Chapter 2: Into the Forbidden ForestCold.
1546 Words
She had expected darkness, perhaps the occasional howl of a rogue wolf. Instead, the moment she crossed beneath the twisted branches, the entire world seemed to change.
The cheerful sounds of Silver Fang vanished behind her.
No music.
No voices.
No familiar scent of her pack.
Only the whisper of leaves and the distant hoot of something she couldn't identify.
Elara hugged herself and continued walking.
She had no destination. She didn't even know whether she was walking north or south. She simply knew that returning to Silver Fang was no longer an option.
Her ankle hurt with every step, but she forced herself onward.
The rejection had left more than emotional wounds. The broken mate bond had drained her strength so severely that even shifting felt impossible.
She stopped beside an enormous tree and rested her back against its trunk.
For the first time since the ceremony, she allowed herself to cry.
She pressed a trembling hand against her chest.
Why had Kael done it?
She could understand being angry. She could understand questioning her innocence.
But rejecting her without even investigating...
That was what hurt the most.
She had loved him.
Perhaps that had been her greatest mistake.
A sudden rustling came from the bushes.
Elara immediately wiped her tears and stood upright.
"Who's there?"
Nothing answered.
She held her breath.
Another rustle.
This time, it came from behind her.
Elara turned.
Two yellow eyes stared at her from between the trees.
Her heart stopped.
A low growl rolled through the darkness.
Then another pair of eyes appeared.
And another.
Elara slowly backed away.
Rogues.
She had heard stories about them, but she had never encountered a group this deep inside the forest.
The largest wolf stepped forward.
Its fur was matted, its ribs visible beneath its skin, and saliva dripped from its exposed teeth.
Elara's instincts screamed at her to run.
She turned and sprinted.
Branches whipped against her face as she raced between the trees. Behind her came the thunder of paws.
She pushed herself harder.
Her lungs burned.
Her injured ankle screamed with every step.
But the wolves were faster.
One of them slammed into her from behind.
Elara hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
She rolled aside just as sharp claws tore through the soil where her head had been.
She scrambled backward.
"Stay away!"
The rogue lunged again.
Elara raised her arms to protect her face.
A deafening roar suddenly shook the forest.
The rogue stopped in midair.
It landed several feet away and immediately lowered its head.
The other wolves froze.
Elara stared at them in confusion.
Something was coming.
She could feel it.
A powerful presence moved through the forest, so overwhelming that even the rogues seemed terrified.
Footsteps sounded between the trees.
Slow.
Calm.
Unhurried.
A man emerged from the darkness.
Elara's breath caught.
He was tall and dressed entirely in black. His dark hair fell slightly across his forehead, and his face was strikingly handsome in a way that made him seem almost unreal.
But it was his eyes that frightened her.
Crimson.
Not brown.
Not hazel.
Crimson.
The rogues immediately backed away.
The man glanced at them.
"Leave."
His voice wasn't loud.
He didn't need it to be.
The wolves fled into the darkness.
Elara remained on the ground, staring at the stranger.
He turned his attention toward her.
"You shouldn't be here."
Elara tried to stand.
"I didn't exactly choose to come."
He looked at her torn dress and bloodstained shoulder.
"Who did that?"
"Rogues."
"I wasn't asking about the wound."
Elara stiffened.
"What?"
His gaze settled on her face.
"Who made you come into this forest?"
She hesitated.
"Nobody."
"That's not what your scent says."
Elara frowned.
"My scent?"
The stranger took another step toward her.
She immediately stepped backward.
"Don't come closer."
He stopped.
For some reason, he actually obeyed.
That surprised her.
Most powerful wolves wouldn't have listened to a frightened young woman who had no pack behind her.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Elara."
"Elara what?"
She hesitated before answering.
"Ashwood."
Something changed in his expression.
It was subtle, but she noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Ashwood?"
"Yes."
"Who are your parents?"
Elara's chest tightened.
"My mother died when I was young."
"And your father?"
"I never knew him."
The stranger stared at her for several seconds.
Then his gaze moved toward the back of her neck.
Elara instinctively covered it.
"What?"
"Nothing."
His answer came too quickly.
Elara didn't believe him.
"Who are you?"
He remained silent.
She studied him.
There was something about him that made every instinct inside her scream danger.
Yet there was also something strangely familiar.
She couldn't explain it.
The man looked toward the sky.
"The moon is almost at its highest point."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Everything."
Before Elara could ask what he meant, dizziness suddenly swept over her.
She stumbled.
The stranger caught her before she fell.
Elara stiffened against him.
"Let me go."
"You can barely stand."
"I said let me go."
He released her immediately.
Elara nearly fell again.
His hand caught her arm.
"You're stubborn."
"And you're annoying."
For the first time, something resembling amusement touched his face.
"You're also brave."
"I'm not brave."
She looked away.
"I'm terrified."
"There's a difference between being afraid and allowing fear to control you."
Elara stared at him.
"Who taught you that?"
"No one."
His voice became quieter.
"I learned it the hard way."
A strange silence passed between them.
Then Elara noticed something.
A black mark ran along the man's wrist, disappearing beneath his sleeve.
It looked almost like a claw had been burned into his skin.
She pointed toward it.
"What happened to you?"
His expression immediately changed.
"Don't ask questions about things you don't understand."
Elara folded her arms.
"You just spent five minutes asking questions about me."
"Fair enough."
He looked at her again.
"Can you walk?"
"I think so."
She took a step.
Her ankle gave way.
The stranger caught her.
Before she could protest, he lifted her into his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving you from falling."
"I can walk."
"No, you can't."
"I don't know you."
"You don't have to."
Elara stared at his face.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere safe."
"I don't want to go anywhere with a stranger."
His crimson eyes met hers.
"My name is Lucien."
Elara went completely still.
She had heard that name before.
Everyone in the northern territories had.
Lucien Draven.
The Devil Lycan.
King of the Shadow Kingdom.
The man whose name mothers used to frighten rebellious children.
The warrior who had supposedly destroyed an entire army without mercy.
Elara's heart began pounding.
"You're him."
Lucien's expression remained calm.
"Apparently."
"You lied to me."
"I never told you my name."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because you were already frightened."
Elara swallowed.
She should have been screaming.
She should have demanded that he put her down.
Instead, she found herself staring at him.
"You really are the Devil Lycan."
"That's what people call me."
"Are the stories true?"
"Which ones?"
"That you killed an entire pack."
Lucien's expression became cold.
"Some stories are written by people who survived."
"And the others?"
"They were written by people who wanted to make me look like a monster."
Elara didn't know what to believe.
Lucien carried her deeper into the forest.
The trees gradually became thicker until she could no longer see the path behind them.
Then something strange happened.
The mark beneath her hair began to burn.
Elara gasped.
Lucien immediately stopped.
"What is it?"
"My neck."
She touched it.
"It hurts."
Lucien carefully moved her hair aside.
His entire body went rigid.
A silver crescent-shaped mark glowed against her skin.
For the first time since Elara had met him, Lucien looked genuinely shocked.
"Where did you get that?"
"I told you. I've had it since I was born."
He stared at the mark.
"No."
"What?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"It can't be you."
Elara frowned.
"What can't be me?"
Lucien looked into her eyes.
The expression on his face frightened her more than his reputation ever could.
"You were supposed to be dead."
Elara's blood ran cold.
"What are you talking about?"
Before he could answer, distant howls echoed through the forest.
Lucien's warriors appeared between the trees.
They immediately dropped to one knee.
"My King."
Elara's eyes widened.
Lucien looked at her again.
Then at the glowing mark on her neck.
His expression hardened.
"Take us to the castle."
One of the warriors hesitated.
"My King, should we inform the council?"
Lucien's voice turned dangerously cold.
"No."
He looked down at Elara.
"Not yet."
Elara stared at him.
"Why?"
Lucien's eyes met hers.
"Because if I am right about who you are..."
He paused.
"...the moment the world discovers that you're alive, they will come for you."
And somewhere beyond the forest, far from the Shadow Kingdom, a man dressed in a silver cloak opened his eyes.
A messenger knelt before him.
"Lord, we've found her."
The man's lips curved into a slow smile.
"Where?"
"The Forbidden Forest."
His smile disappeared.
"Then find her before the Devil Lycan does."
The hunt for Elara Ashwood had begun.
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