by G. Bailey
"How old is your son?" I ask, wanting to know.
"Five and a handful of trouble," he tells me, chuckling. “Recently he has started finding his powers and somehow causing more trouble than ever before.”
"My Arisa isn't much older, and she is just the same," I reply, grinning at him. Magical kids, who would have them? “Her wolf is only a small grey pup, but she can fit through little gaps and outrun even her uncle, the alpha. It’s as impressive as it is tiring.”
"You took a big risk leaving her alone and coming here," Aith points out, but he watches me so closely as I try not to take offense at him pointing out the obvious.
"My brother is alpha, and my sister-in-law is a strong alpha female. They will protect and love Arisa like their own in my absence. I did not leave her alone," I firmly reply.
"I didn't mean to insult you, I hope you know that. My son is with my mate's parents, hidden for the time being. I miss him," he explains to me, and he slows down his walk. "The world is a dangerous place right now, especially with a queen out of control. If she calls war, my son would be a prize for her to kill. I cannot let that happen."
"I understand that. I want to get my mates and stay in our pack, hidden away in case war is what she is going to do," I reply. “It wouldn’t surprise me, but the queen doesn’t have an army, so I’m unsure how she would attack.”
"A woman like you can't be hidden for long, Snow," he replies. “As for the queen, royals can always find or buy an army for the right price.”
"That is the first time you used my name since we met," I tell him, not wanting to discuss the queen anymore as she frightens me.
"I prefer ‘pretty little wolf’," he replies, “though I have not seen your wolf yet, and it is something I look forward to seeing. I’ve always found wolf shifters to be stunning creations.”
"My wolf isn't little," I warn him, and he grins at me before pausing in his steps. I stop, wondering what he is waiting for when I scent it. My wolf pushes to the surface, but I don't let her out for a full shift yet. Not when there is an unknown danger. A low growl leaves my lips just before I see a spear flying through the air towards Aith's back. I run and jump, catching the spear and spinning around, throwing it right back at the elf with dark blue skin that is trying to run away.
I get out my dagger, spinning around as I look for the danger. I catch a glimpse of someone and lift my hand, but before I can see if I hit my target, I cry out as something sharp tears into my lower leg, and my dagger falls out of my hand. Before I fall, I see Aith picking up my dropped dagger and throwing it at someone. My body slams against the path, and I reach down for whatever stabbed my leg before I try to sit up. I rip my leggings to the knee, seeing this dagger is really stuck in there. It looks to be made of a strange blue metal, and the hilt is silver. I close my eyes and place my hand on the hilt before screaming as I pull it out, feeling the world getting blurry as Aith's hands rest on my shoulder.
I open my eyes to see him using the ripped parts of my leggings to bandage my leg before tying it up as I cry out in pain. Everything gets fuzzy as my wolf howls in my mind, pushing me to shift and let her heal everything. I can't do that because she might not let me shift back for a long time in her panic. I have to save Erik and Prince before it's too late. I can't go back to Arisa without her dad. I can't imagine a life without them both.
"We are closer to my castle than the town. You need help," Aith tells me before lifting me up in the air and holding me to his chest. "You saved my life, pretty little wolf. Don’t panic."
"I did come here to save people, just it wasn't m-meant to be y-you," my voice drifts as I try to speak, and Aith’s face gets all blurry.
"I will thank fate then." I hear his words, but the world is lost to me as sleep takes me under.
"Snow saved my life, you know what that means. Treat her as such." I hear Aith shouting commands, but I struggle to open my eyes to actually see him. I feel hot, bleeding hot, and most of the heat seems to be in my leg. I try to tear at my clothes only to have hands hold me back, stopping me, and I’m so weak I can’t fight them off. My wolf whines and pushes in my mind, trying to escape and fix this.
"Yes, your majesty," other voices reply to Aith, and I only want to be able to open my eyes and see him. Everything else goes fuzzy for a long time where darkness blacks in and out until finally, I can open my eyes to stare at the gold ceiling above me. Leafy vines cover the ceiling, only revealing the gold colour of it in places. A warm breeze blows against my body, which I can feel is mainly covered with a thin blanket. The bed I'm on feels comfy and soft like a massive pillow. I try to sit up only to sink further into the marshmallow bed.
After a few attempts, I manage to move my one leg off the bed, and a cry leaves my lips when I move my other leg off the bed. I pull myself to sit up, looking down at my leg which is bandaged with blue leaves stuck on with green paste, and it really damn well hurts. I pause when I finally see the room I'm in and how stunning it is. Arisa would love this room; it is fit for a princess. The golden walls have vines hanging down them, with white flowers in bloom that almost glitter. The bed is huge, taking up the centre of the room, and the floor is all white fluffy carpet. There are a golden dresser, wardrobe and two large gold and white doors in the room. I turn my head and see a balcony, with thin gold curtains that move with the breeze blowing in. The door opens, and Aith walks in, his frown turning into a smile when he sees I'm awake and sitting up.
"Snow, you should be lying down," he says, sounding tired, and he looks it too. He is still wearing the same trousers with bits of my blood on them, but now he has a gold shirt on that does little to hide his chest due to it being open in the middle.
"No, I need to find my parents’ friends and get moving. I can't just lie here," I reply, standing up off the bed as I know I need to move. I take one step before my leg gives out from the abrupt pain, and I cry out as I fall to the floor. Except I don't hit the floor because Aith catches me and picks me up into his arms like a teddy bear before gently putting me back on the bed. He must be strong to catch me like that, let alone carry me all the way back to his castle in the first place.
"The dagger was coated in a deadly poison. You must rest while the antidote heals you, but do not worry, I have a solution to your problem," he tells me as he sits on the edge of my bed and grins at me. I roll on my side, resting my head on my arm on the pillow as I get myself comfy. My leg burns like nothing I’ve felt before, and the simple fact my wolf isn’t trying to get me to shift makes me think I need to rest and she clearly trusts this place. I doubt the elf royals would hurt me though, not without knowing my pack would avenge me. Plus, it’s not worth it; I’m no one to them.
"You happen to know a way into the castle?" I ask, trying to not give up hope.
"I do," he replies, moving to sit next to me on the bed. Aith picks up my hand, and for some reason, I just let him hold it. He did save me, or I saved him, I'm not sure what happened. Either way, I guess we aren't just strangers anymore.
"It will sound crazy...but it is the only way, so at least hear me out. When you saved my life, it meant I am yours. My life is yours, and I will mate no other. In our traditions, we believe fate throws people together, and what happened in the forest was a sure sign of fate, in my eyes. In my people's eyes, you are the saviour of their loved prince, and they adore you. Even now, they sing songs and whisper about the Snow wolf who saved the prince and is to mate him," he explains to me, and I don’t know how long I stare in utter shock at Aith, waiting for him to say he is joking. He isn’t joking, I know that, but my mind doesn’t want to catch up with that idea for a while.
"I have a mate," I reply, because honestly, I don't know what to say to that. Is he seriously asking me to mate with him? How will that help me save my other mates? I’m pretty sure it will just get him killed and my other mates in a big fight.
"I am aware; you told me, remember?" he replies with a smile. "Sharing a woman or man is part of our culture. Love and fa
te are what we trust in. It is the elf way."
"I'm sorry, I don't know you, and you don't have to mate with me because I saved your life. This is crazy," I tell him, wanting to get up but not having the strength. Aith squeezes my hand, making me aware he is still holding it and how natural it feels. My wolf is happily relaxing in my mind, much like how she is when I’m around Erik or Prince. What the hell is going on with me?
"Wait, before you say anything else, hear me out, please," he asks, stopping my rant, and taking a deep breath, I nod. "The shifter queen has sent my parents an invite to the castle. If you mate with me, become the princess, we can take the invite and go in their place. I have an heir, so they will let me leave with you even though it is dangerous and I might not come back. I’m going to protect you, no matter what, and I understand you need to go there."
"This is crazy. A simple thank you is enough," I simply reply, needing some time to think about all of this. It might be my only way to save my other mates, but mating is for life. Aith and I don't know each other, not really, and he seems much surer about this than I am. He already looks at me like he is half in love with me.
“I know you need time to rest and heal. I’m sure you need to think about this all at the same time,” he replies, smoothly standing off the bed. I couldn’t get up if I wanted to. I watch him walk to the door, pausing before opening and looking back. “You are beautiful, kind, and I like you. I have never done anything in my life I didn’t believe was right, and I never will. Mating with you would be a great honour, and I would love you for the rest of our lives. I will not expect it or force you; it is your choice.” With his statement, he bows his head and walks out without another word.
How did a rescue mission turn into deciding to take a new mate?
"Thank you so much for all your help," I gently say to the light purple-haired healer. She looks up in shock, halfway through re-bandaging my leg with the paste and leaves. I’ve been speaking with them for the last few days, and they explained how the crushed paste is the leaves of the poison hurting me, but with a little magic, it soon extracts the poison so natural healing can work. Last night was the first night I’ve been able to sleep without feeling bleeding hot or freezing cold and without being in enough pain that the healers have had to knock me out with one of their potions.
I’ve never known much about elves and their powers, but Aith has been filling me in on everything. They have control over elements, and only one element at a time. Until the age of ten, the elf children practice all elements and, on their tenth birthday, pick one that they deem is the best for them. Aith said he chose air early on, mainly because he likes to fly himself up onto the top of the castle and watch the sunsets. Elves also have a natural connection to their world and the plants that grow in it. That’s why they are always so good at healing potions and many other creations.
"You are the princess; it is an honour to help you," the shy healer blurts out. I sigh because I know there is no point asking her name or for her to call me Snow. I’ve spent days encouraging them to talk to me like I’m a guest, but they treat me like a hero instead.
"Oh, I'm not—" I pause as Aith comes into the room, looking ridiculously sexy as usual. The healer quickly bows her head before finishing the bandage as Aith comes to sit next to me, eyeing the bandage. He reaches down, tucking a leaf edge in that has slipped out, his fingers skimming across my bare skin on my leg and making me shiver.
"How are you feeling today?" he asks like he does every day. Even though he has this crazy notion that I am meant to be his mate or something, he is a nice guy. A very good person, which is an odd thing in the supernatural world. Especially for the higher up people in the world. Money and power go to most people’s heads. It's been five days since I fell into that forest, and I've been bedridden pretty much since. Aith has been nothing but helpful and almost...sweet. The healers and staff in this place are just the same as well, and overall, I could see how anyone would want to stay here forever. I can't do that though; I have to get myself standing today. I miss Arisa so much, and I didn't realise how hard it would be to be away from her. All I want to do is hold my little girl, even though I know it is silly. She is safe, I know that deep down in my soul.
"Much better, thank you," I reply as the healer finishes bandaging my leg.
"I would suggest walking around today, only for a little bit. The wound is nearly healed, and movement accelerates healing for wolf shifters. Or so I read in my books I dug out on your kind," she gently tells me, still sounding nervous.
"Brilliant. I'd love to show Snow the royal gardens," Aith comments to the healer with a big smile and then looks my way, "if you would like that?"
"I've heard the royal gardens of the elf palace are the prettiest place in the world," I reply, remembering reading about them in the history books. The elf royal gardens are said to be the start of the entire supernatural creation, and everyone left overtime, but elves stayed to look after the gardens. No one knows if it is true though, because our history is so secretive to make sure humans never find out about us.
"They are," he replies, standing up and offering me a hand. Despite my hesitance and lack of knowing much about Aith, I slide my hand into his to pull me up. My leg is painful to stand on, but nothing I can't handle for a short walk. It's super frustrating that I can't do anything but a short walk when I'm meant to be saving the day. Gold, my sister-in-law, would be laughing, because she is nothing but a badass and wouldn't have gotten herself in this kind of trouble. I link my arm into Aith's, letting him lead me from the room. The healer opens the door for us, bowing for us as we walk into the corridor. The corridor has much the same decor as the inside of the room I was in, and it seems to stretch on endlessly.
"While you have been resting, I have been researching into the shifter queen and what she may want. If I am to help you, I thought I best find out all I can," he explains to me. It’s kind of sweet that he is putting so much effort into helping me.
"What did you find out?" I ask him.
"She is collecting shifter stones, am I right?" he asks.
"Yes, she made Gold, who is my sister-in-law, steal one from both her own bear pack and my brother’s pack in exchange for a bear shifter child," I tell him. Poor Gold went through a lot to get those stones, and I know she feels guilty about the whole thing.
"She sounds like a brave woman who had to make a difficult decision," Aith replies. “I know I would do much worse to save a child.”
"Gold certainly is brave. Honestly, I feel like it should have been her on this rescue mission and not me," I tell him. Then I think about her saving Aith and him being indebted to her, and it makes me mad. No, not mad, jealous. I have no reason to be jealous, but here we are.
"I believe it should have been you. Did I ever tell you why I was out in the forest on that day?" Aith asks me as we head through an archway into a smaller corridor with large white doors at the end. The white doors have the royal symbol on them, a stag with large horns that stretch up with stars at the end of them.
"No, you haven't," I reply, looking up at him. My leg aches as we walk, but I push the pain to the back of my mind the best I can.
"I usually hunt in the edges of the forest, just rabbits or the occasional fox. I never see deer this close to the palace; they are too smart to get close. That day was different. A white deer ran out of the tree line where I was hunting, and it just stared at me. I felt frozen for a second, the beauty and rareness of the deer captivating me. The deer very slowly bowed its head before turning and running off into the forest. I don't know what made me drop my bow and arrows and run after it. I would call it fate because, not far into the run, I heard you," he tells me, looking at the symbol on the white door. “Stags and deer have always guided my family, and I trust that I was led to you for a reason that day. You are my fate, Snow.”
"You really believe in fate, don't you?" I whisper, taking in his story.
"Yes, and so do you. I see it in your eyes. If magic
is real, which to us it really is, then is it too far-fetched to believe fate is real as well?" he asks just as we get to the doors. Aith pushes them both open, revealing the palace gardens behind them. Magic is certainly real; this place is proof of that. I gape at the pink-leaved trees and the vines that hide the garden, letting in little beams of light here and there. The pink hue from the gently falling leaves shines onto the millions of multicoloured flowers that cover the ground. Some of the plants are taller with different coloured fruits hanging off them, and at their bases are a load of different crystals. The mixture of light, falling petals and leaves, and the sweet scent of the gardens is magical. When I can finally look away, Aith is smiling down at me, his eyes exploring mine like he can see everything. Before I realise it, his lips are pressed against mine, softly exploring and parting my own lips. The kiss is perfectly sweet and short before he pulls back.
"Do forgive me. I had to know how it would feel to kiss you at this moment," he tells me, looking concerned he pushed me too far.
"My other mates are going to be mad at you and me for that," I tell him honestly.
"I don't care. I only care about us," he tells me. “Plus, they love you, and we are meant to be.”
"There isn't an ‘us’, and you have an answer for everything, don’t you?” I ask.
"The way you kissed me back suggested something else entirely," he replies as I flash him an annoyed smile. He has a point. Aith steps closer, placing both his hands on the sides of my face, and it's surprisingly comforting to have him so close. Aith smells like cherries, and I've always been a fan of them. He is like a prince you'd dream of—this whole place is. I'm starting to worry I hit my head when I fell through that portal. "I don't want to push you for a decision, but the invite has a date on it. It's a week away. I wish I could take you as my princess without a mating, but it isn't possible. Only the royals of the races can go, according to the invitation."