Scarlet Forest

by Jennifer Ann Reed

  Frost Legacy: Scarlet Forest

  (Frost Legacy Series Book 4)

  Jennifer Ann Reed

  Frost Legacy : Scarlet Forest

  Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer Ann Reed.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States

  Kindle Direct Publishing in July 21, 2020.

  Reproduction or copying of this work is prohibited without written permission except in brief quotations expressed in reviews or critical articles.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, place, time, organizations, and businesses are completely fictitious and produced by the author. Any resemblance to any place or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  For information contact :

  http://www.jenniferannreedbooks.com

  Book and Cover design by Oliviaprodesign

  First Edition: July 21, 2020

  For Tabitha.

  Your support means the world to me.

  Prologue

  Caden

  D EATH. DESTRUCTION. VISION PAINTED red.

  Sharp breaths flared from my nostrils. It was all a lie. This was a horrible dream.

  Manacles snapped around my wrists; magic blackening the skin beneath them with a hiss and I was jerked to my feet. The macabre color tingeing my eyes faded to a dull pink as water gathered around the edges. A sharp sting pierced my bicep, but I didn’t care anymore. Nothing mattered as a flame singed the inside of my mate mark and I knew what I’d see there; the ethereal glow naming me the new alpha.

  This couldn’t be right. I swayed to the right and a harsh tug kept me on my feet. My father wasn’t gone. The thought was fleeting and was accompanied by a demonic laugh as my focus stayed on his glassy, vacant stare. Blood rushed to my brain, and I leaned against whoever held me up as the laughter grew louder.

  “Caden!” The laughter stopped as my gaze zeroed in on my mate before I was pulled through the heavy door and rushed down the hallway.

  “She’s not your mate, little alpha.” An oily male voice whispered in my ear. “Your mate died on the table, at Apollo’s hand.”

  My head nodded on its own accord. I had heard the last thump of her heart. No one could have survived the torture she endured. My wolf roared, snarling his disagreement and it tried to direct my attention to Apollo’s own death. I know what I heard. I know what I witnessed. Apollo carried her lifeless body to the throne room to prove the Dark Ones had won. It didn’t matter if the white wolf morphed from those limp limbs. Aelfric knew how to cast illusions. I knew that. We all did.

  My Kitra was dead…. whoever or whatever had taken her place and was fighting with the others wasn’t my mate. This was a sick ploy, another trick of the Dark Ones to give us a false sense of hope before they took over the world.

  My eyes grew heavy and my steps faltered. It was all my fault. I wasn’t strong enough to save my mate or my father. I was useless. I wasn’t as strong as everyone thought. If I had been, the two people closest to me would still be here.

  “Aswang.” The slick voice whispered, and I knew he was right. Somehow, when she died, Kitra had been replaced with a doppelganger and my friends were in trouble. “Get your revenge on the creature, little alpha, you alone can save your people.” My people. The burning sensation under the glowing blue manacles flamed the sorrow in my heart and hid the truth under my charred flesh. I was alpha now...an alpha who lost his mate. I knew the only thing left under those cuffs was a paw print; no slashes below it. My father and Kitra were gone, but I had to find the strength to protect my pack.

  “Yes,” I vowed as a black hood slid over my face. I would avenge the death of my father and my beloved mate. I will save my friends.

  Chapter 1

  Kitra

  S ALTY SPHERES DRIPPED FROM my chin, landing against the backs of my folded hands. Sunlight, in delicate streams, filtered through a slight crack in the drawn curtains. It glistened as it reached the shattered drops now tumbling to the silver bedspread where I sat. I almost grinned at its attempts to thaw the ice now hardening in my veins and encasing my heart. Whoever said time heals all wounds lied their pants off. Nothing could take away the ache in my bones or remove the pressure my lungs battled every time I took a breath. I thought I would find comfort once I returned to Frost Manor, but even our home had lost its appeal.

  The scents I once looked forward to smelling soured as they traveled from my nostrils to the confines of my stomach, cementing into a large stone. Every shadow became a monster ready to steal another loved one away from me as Aelfric and his father, King Roland of the Unseelie Court, came closer to the power they sought. I had given my long-lost uncle the benefit of the doubt when he showed up at the Seelie Palace, spouting promises he had no intention of keeping. King Roland didn’t want a relationship with me. He only wanted an opening for Aelfric and the Dark ones to overtake us. My trust was blindly given and once again my choices led to the capture and even death of another loved one. Now, those of us who remain are trapped in a never-ending cycle of grief.

  Guilt blackened my insides as another tear splashed against my fingertips. We should never have stayed in Faerie as long as we did. Maybe if I hadn’t played princess and if I had stayed on course with our mission, none of this would’ve happened. All the “what ifs” and “should haves” running rampant in my brain couldn’t change the reality of what was now my life. Deep down, under each stab to my heart, part of me knew this but blaming myself was easier. I was determined not to spiral into the nothingness and self-loathing I had experienced when my parents were murdered. I refused to hide from Lucian’s death or the pain consuming my soul from his loss. Once I rescued both Caden and Aunt Mauve, I vowed to avenge Lucian and everyone else we’d lost to the Dark Ones.

  I wiped my face and moved to my vanity. The reflection of the girl with puffy eyes and a red nose appeared tiny as she stared back at me in her black long-sleeved dress. I applied waterproof liner and mascara and smoothed clear gloss over my lips to give myself some semblance of normalcy. I pulled my limp chestnut locks into a bun to reveal the glowing paw print on my neck.

  When we returned to Frost Manor, Lucian’s body was moved to the Dire Wolves’ pack lands. Uncle Kalen and the others agreed that my Luna mark needed to be seen by all the wolves. Since I was now the Luna, Uncle Kalen felt I would give comfort to the pack during the loss of their alpha, especially after the newest one had been captured by Aelfric.

  My breath escaped in a sigh when I heard a commotion at the door.

  “No entry.” A gruff voice rasped, and I heard Allie stomp her foot.

  “Phobos, I don’t care how powerful you are. You can’t keep me out of her room forever. I have no issues with fighting dirty.”

  “The princess will remain safe under my guard. I will die before any harm comes to her.” Another stab pierced my heart when I heard his words.

  “Why would we hurt Kitra? Just let us in, Phobos. Oomph.” Austin was shoved into the wall outside and I shot to my feet. Austin had tried to use our telepathic link to speak to me ever since we returned, but I kept a wall up and shut him out. Only Phobos spoke to me and I told him to allow no one inside. It sounded like he was taking his job seriously. “Kitra! Call off your warden!”

  Phobos. Don’t hurt them. They can come in.

  Are you sure, Princess? His voice was just as rough in my head as when he was in his shadow form.

  Yes. I’m sure. I didn’t want him to harm my friends.

  As you wish, Princess.

  A large grey and white husky darted through the crack in the opening door and planted himself next to my feet as Allie swept into the room in a black dress similar to mine. Austin was still in the doorway, bent at the waist with his palms on his knees, heaving a lungfu
l of air through his mouth.

  One red brow arched as Allie’s hands landed on her hips. “Really?” I made no move to contradict what I knew she was asking. “I can’t believe you used Phobos as a guard to keep us away from you. Why?”

  “I needed some time.”

  “Time!” Allie waved to the other faces beginning to fill the doorway while Austin crept in and Phobos’s hackles rose with a menacing growl. “Don’t even go there. We’ve all needed time, Kitra. We are all hurting. You can’t act like Lucian’s death only happened and matters to you. Quit being selfish and grow up.”

  “I…” Allie’s harsh words cut me to the core, but she was right. My explanation died on my lips and more tears gathered in my eyes. “You’re right. What I did was selfish and I’m sorry.”

  Uncle Kalen moved first, and I ran into his arms. “Shush, Kit Kat. Right now, we should all be together. This type of pain shouldn’t be faced on your own. I know I don’t want to do it alone.”

  “Neither do I.” I squeezed him tight and then more arms wrapped around us.

  “We’re stronger together.” Linc’s dark chocolate scent greeted my nose.

  “We can’t do this without you, Sparkles.” Ryn bumped my nose with the tip of his finger when our huddle broke apart. “Don’t shut us out anymore.” He pulled my shaking form into his arms and I fell apart again.

  I was passed from one set of arms to another until I was back in front of Allie and Austin. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Allie rushed me and Austin squished us both into his chest. “I don’t know what to do. Lucian’s gone and I can’t help but think Caden and Aunt Mauve aren’t far behind him. If I’d only done more…”

  “What else could you have done, Kitra?” Austin’s voice was muffled in my hair. “You may have closed your mind off for the past few days, but I’ve felt your every emotion and I broke with you. Don’t blame yourself, Kitra. No amount of training can prepare us for this battlefield.”

  “He’s right.” Ryn walked closer to us. “Death’s battlefield is an entirely different entity. Nothing goes to plan, and you can’t take responsibility for the outcome. Lucian wouldn’t want you to put this on yourself, Sparkles. We each know the risk every time we take up arms in this war. Casualties are inevitable and the pain of each loss will remain with us forever, but what we do with it is what counts.” I slipped my arms around Faerie’s Royal Guard Commander. “Use the pain to win the war and honor those we’ve lost so their deaths aren’t in vain. Do you think you can do that?”

  I nodded and kept my face buried in his firm chest.

  “It… it’s time.” Lilly’s voice shook. “We should leave now to make it on time.”

  I took a deep breath and grabbed the small clutch I stuffed with tissues and headed for the foyer. Downstairs, I dug the keys for my Aston Martin from the bowl filled with keys and tossed them to Austin whose eyes bugged from their sockets. I searched the depths of metal and key chains until I found what I was looking for. Uncle Kalen’s mouth opened and closed, but whatever he was about to say passed into nonexistence as he walked out the door and slid behind the driver’s seat of his Range Rover. Lilly, Ryn, Bretton, and Allie piled into the car with him while Austin opened the passenger door of my car for his girlfriend, Gwen. Ryn motioned for me to join them in my uncle’s vehicle, but I shook my head and marched to Caden’s black Hummer with my other Guardians and Phobos on my heels.

  I unlocked the driver’s side door and stepped on the running board, hoisting my five-foot-two frame behind the wheel. I glanced at the enormous distance between my feet and the pedals and dropped my head against the steering wheel, gripping the leather at ten and two until my knuckles turned white. Fresh cotton and mint permeated the air, and I fell apart. My shoulders shook as I embraced the phantom of Caden’s scent. I couldn’t do this without him. I needed him here. All I wanted was to submerge in his scent and never come up for air.

  A warm palm landed between my shoulders and rubbed circles while I wept; tears streamed in rivulets to my chin. Twin hazel orbs met my violet eyes when I peeked to the side. Linc tilted his head and dropped his face closer to my level.

  He cleared his throat twice; his handsome features wrinkled as his lips ghosted over my ear. “I know you’re hurting. We all are, but we’re going to get him back, and to do that, he needs you to be strong.”

  I swallowed another sob and my teeth bit into the soft flesh of my full bottom lip, nodding. “I… I can do this.”

  “Yes, you can.” Linc pulled me into a tight hug and two other hands squeezed each of my shoulders. “Caden never doubted your strength and neither do we, Kitra. You’re our Luna now.”

  “Our people need you now more than ever.” Curtis’s cobalt gaze focused on me in the rearview mirror. “Your strength will hold us together as we mourn and search for Caden.”

  “Our people depend on their leaders, Kitra.” Zander’s dimples made an appearance as his jaw tightened. “You are the Alpha female, our Luna. You are Caden’s equal in terms of pack hierarchy. When he returns, you’ll work together to run our pack, but right now, you’re it. The only leader we have. You have to show the pack your strength and prove you will take care of us. Otherwise, everything your father and Lucian have worked so hard to protect will dissolve into chaos. We need you.” Zander leaned forward until his coal-black eyes were level with mine. “I need you, Kitra.” His head dropped, showing his blonde highlights. “It is hard to think beyond the fact that Lucian is gone. How will we, as a family, recover from his loss? The Creator chose you and Caden to lead us and I know the type of leader you are. Be who you’re meant to be.”

  I sat up and took a deep breath, accepting the tissue Zander passed to me over the seat. Phobos dipped his husky head between Curtis and Zander, agreeing with the Dire Wolves. I wiped my face and inspected it in the mirror. Even at seventeen years old, I wasn’t the same adolescent girl who first moved to Serenade Falls. Circumstances made me grow up fast, and our current loss was just another testament to Zander’s words. I couldn’t hide from my fears any longer. This was much larger than my sorrow; I couldn’t afford to behave like a selfish child. I had to stand up and be a leader; the leader to make not only the Creator proud but Lucian and my father.

  I turned the ignition and adjusted my seat before putting Caden’s massive vehicle in gear. “Tell me where to go.”

  I followed Linc’s directions and turned right from Frost Manor’s long driveway. We climbed into the mountains and were surrounded by a sea of trees on one side and a steep drop which gave a view of the Serenade Falls in the valley on the other. The trip continued another ten minutes along the winding road before Linc pointed out the next turn. Caden’s Hummer bounced along a dirt trail; trees encroached on both sides until they widened into a clearing.

  Dark wooden fences extended into the bordering forest until we passed through two columns of gray river stone with a connecting sign perched across the top which read, “Moon Stone Ranch.” Farther past the headgate, single-story houses with different colored siding dotted the fields. Stone pathways connected them and led to the road. Our journey ended in a circular cul-de-sac with a large two-story log cabin beyond it. Two other log cabins sat on each side of the main house.

  “Are these the pack dormitories for those working to control their wolves?” I asked as a group of females dressed in black dresses exited the cabin on the right and males exited the cabin on the left dressed in darker colors.

  “Yes, and that’s the alpha’s house.” Curtis pointed at the two-story structure. Smaller children played in the yard in front of the main house as an older woman opened the front door.

  “It’s always open to the pack,” Linc answered my unspoken question. “Lucian said your father lived here until he married your mother.”

  “Why would they move? I could have lived among the pack.”

  “Kitra, the pack didn’t accept your mother.” Zander wouldn’t meet my gaze.

  “And you think they’ll
accept me as their Luna?” None of my companions answered, and I blew out a breath as Uncle Kalen’s Range Rover parked near us and not far behind, Austin followed. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The older woman with streaks of gray scattered throughout her black hair placed her hands on her sharp hips. She was tall and lean, but her stance warned not to mistake her for frail. I knew a warrior when I saw one and the scar running along the left side of her wrinkle-free face proved my intuition when her hard, brown eyes took in our group.

  “Is she older than Elder Dylan?” I whispered as Zander’s door opened.

  “No, but Sable is close to his age.” Linc opened his own door. “She may look mean, but her bark is worse than her bite these days.”

  “I hope so.” Most of the pack warriors I’d met since moving to Serenade Falls were men. I wondered how many more of the women were warriors.

  “Aunt Sable.” Zander marched to the older woman and threw his arms around her. “It’s good to see you.”

  “And you as well.” Her voice was warm and friendly. “And this must be the hybrid you are bound to.”

  “Yes, this is our Luna, Kitra Frost.” Several others had joined us, and a few gasps filled the air.

  Her cynical eyes scrutinized me from head to toe. “Hmm.” She nodded and turned. “Let’s lay Lucian to rest. Come, my Luna.” She held her hand out to me. I grasped it as I quickly climbed the steps of the cabin. My Guardians and Uncle Kalen let out a collective sigh while they fell in line behind us.

  We entered the frosted glass front door into a cozy wooden foyer. The décor was woodsy but homey and full of plaid accents and multicolored rag rugs. Potted ferns and plants filled corners and stood as sentinels beside sideboard tables. Unfamiliar faces peered back at us from frames dotting the hall. Sable’s pace quickened and soon we exited the cabin onto a large deck from a similar door at the end of the hallway. The deck was covered, and picnic tables were scattered throughout the space, leaving an area big enough to house the enormous grill on the right.