by Cara Carnes
The undergrowth pricked my skin, and I scraped my legs against the thick bark of yet another tree I’d overlooked. I crab-crawled backward, my eyes widening as I battled to see farther into the thickening darkness. Where was my sun?
It had been like this that fateful night so long ago—dark and menacing. Had I found my destination? I couldn’t find the strength to run farther. I cowered behind the mighty tree. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I fought to steel my ragged breaths. Sweat mixed with death and a week’s dirt filled my nostrils as they entered the small glade.
How many times had I inhaled that scent when our villagers returned battle weary? How many times had it filled me with solace and love? They’d kept us safe from harm. But those village men weren’t here now, and that scent would never offer the comfort it once had.
Silence gave way to their laughter as they scanned the area in a circular pattern. My lungs burned, but I refused to take the breath I knew I needed. My crouch behind the large tree had gone unnoticed so far. My body pressed snugly against the mighty tree now covered by layers of moss and new growth.
I shuddered in revulsion as I noticed their scraggly beards. Blood-stained hands grasped swords still coated with the crimson remnants of their last encounters. Bile rose in my stomach as I studied the trophy scalps each of the men hung from their belts. Dry heaves threatened to ensue, but I fought them back.
Visions of my fate terrified my mind, freezing me in place. Their methodical steps neared my sanctuary, and I knew my chance to continue my desperate sprint to safety was lost.
“She’s here. She has to be.” The man skimmed the forest behind me. I dared a breath as he moved, his step crunching twigs two paces from where I hid. “Damn this darkness.”
Blessed darkness. I wished it were darker, but small rays of light sprinkled in the glade—just enough for my eyes to acclimate to my surroundings. Soon theirs could as well. My pulse quickened.
“Maybe some of us should return to the village and see to our wounded.”
The leader sneered. “We’ll have no wounded. Sluts and children don’t make formidable enemies. We find her. She’ll sell for a worthy sum.”
The men laughed. I shuddered in revulsion. I’d overhead enough whispered stories of the slave market a day’s travel from the village to know I’d rather die than face the horrors there. Women sold for the most, depending on their age and comeliness. Few in my country—or in theirs—had my fiery-colored hair. Would that seal my fate?
Each waning second agonized me. My skin burned where I pressed against the bark. I wished I could dig away enough of the moss and undergrowth to crawl under the downed sanctuary.
My memory played tricks with my head as I suddenly found visions of myself lying beside a young boy so long ago. They drifted through my mind as it focused on the naïve chatter of that night, which was far more welcome than the crude amusement of my tormentors.
Pain shot through my head as one of the men dragged me up. One hand grasped my long hair and the other wound around my waist. He dragged my body flush against him. I screamed, my throat throbbing.
Laughter filled my ears.
“Scream all you want. No one will hear you.”
The truth he taunted me with bored into me as I let out another terrified scream. The two men sandwiched me between them as the others clustered at my sides.
I closed my eyes, terror keeping me from looking at the man. Pain rushed through my cheek as he struck me. “Open your eyes, slut.”
Tears welled, clouding my vision as I obeyed. My pulse leaped with desperation. A matted black beard masked a thin mouth, but I could see his lips turn upward into a smug grin as his hands cupped my breasts and squeezed so hard I let out a pained cry.
I clenched my fists and struck his face hard. He stumbled and I kicked. My knee hit him between the legs. He bellowed his fury, and I steeled myself for another blow. Cool air rushed across my skin as he ripped my chemise, exposing my breasts.
Part of me wanted to tremble and beg for mercy, but my mother’s cries had gone unheeded and had only fueled their lust. I refused to fall victim to their evil. Cramps sprinted up my arms as I moved my body, trying to angle myself for another kick.
The man raised his hand to strike me again. Flashes of grey filled my peripheral vision. Growls echoed through the small glade. The men screamed, and my arms fell to my sides.
Freedom.
I raced toward the trees, coveting their safety with the desperation of a child. I observed the battle unfolding around me, but my mind refused to process what was happening.
The men’s screams filled the air and drifted into the thick forest. My lungs burned, my legs ached. I accepted that small measure of pain as payment for freedom.
Somehow I’d been spared.
But how?
Who?
What?
Questions raced through my mind as I continued my flight. Destination, again, wasn’t as important as distancing myself from the horrors unfolding behind me.
Darkness hindered me, and I succumbed to the need to rest my aching limbs. I pulled my chemise together and tried to patch what the terrifying man had ripped. Not even a makeshift tying could stop an indecent amount of bosom from showing.
But it didn’t matter.
I was safe. Alone, lost and panicked. But safe. A cool breeze whipped through the trees overhead, filling the air around me with the comforting sound of rustling leaves I’d delighted in as a child.
I sat on the mossy sod and rested against the thickest tree I could find. Time had escaped me, and I was unsure how long or far I’d traveled. Thoughts sliced me.
My mother was dead. My brother and father…had they lived? Would they return to the village and think me dead? Uncertainty must’ve clouded my senses, because I didn’t hear his approach.
Beams of sunlight streamed through the trees, welcoming me to my new hideout. A limb snapped behind me, no doubt intentionally on his part. I gasped and leaped up. The movement sent sharp pangs up my legs. I backed away from him and admired his sun-kissed skin. Bare above the waist, he stood dressed in a pair of leather pants like my father wore, but made in a different fashion. They molded to his long legs and lean hips. Chestnut hair fell past his powerful jaw, detracting from his full lips and golden eyes.
A pang of familiarity trickled through me, but my fear drove me backward. My pulse accelerated, my breathing quickened. His thick arms crossed in from of him. His clean-shaven jaw twitched, but he made no step forward.
I swallowed the scream lodged in my throat, since I was unsure whether its release would help or hinder me. One man versus one woman was better odds than before.
And someone—no, something—was still out there. My mind filtered the events of the day and began processing my rescue for the first time. Flashes of gray melded with childhood memories. My gasp filled the area with my realization.
The boy from my past had been real. A wolf, yet a boy. His people must’ve been the ones who rescued me. Guilt flooded my veins as I glanced around, still unwilling to lock gazes with the man before me. Running away and leaving them to fight my battle had been wrong.
The man moved forward.
Was he one of them?
“Who are you?”
“You know who I am, Hannah.”
My heart skipped a beat, my shallow breathing stilled as I absorbed his response. He knew my name. My hand went to my neck and my fingers traced the cord there down until they grasped the talisman hanging between my breasts.
The action moved his attention there, and my pulse quickened. He took another step forward, his golden eyes fired by a flicker of something I instinctively knew was desire. I knew I should look away, but found myself drawn to his talisman.
I closed the distance between us, my fingers moving to stroke the talisman resting against his chest. “Stephan.”
His name tumbled from my lips. Comfort awakened within me. Somehow, knowing the friend I’d made so long ago was here set
my mind at ease. The terrified youth I’d befriended was long gone, replaced by a virile warrior who’d tracked my path through the forest.
His forest.
I shivered, and his lips curved into a welcoming grin. “One day we’ll meet and neither of us will be in grave danger.”
My mind raced to make sense of his presence. How did he know who I was when many summers had passed? Pieces of the horrifying ordeal locked into place, secured by the strength and resolve tumbling from him. “You saved me.”
The statement sounded more like a question, even though I already knew the answer. His nod affirmed my thoughts, and I looked down, now aware of my attire. I couldn’t fathom why my state of undress or my skinned legs and dirt-covered skin mattered—not when it had been the furthest thought. But it did.
I ran my hand down my hair. “Thank you.” I swallowed. For some reason I knew staring into his eyes would strip me of what little resolve I’d mustered.
I couldn’t let him sense my despair, my fear, my anguish. Today’s battles had left me defenseless, with nowhere to mend and no one to rely on. He, a stranger to me, had no need to know this. He’d already done more than I’d hoped.
“I and my family owe you a debt of gratitude.” I smiled, chancing a look into his captivating eyes. “Perhaps when you are near the village next time you may stop in so my parents can…” The sentence lodged in my throat as I choked on the realization that my mother was dead. Hadn’t I just thought that? And my father and brother. Were they alive?
My mind was trapped in a sickening maze of tangled thoughts so muddled I felt even more lost than before. A tear slid down my cheek. I swiped it away quickly and took a sobbing breath. I wished I could remain strong for a few more moments.
There was nothing left within me to bolster. Another tear fell, followed by another and another until the cascade left me gasping for air.
Strong arms wrapped around me, shielding me from a lone battle against torment. It might’ve been wrong, unseemly, for a maiden to take such comfort from a man—especially one who’d demonstrated his power with such ease.
“Easy, Hannah. Those men will never touch you again.” This man had killed for me.
I shivered, knowing the men who’d chased me were gone. The others of Stephan’s kind lurked somewhere. I pushed away from him even though I longed to remain within his embrace. “Forgive me. It’s been quite a day.”
His hand ran down my hair and under my chin. He raised it. “Are you injured?”
I shook my head no even as my legs throbbed. “If I could trouble you to point me toward my village, I’ll leave you be.”
Leaving him was the last thing I wanted. So many questioned flowed to the tip of my tongue, but I knew now wasn’t the time to ask. He’d done enough for me.
“Your village?” Shock registered in his voice. “You intend to return?”
“Why would I not?”
“It’s unsafe.” He crossed his arms and looked into the trees behind me. “My pack took care of those who dared to venture into our lands after you, but there were surely more.”
Many more. I chewed my lower lip as I contemplated my diminishing options. My father and brother considered me cursed and wanted little to do with me, but they were the only family I had left since mother had joined Gran.
“Point me toward Tash, then. My father and brother fight there.”
“You want me to point you toward the war?” Amusement filled each word as his eyes glinted. “Danger isn’t something you fear, is it?”
Lifting my chin, I chose not to respond to his comment. My harrowing ordeal had been enough to deal with, and I had no intention of darkening his dreary day with the woes still befalling me. “I’ll find my own way.”
I moved toward the sunlit path. The streaming rays were brighter than I’d expected, and I could now make out a visible trail winding between the thickest of the trees. My fear must’ve obscured it before.
I could feel him behind me. His presence was more unnerving than I cared to admit. For some reason this man made my pulse race. I doubted much of what I was experiencing right now had to do with the earlier attack.
“I don’t need your escort.”
He paused when I halted my movement down the path. I glared at him, but his smirk didn’t add to my confidence. He was clearly not impressed by my determination. “You are injured, Hannah. Let me help you.”
I turned and chose to ignore him. My feet ached with each step. The path I’d chosen had smooth rocks embedded within the moss. They felt good against my injured feet. If only I’d had time to…
There were too many thoughts that would complete the sentence, and none of them would guide me toward what I should do. I needed to find my father, even though I doubted he’d care much about my plight. After all, he’d tried to banish me when I’d returned. Then again, in all fairness, the man wasn’t really my flesh-and-blood father. He’d been kind enough to take me in when he took my widowed mother as a bride.
The footsteps echoing mine annoyed me. I turned. “Do you have any intention of leaving me be?”
“In time, perhaps.” He smiled, and I expressed my frustration through a heavy sigh and continued my steps forward, my feet moving toward the smooth rocks of their own volition.
I walked for an eternity, even though it was no doubt much less than that. My shadow continued behind me, his steps paralleling mine even though he didn’t speak. My mind was too jumbled with emotions to deal with conversation, and I think he sensed that was the case. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was glad for his presence.
The path ended as a thick brush clung to life between two large trees. I tried to peer over the overgrown shrub I hadn’t expected to see. A large glade was on the other side, evident by the lack of trees for a wide distance that appeared almost symmetrical. Planned.
“I suppose you’re going to continue following me?”
His lips curved into a grin that sent a shiver of anticipation through me. My pulse quickened. “Perhaps.”
I sighed and turned. I pressed through the brush and gasped as I stepped on the other side. Homes made of wood filled the area in small circular bands as far as my eyes could see. Billows of smoke drifted through the air from cooking areas outside most of the huts. My stomach rumbled at the thought of what they were cooking.
A village.
People.
How had I not known this was here?
I’d ventured farther than I’d thought. It was the only answer which made sense. I searched for the mountain range that signaled the enemy’s border. I was still within a safe region, even though I was much closer to Tash, which was perched on the edge of the land my people fought our enemy over. Many miles were left to travel, though. Many.
I turned toward him as he approached. “What village is this?”
His smile warmed me as a group of people approached us. I clung to his side without thinking. His arm wrapped around my waist and his voice danced in my ear. “Welcome to my home, Hannah.”
Chapter Three
An older woman named Nalla took me from him shortly after arriving. Shock streamed through me swifter than the current of the river which flowed along the northernmost portion of the village. Realto. It was an odd name for a village, but somehow felt right.
There was an entire village within the woods! Children chased one another, their laughter echoing across the glade. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen such joy. Hundreds of questions plagued me, though I doubted my voice would find words anytime soon. There was too much to see to speak. Too much to absorb and learn.
These were Stephan’s people. I swallowed at the thought. Were they as kind as he was? Would they accept my presence?
If I’d known how rare time alone with an alpha warrior was, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so abrupt with him. The home I was taken to was made of wood, sealed with an earthen compound I was unfamiliar with. I was tended to by Nalla, who kept me occupied with whimsical stories of people
I didn’t know.
A week had passed, and I was tired of whimsical.
A warm blanket made of animal skin covered me as the healer Nalla treated my wounds. I smiled at her. “Your poultice reminds me of my gran. She always believed in using herbs.”
The elderly woman smiled, her skin revealing a few wrinkles around her sparkling cinnamon eyes. “She sounds like a wise woman.”
“She was.” My heart swelled. “She passed five winters ago.”
“The loss of a loved one is always hard on a soul. Stephan told me your mother was lost in the village battle.” I was surprised her voice cracked with caring for my plight. “It’s been many winters since we’ve lost anyone in our pride, but their memories still warm our hearts.”
Many winters. The statement made no sense to me, yet I could tell her words were truthful. “You’ve surely lost many loved ones during your life. Does the pain stop?”
I needed to hear an affirmation—to know the searing slices in my soul would heal. I chewed on my lower lip and waited for her answer, even though I knew the weight of my mother’s loss would forever haunt me.
“Our people live much longer and our bodies heal of their own volition. This has been the first time in at least sixty winters since I’ve had to use my poultices.” Her words shocked me as I recalled the size of the village and the massive cluster of people and wolves I’d seen my first day here. Before I’d been secluded.
I longed to wander the village, but Nalla insisted I needed rest. A week had passed since my race to safety and, more than anything, I wanted to see Stephan. Weary of inactivity, I stood and began my morning pace around the small home. A large talisman similar to mine hung on the wall above the hearth. “Is this a pride talisman?”
Nalla smiled and pulled on her talisman. “No, it is my family pride. Stephan is my fourth generation.”
“Fourth generation?”
“My daughter is his mother’s mother’s mother.”
The idea astounded me, even though I recalled what she’d said about her people living longer. My mind again raced with questions, but guilt numbed my tongue. She’d already been beyond patient with me and my incessant need to know more about Stephan’s people.