Ruth was badly outnumbered, and these wolves, so enormous, were each twice her size.
Yet still, Ruth was fearless. After a series of the most vicious warning snarls Scarlet had ever heard, it was clear the wolves were not backing off—and that was when Ruth burst into action. She chose the biggest wolf, one that seemed to be the leader, and charged right for him.
With just a few strides, Ruth leapt into the air, and managed to sink her teeth squarely into the wolf’s throat. The other wolf seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t expected Ruth to be so bold and daring. Ruth’s teeth lodged deep into his throat, as the two wrestled on the ground.
Another wolf came running over and attacked Ruth from the side, sinking its fangs into her back. But Ruth would not let go of her deadly grip. The leader rolled on his back, clawing at Ruth, trying to get her off. But it was no use. Ruth had death in her eyes, and she clamped down with such power, that within moments, the leader was dead.
But Ruth paid the price. Two more wolves jumped on her, and all three wolves managed to bring her down to the ground. They were all on top of her, clawing and biting; Ruth, on her back, fought back valiantly. But a fourth jumped on her, and she was just too badly outnumbered.
Scarlet felt a sense of desperation. The other wolf had her in his sights, and he suddenly burst into a sprint, right for her.
Scarlet turned and ran, knowing, even as she did, that it was useless. She barely got a few feet when she felt the first clawing on her back. It was long, and razor-sharp, and it struck her with such speed, that she felt it slicing open her skin. It tore right through her clothing, and across her shoulder blade, and the force of it sent her flying, face first, to the ground.
Scarlet didn’t even have a chance to turn around. A split second later, the wolf was on top of her, its awful snarls in her ears, filling her entire universe, its hot breath in her face, its filthy claws on her back. Her world was spinning, and in a moment of clarity, she knew that suddenly, just like that, her life was about to be over.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched helplessly as the wolf opened its mouth and lowered its large, yellow fangs right for her throat. Then she felt awful pain as the three inch-long fangs broke her skin and sunk into her neck. She felt more pain than she knew was possible, then felt her own blood rushing out of her, as her world began to spin, growing lighter and lighter.
The last thing she saw, before her world went black, was her basket of flowers, sprawled out on the forest floor. And her final thought, before her life ended, was that she wished she could gather them back up again, and just have one chance to show them to her Mommy.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Caitlin sprinted through the open meadow, beside herself with grief and anxiety. How could she have been so stupid to take her eyes off of Scarlet? She blamed herself for not being a better parent.
She should have had more of an instinct to keep an eye on Scarlet every second. And now Scarlet was missing, and she felt it was entirely her fault.
She ran through the meadow, Polly and the girls at her side, all calling Scarlet’s name, all scanning the grass, all equally frantic. Caitlin couldn’t help but wonder if they all blamed her, too.
After all, Scarlet was now her daughter—whether by blood or not. She was her responsibility. It was selfish of her to have closed her eyes for that long, to take time to make her wish.
But then again, she reasoned, she couldn’t have expected it. She had never known Scarlet to be the type to just run off like that, unannounced, without any warning. Caitlin still couldn’t understand why she did. If there was any consolation, it was that Ruth was nowhere to be found either, and thus must be with Scarlet. Caitlin felt slightly consoled by that. Ruth would never allow anything bad to happen to her.
“No one blames you,” Polly said, as she hurried quickly by her side, scanning the field. She must have read her thoughts. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Caitlin was too upset to even respond, but deep down, she felt she had. She also felt completely unnerved that Scarlet should have disappeared at the exact moment that she had been wishing to have a family of her own. She had been warned that Faerie Glen was a powerful place, a place where all wishes came true, and she had sensed that herself. Had her wish, she wondered, somehow set something in motion? Did her wishing to have a family with Caleb somehow put into motion Scarlet’s being taken away from her? Had she somehow endangered Scarlet?
Caitlin felt torn, wracked with emotions. Why did this have to happen now, she wondered, the day before her wedding? She wished she had never gone to that lake, never made that wish. She wished desperately that she could start over, do everything differently. She had been so wrapped up in herself, and her stupid wedding preparations, that she had just not been vigilant enough. She would never forgive herself.
“SCARLET!” Caitlin shrieked again, for the millionth time, as she scanned the horizon, the fields, the sky. The snow poured down, thicker by the moment, and started to accumulate beneath her feet.
High up in the sky, a vulture screeched back, as if mocking her. Caitlin looked up and noticed the dark, thick clouds gathering on the horizon, and she couldn’t help feeling as if the whole world were in mourning.
Caitlin scanned the horizon once again, willing the universe to show her where Scarlet could be.
She had no idea where she could have disappeared to so quickly. All the other girls were bent over, scanning the grass, as if Scarlet might have collapsed, might be hidden in the tall grass. The thought made Caitlin’s heart hurt.
Suddenly, there was a shuffling of feet behind her, and Caitlin turned, hopefully, expectantly, praying that it was Scarlet, running to her arms.
But it was not. It was Caleb, running towards them. Taylor had gone back to find him, to tell him the news, and they had returned. Now here he was, a frown on his face, looking more concerned than Caitlin had ever seen him. He looked as if he had aged overnight.
Caitlin hoped that he didn’t blame her.
“Where is she?” Caleb asked urgently.
Caitlin shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye.
He hugged Caitlin. It felt momentarily good to be in his arms, reassuring, as if his rippling muscles could stop any trouble in the world. But as Caitlin pulled away, she knew that this time, that would not be the case.
Caleb scanned the horizon desperately, his face etched with concern. Caitlin was about to continue walking through the meadow, but she changed her mind. Instead, she stopped. She felt it was time for a different approach. It was time to draw on her innate power, her senses, on everything Aiden had ever taught her.