she’ll be fine. Horses are a lot tougher than we sometimes give them credit for.”
I sigh, forcing myself to smile. “Yeah.”
Her hand brushes my arm as she leans back against the wall, her lips pressing into a thin line as if to say she’s sorry. I let the corners of my mouth twitch upward, forming a genuine smile. We haven’t talked much, her and I, but every time we have, she’s been nothing but kind and supportive.
“I think I owe you an apology.”
Her brows rise. “Me? What for?”
“Misjudging you. When I came here, I thought I’d be surrounded by monsters. I thought everyone here was out to get me. I was wrong. You’ve been very kind to me, and I wanted to thank you.”
She waves a nonchalant hand in the air. “I don’t blame you one second for thinking we’re monsters. Because you might not be ready to accept it, but we’re not good people, Victoria. To be honest with you, I think we might be too far gone, and that’s why we’ve come to terms with it.”
“Bad people aren’t kind to strangers.”
She laughs, nodding. “I guess they’re not.”
We spend a few moments in silence, only the soft nickering of the horses stretching between us. I pick up another piece of chicken and put it in my mouth, my appetite returning a little.
“Can I ask you a question, Victoria?”
I swallow, looking back up at her. “Yeah. Of course.”
“How did you find it in yourself to forgive him?”
I place the fork in the salad bowl, thinking about the answer. Because honestly? I don’t know. I thought he ruined my life when he forced me to marry him, but the truth is… he made it better. Despite everything.
“He made it easy,” I tell her. “And I think… I might have fallen for him.”
She blinks. “You have? That’s… unexpected.”
“I know you have your differences, but he’s not a bad man, you know?”
“Isn’t he?”
I scowl, taken aback by her reaction.
“I mean… after what he did to your mother and sister…” She inhales. “I would’ve thought you hated his guts. But if you forgave him after that, I mean, you really are better than us, Victoria.”
“My mother and sister? What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know?”
My heartbeat picks up. Wolf said to trust him, and I did.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Victoria,” she says, her lips tightening into that sympathizing smile again. Sympathizing or… pitiful. I can’t tell the difference right now. “They were sold to the highest bidder on the black market. They’re gone.”
A rush of nerves explodes in my stomach, making my breathing pattern a mess. I step back, dizziness clouding my thoughts.
“What?” I hush out, shaking my head. “No. That can’t be true. Wolf and I have been…”
“Oh, darling, please don’t tell me you fell for his antics.
You must have known him marrying you wouldn’t be the end of his revenge plan, right?
Oh, my God…” She frowns, concern emanating from her voice as something dawns on her.
“Listen to me, Victoria. You did nothing wrong. This is what he does. You can’t blame yourself for this. Look at me.”
She tries to touch me, but I pull back.
Why should I believe her? She has to be wrong. Wolf and I haven’t just been fooling around. He saved me. Bought me Alaska. Brought Sasha to me.
He told me I was safe to trust him. Why would he lie?
Sure, he never gave me any details after that quick conversation we had, but…
My pulse hammers stronger.
What if… what if he only said that just so I didn’t ask questions down the line?
No. Ekaterina is wrong. She’s wrong, and I can’t let myself think otherwise.
“I know what this is. Wolf told me all about Mikhail and his ambitions.” I shake my head. “You’re just trying to help your son wear my husband’s crown. And you may have been nice to me, but I won’t let you ruin his life.”
“How on earth would I be doing that by telling you the truth? If that were the case, I would be overjoyed with the thought of the two of you being in love. Because that would mean Wolfgang is…”
My mind conjures up the answer against my will. “Distracted. Off his game.”
She nods. “You don’t have to believe me. But if you simply go and ask him, he’ll just deny it.”
“And how exactly do you propose I cross-reference this bomb you just dropped on me?”
She takes out her phone, extending it toward me. “You know how.”
I glance down at the object, knowing exactly who I need to call. It strikes me as odd that she knows I trust Sasha more than anyone else in this world. But even so, she’s right. If anyone can confirm what she’s telling me, it’s him. I snatch the phone from her hand, moving to walk away.
But her next words stop me in my tracks.
“If you want to help your family, Victoria, understand that Wolfgang cannot be crowned. So find out what he’s up to, and I’ll see to it myself that your family is back—because your sister and mother are innocent in this man’s world, just like you and I.”