An unknown mix of scents invaded Elwin’s nose. Pain lanced through his side reminding him of his latest attempt at defending his people. He forced his weary eyes open because of her undeniable presence. The elf he found himself drawn to time and again.

She lay curled up next to him, defenseless, but peaceful. Her light brown hair fell across her face.

Why do I feel like I know you? Who are you?

He must have verbalized his thoughts since the woman lifted her arm to brush her hair from her eyes, then gently brushed his fur. Elwin flinched at the contact yet found himself relaxing into her touch.

Vanima!

Elwin cried out in frustration and the shame that washed over him. How could I forget about my mate?

Despite his injury, Elwin forced himself to rise only to howl in pain and collapse into the pile of hay. One of the guards stationed outside rushed in and was dismissed by the elf sitting beside him. She placed his head in her lap and soothed him with a soft melody.

Sleep dragged him down.

Her voice stirred him from his slumber hours later. He lifted his head and got lost in her eyes.

“You remind me of an elf I once knew," the elf said. "You would have liked him. Brave, honorable, and devoted to the protection of our home. Do you want to know how the village…how I repay him for his dedication?” He could hear the regret in her voice. The sense of loss in her eyes.

Elwin found himself shaking his head, but it went unnoticed. She continued, “We blamed him for what we refused to believe and banished him so that he could face his death in the wild.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I chose to blindly follow my father and the elders over the man I loved. I pretended that he meant nothing to me when he confessed.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She bent down and kissed Elwin’s forehead and whispered, “Thank you for looking out for me. I don’t know if I deserve it.”

Elwin missed Vanima, his mate, but a part of him felt drawn to this elf. He licked her face and then placed his head back into her lap. The two of them lay there in silence.

He lost track of time as the days flowed by, stuck in her home. Elwin wanted to know if Vanima returned for him, but he didn't have the strength to find out for himself. Please watch over the pack, my love.

Strangers appeared now and then, but never for long. Some of them helped tend to his injury. When Elwin had enough strength to move around, he glanced at the entrance of her home and wagged his tail.

She must have understood since she stuck her head out to talk to the guards before looking back at him pointing to her feet. Elwin guessed that she wanted him to stay by her side, so he obliged her request. She smiled, ruffled the fur on his head, and walked out, Elwin close behind.

Elwin knew there were two elves following them, but she paid them no mind, so neither did he.

They traveled around the village meeting the various residents, but his attention lay elsewhere. I miss Vanima. I miss my pack. I want to return but find it difficult to leave her side.

She led him to a fountain in the center of town and sat on a bench. Conscious of the guards at his back, Elwin left her side and sat in front of the fountain. Have I been here before?

Pain shot through his head releasing a memory locked away from before he became a wolf. A boy pouring his heart out to the girl he loved only to be turned down. Elwin didn’t know how, but he knew that boy had been him. Does that mean the girl is…?

He turned to the elf sitting on the bench and whimpered when the realization struck him. Fraeya?

Concern washed over her face and she beckoned Elwin over to her side. The pieces started to fall in place on his way over to the elf.

Elwin heard that name from the others before, but it never meant something until now. Wait! Fraeya said she turned the one she loved down when he asked. Did that make me the one who loved her? The one she cared for?

The truth hit him hard. Sorrow at what she had done, what she let them do to him years ago became a weight he could not bear. Fraeya sprang to his side as he collapsed in front of her. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her but understood that would not be possible.

He was tired, oh so very tired. Elwin barely noticed her pick him up into her arms and carry him back to her home. The home he had wanted to share with her.

Did it matter anymore? Could he turn away from Vanima, who accepted him for who he was, for this elf?

His mind raged until sleep became his savior.

Fraeya, Why didn't you say yes? We could have been something.