The night stretched on longer, very much not to Elias's liking. By his side, the stranger watched, attended to his wounds, and kept to his words. Morning came, and the stranger knelt beside him, his touch oddly gentle for someone cloaked in darkness.
Elias could not distinguish his appearance beneath his cloak, and the light of day did not bring the cloak off the stranger's head. His fingers skimmed Elias's blood-soaked shirt, and his brow furrowed beneath layers of stiffness.
"Who… are you?" Elias choked out. The stranger's lips curved faintly.
"Someone who's been watching," he said.
"Someone who can help," he added. Elias sighed tiredly, the pain wracking through his body. He had barely escaped the claws of death, and no matter where fate led him at this point, he cared not.
Lightning cracked through the sky, thunder roared from a distance, and soon the first raindrops splattered on the forest floor. Distant howls tore through the morning breeze, and Elias instantly stiffened.
"They're still hunting me…" he gasped.
"They won't find you here." The stranger assured him.
"Not if you come with me." Elias smiled faintly. There was no second-guessing; his mind was made up. Unlike his ex and pack, whom he had protected all his life, the stranger had indeed saved him and not left him to the bosom of death
"We need to get you to him quickly," the stranger said, helping him to his feet. Elias tried balancing his weight, but his body trembled from blood loss and betrayal.
"Lean on me," the stranger whispered, and like a spell, Elias obeyed, and their steps quickened. The journey was no quick ride; it took turns, short rests, and many questions, but they were still yet to arrive.
"What do you want from me?" Elias asked, forcing himself upright. "A favor," the stranger replied nonchalantly. "A partnership. A chance to rewrite your fate." Elias scoffed bitterly.
"I do not believe in fate…. Not anymore."
"You will." The man turned without another word, walking into the shadows between trees. For one stupid second, Elias considered staying and bleeding out. Maybe it would be easier, but something inside him… maybe an instinct of stubbornness moved his legs, and he followed and continued to walk ahead. Now was not the time to worry about where they were headed.
The rest of the journey was silently traveled; by sundown, they reached a hidden estate buried deep in the mountains. Elias had never seen anything like it: high stone towers, silver gates, and an unnatural quietness that hovered in the air like a dark spell. The air suddenly felt too thick and chilly.
"Where are we?" Elias asked. The stranger faintly smiled.
"My job here is done," he said, stepping back. "The path I have shown… it is your place to rewrite your fate, beta," and he disappeared into the woods with those words.
Elias staggered behind, his mind pounding with questions, but he didn't have enough time to think things through as the huge silver gate opened. A man sat in a wheelchair, and like the stranger, he, too, wore a hood over his head. The new arrival lowered his hood, and Elias blinked for a while.
The man was young, maybe his age. Pale skin, dark hair. But it was his eyes that made him pause. They were a distinct shade of icy gray, filled with something ancient. His gaze felt like a scan within the soul.
"I am Prince Rowan of the Forgotten Court."
Elias stared. The forgotten court was a myth… a generation of cursed royal bloodline long thought to be dead and vanished. He was crippled, and a maid stood behind, ready to serve.
Elias blinked, unsure if the exhaustion or mere presence of the man before him made his breath hitch. Those icy gray eyes-they didn't just look at him—they looked through him.
"They say your lineage is a myth?" Elias managed to say. Prince Rowan's lips tilted, and his eyes beamed a little.
"They say a lot of things." Elias opened his mouth, but his body swayed to the side. The pain, waves of pain, hit him, and the maid rushed to his side.
"You're hurt," she said, but Elias only proved stubborn. "I need answers," he demanded.
"He brought you here for protection." The maid replied, and Elias just pushed her to the side.
"I can protect myself," he snapped, but the prince's fierce gaze settled on his wounded and slowly healing body.
"Yeah, right," he scoffed. Elias was tired, his vision was blurring by the minute, and his legs begged for rest, but his mind remained stubborn.
"I may need protection… But what is in it for you?" he demanded. Prince Rowan rolled his wheel forward, his eyes dangerously cold. He reached into his robe and pulled out a scroll.
"A contract," he said. "You will stay here and serve as my personal guard, and in exchange, I will ensure no one from your pack touches you again." Elias blinked, his mind digesting every word.
"Do you trust me with your life?"
"No," Rowan answered swiftly.
"But I trust fate," he added.
As they walked inside, Elias refused to be helped by the maid as he limped ahead. A guard rushes to them. "Your Highness, the council is demanding an answer."
"About what?" Rowan asked.
"The marriage," he whispered.
"They say it must be arranged within the week." The tension in the air could be sliced through with a blade. Elias froze; every eye was on him. Then Prince Rowan turned, his eyes calm and unreadable.
"Looks like we will need a wedding sooner than expected."
A marriage? Elias's heart skipped, not from romance, but from dread. He had just escaped one nightmare. Was he walking into another?