Elara's POV
A branch slapped me across the face as I stumbled through the bush.
I didn't slow down. Blood dripped down my cheek, but I kept running. My lungs burned and my legs felt like jelly, but I couldn't stop. If I stopped, I might fall apart totally.
Behind me, the lights from the pack house were getting smaller and smaller. The wedding music was just a faint whisper now.
Good. I never wanted to hear it again.
My foot caught on a root and I crashed to the ground. Pain shot through my knees and hands as I hit the dirt.
For a moment, I just lay there gasping. Everything hurt. My body, my heart, my soul. Maybe I should just stay here. Maybe I should let the forest take me.
But then I felt that little flutter in my stomach again. The baby.
I couldn't give up. Not when someone else was counting on me.
I pushed myself up and kept going. The forest was so dark I could barely see my own hands. Strange sounds echoed all around me. Owls hooting. Branches creaking. Something rustling in the bushes close.
Every noise made me jump. I had heard stories about the animals that lived in these woods. Wild wolves that didn't belong to any pack. Bears. Mountain cats. Things that would love to eat a scared, helpless girl.
But right now, those creatures seemed less scary than the people I had left behind.
Hours passed. My feet were bleeding inside my shoes. My stomach growled with hunger. The small bag Mrs. Hartwell had given me felt heavy with each step.
I was so tired I could barely think straight. But every time I considered stopping to rest, I heard Cerys's voice in my head.
"She was nothing but fun for him. A toy to play with."
A toy. That's all I had been. Something to use and throw away when he got bored.
Tears started flowing again. I had thought what we had was special. I had thought he cared about me. But I was just another stupid girl who fell for a strong man's lies.
The worst part was, I still loved him. Even after everything he had done to me, part of me still hoped he would come looking for me. Still hoped he would understand he had made a mistake.
But he wouldn't. He was probably in bed with his new wife right now, not even thinking about me.
A low growl made me freeze.
About twenty feet ahead of me, two bright eyes glowed in the darkness. They were too big to be a regular wolf. Too mean-looking to be nice.
My heart hammered in my chest. I took a slow step backward.
The thing stepped forward. In the moonlight, I could see its huge shape. It was a wolf, but bigger than any I had ever seen. Its teeth gleamed white as it snarled at me.
A wild wolf. The kind that killed for fun.
I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't move. I was frozen with terror.
The wolf crouched low, getting ready to pounce.
This was it. This was how I was going to die. Alone in the forest, holding a baby that would never be born.
The wolf jumped.
I screamed and threw my arms up to protect my face.
But the attack never came.
Instead, I heard the sounds of a fight. Snarling. Snapping. Bodies crashing into trees.
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw another wolf fighting the one that had been about to kill me. This new wolf was smaller but faster. It moved like lightning, dodging the bigger wolf's attacks and striking back with deadly accuracy.
The fight was over in seconds. The wild wolf lay still on the ground. The smaller wolf stood over it, breathing hard.
Then it turned to look at me.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. This wolf had dark fur and the most odd eyes I had ever seen. They were almost black, but with flecks of silver that seemed to glow.
Something about those eyes seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen them before.
The wolf took a step toward me. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. Something about this creature felt... safe.
"Thank you," I whispered.
The wolf tilted its head like it was listening. Then, to my amazement, it started to change.
Bones cracked and shifted. Fur melted away. In just a few moments, a man stood where the wolf had been.
He was tall and lean, with dark hair that fell into his eyes. His face was strong but kind. And those eyes - those silver-flecked eyes - were looking at me with worry.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was deep and gentle.
I shook my head, still too shocked to speak properly.
"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked. "These woods are dangerous at night."
"I... I had to leave," I managed to say.
He studied my face in the moonlight. I probably looked awful - tear-stained face, bloody scratches, dirt all over my clothes.
"You're running from something," he said. It wasn't a question.
I nodded.
"Or someone."
Another nod.
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he said, "You can't live out here alone. Especially not in your condition."
My hands flew to my stomach. "How did you...?"
"I can smell it," he said gently. "The pregnancy. It makes your scent different."
My cheeks burned red. "Oh."
"How far along are you?"
"Not... not very far," I stammered.
He nodded. "You need food and rest. And medical care."
"I don't have anywhere to go," I admitted.
"Yes, you do."
I looked up at him in surprise.
"My name is Riven," he said. "And if you'll let me, I'd like to help you."
"Why?" I asked. "You don't even know me."
Something flickered in his dark eyes. "Maybe not. But I know what it's like to be alone and scared. And I know what it's like to run from people who want to hurt you."
He held out his hand to me. "Trust me?"
I stared at his open hand. This stranger had just saved my life. He was offering to help me when no one else would.
But could I trust him? Could I trust anyone after what Kaelen had done to me?
"I won't hurt you," Riven said softly, like he could read my thoughts. "I promise."
There was something in his voice that made me want to believe him. Something that made the scared, broken part of me feel a tiny bit safer.
I reached out and took his hand.
His skin was warm and rough, like he worked with his hands. The moment our fingers touched, I felt a strange tingling feeling run up my arm.
He felt it too. I could see it in his eyes.
"What was that?" I whispered.
But before he could answer, we heard voices in the distance. Angry sounds. Getting closer.
"They're looking for you," Riven said sadly.
"Who?"
"Hunters from your pack. I can smell them."
My blood went cold. Cerys had sent people after me already.
"They'll kill me if they find me," I said, fear rising in my chest.
Riven's grip on my hand tightened. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
The sounds were getting louder. I could hear dogs barking now too.
"Can you run?" Riven asked anxiously.
I nodded, even though my legs felt like they were made of water.
"Good. Stay close to me and do exactly what I say."
We started running deeper into the forest. Behind us, I could hear the hunting group crashing through the trees.
"There!" someone yelled. "I see tracks!"
"Find her!" another voice yelled. "Luna Cerys wants her brought back alive!"
Alive. For now.
Riven pulled me behind a big tree just as flashlight beams swept past us.
"This way," he whispered in my ear.
We crept through the dark, moving as quietly as possible. But the hunters were getting closer. The dogs had picked up our smell.
"We're not going to make it," I whispered.
"Yes, we are," Riven said strongly. "I know a place they'll never find us."
"Where?"
He looked down at me with those strange silver-flecked eyes.
"My territory."