The cold air burned her lungs as Aurelia ran.
Every breath felt like she was inhaling shards of ice, her throat already raw from the freezing wind that tore through the forest.
Snow clung to her bare feet, soaking through her skin until she could barely feel her toes anymore, but she refused to stop.
She couldn’t stop.
Not when she could still hear them.
The growls followed her through the trees, low and threatening, sometimes distant enough that she could almost convince herself she had escaped and sometimes so close that her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
Elena really hadn’t wasted any time.
The moment her sisters left, the woman had moved against her.
Aurelia had known she hated her.
She had seen it in every cold stare, every forced smile and every polite word that carried nothing but venom beneath it.
But she hadn’t expected this.
She hadn’t expected Elena to drag her into the woods and send wolves after her like she was some helpless animal meant to be hunted.
Her jaw tightened despite the fear clawing at her chest.
That woman truly was insane.
Aurelia pushed herself harder, forcing her tired legs to move faster.
The trees blurred around her, tall dark figures covered in snow as branches scratched against her arms and caught onto her cloak.
Her body screamed for her to slow down, to rest, but she couldn’t afford to listen.
Not now.
Not when she had a child to protect.
Her hand instinctively moved toward her stomach before she forced it back down.
She couldn’t think about that.
She couldn’t allow herself to panic.
Fear would only make her slower.
A howl ripped through the forest.
Aurelia froze for half a second.
They were closer.
Much closer.
The sound traveled through the trees and settled deep into her bones.
Her heartbeat became deafening, almost drowning out the sound of her own footsteps as she turned sharply, choosing another path through the woods.
She didn’t know where she was going.
She didn’t know how far she had run.
The North was unfamiliar, cruel and unforgiving.
Every direction looked the same, every tree hiding another possible threat.
She forced herself to run faster, weaving between towering pines as snow-laden branches scratched against her arms and snagged at her cloak.
She had survived losing her magic.
She wasn’t going to die in a forest because Elena had lost her mind.
Aurelia’s pulse hammered in her ears as she veered sharply between two trees, praying she could lose them among the dense forest.
Then…
A blur lunged from the undergrowth.
Aurelia barely had time to scream before a wolf slammed into her side.
She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs.
“No!”
She shoved against its chest with everything she had.
The wolf snapped at her, teeth inches from her throat.
“Get off!” Her hands scrambled desperately against its thick fur, trying to push it away.
“Let me go!”
The beast growled louder.
Its weight shifted.
Aurelia twisted with every ounce of strength she had left, driving her knee into its stomach.
The wolf staggered just enough.
She wrenched herself free and stumbled backward, scrambling to her feet before running again.
Behind her came another furious howl.
It was chasing her.
Aurelia ran again, faster than she thought her body could move.
The snow beneath her feet was uneven, hidden roots and frozen stones making every step dangerous, but she didn’t care.
She only cared about getting away.
Until suddenly…
There was no ground beneath her.
Her foot landed on empty air.
Her eyes widened.
The world tilted.
Aurelia barely had time to gasp before she fell.
The frozen earth disappeared as she tumbled down a steep ditch hidden beneath layers of snow and fallen leaves.
Pain shot through her body as her shoulder slammed against the hard ground, then again as rocks and branches caught against her on the way down.
A sharp cry escaped her lips before the impact finally stopped.
For a moment, she couldn’t move.
The world spun around her.
The cold seeped through her clothes, the snow beneath her slowly melting against her warmth before turning icy against her skin.
Her breathing came out uneven, every inhale sending a sharp pain through her ribs.
The world kept spinning.
Aurelia blinked slowly, trying to force her eyes to stay open, but the heavy pull of exhaustion was becoming impossible to fight.
The drug was finally taking its full effect, spreading through her body and stealing the little strength she had left.
She tried to move.
Tried to push herself up, but her body refused to listen.
Her own strength had abandoned her.
Above her, the forest had gone quiet.
The only sounds that reached her were the distant hooting of owls and the soft rustling of leaves moving with the cold wind.
She couldn’t hear the wolves anymore.
Had she run far enough?
Was she safe?
The questions lingered in her mind, but there were no answers waiting for her.
Slowly, her eyelids grew heavier.
Aurelia fought against it until the very last moment, but darkness was already pulling her under.
___
Darius was tired. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Not the kind of tired that disappeared after a few hours of sleep.
The kind that settled deep into his bones and made even breathing feel like effort.
It had been another long day filled with meetings with his Beta and Gamma.
Trade routes, territory disputes, warrior training and the endless problems that came with being an Alpha had consumed every hour of his day.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept through an entire night without waking up to some new issue demanding his attention.
He walked through the halls of the manor with his hands buried in his pockets, his shoulders tense as he rolled his neck, trying to ease the stiffness there.
The quiet of the evening was a welcome change.
Until he saw her.
Elena was walking towards him from the opposite direction, the scent of pine and earth clinging to her coat.
It was strange considering she had said she would be spending the evening inside, but Darius didn’t think much of it.
What caught his attention was the expression on her face.
She stopped almost immediately when she noticed him.
Then she smiled.
Not the polite smile she wore around others.
A genuine satisfied one.
Darius slowed his steps, watching her carefully.
“You seem happy,” he observed, noticing the unusual brightness in her eyes.
“I am,” Elena replied with a small giggle.
The sound surprised him.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had heard her laugh like that.
Before he could ask what had put her in such a good mood, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
A warrior came rushing towards them, his breathing uneven and his clothes damp with sweat despite the cold air surrounding the manor.
Darius immediately straightened.
“Alpha!
Alpha!” The warrior stopped in front of him, nearly stumbling as he tried to catch his breath.
Darius’ expression hardened.
“What happened?”
The warrior looked between him and Elena before turning back towards the direction he had come from.
His chest rose and fell heavily as he struggled to speak.
“There are…” he swallowed, “there are dead wolves near the woods.”
The words immediately changed the atmosphere.
Darius’ tiredness disappeared.
His instincts took over.
“What?”
The warrior shook his head, still pale.
“We found them dead near the northern path leading to the forest.”
Well screw that quiet evening he thought he was going to have.
Author here!
I know this chapter is a little messy but the story dies end there!
Keep going to know what happens to Elena