I was officially on the run.

After rejecting Darius at the ceremony and promising myself to Raydir, I had run back to change my clothes and grab my riding satchel. Earlier in the day, I had packed it just in case.

“How was the ceremony, Lady Arwyn?” the carriage driver asked.

I drummed my fingers against the seat. “It was fine. I picked the name, betrothed myself to a Chosen, the usual.”

He chuckled. “I see.” He slowed the carriage to a stop outside the palace. “Good luck with all of your endeavors, Arwyn Kingston.”

With a final look around my bedchamber to make sure I had packed everything I wanted—clothes, family mementos, my hunting knife—I ran out to the barn. My bow and quiver lay in their usual spot, and I threw them over my shoulders before mounting Majesty. We rode off into the storm, not looking back.

Just hours after my ceremony, Raydir and I hiked through the forest, riding side by side. Occasionally, we’d stop to let the horses graze and make sure that we weren’t being followed. We weren’t safe to stay. The wolf curse was not widely accepted in Gwyniar and Alvenora, but some folks were still able to live their lives without leaving the dukedoms while others were forced out. Either way, we were never allowed to talk about them. As both children of royalty, leaving our homes was the only plausible option for us.

Darqua, the hidden valley, was the settlement for anyone hit by the curse who had been cast out. So that’s where we planned to go, hoping to seek refuge with others who had also rejected their Chosens. The valley was an almost five day journey by foot, and only a little faster by horse.

Ridicule was the way the dukedoms controlled their people. I hated it. To my knowledge, my father had tried everything in his power to change the rules. He wanted more peace and harmony between our people. That’s why some who rejected their Chosens were able to stay. He provided them with homes and food and jobs. It helped the dukedoms thrive.

It was almost nightfall by the time we had to stop again. One of the rivers that separated the dukedoms fell along our path, the rushing water a calming contrast to our beating hearts.

“How are you feeling?” Raydir asked me. We stopped briefly by a tree to drink some water. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I knew we had to keep going. We had to make it to the valley in time for the Alignment.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” He looked over his shoulder. The moons had already begun to rise, and we were losing daylight fast. “We should rest here for the night.”

“Ray, we’re still too far out. We won’t make it to the valley by the Alignment if we rest now. We can still walk for at least another hour.”

“Ar, if we keep going, you’re going to collapse. You look exhausted. Plus, the horses need the rest too. We’ll wake by first light and get an early start, ok?”

I nodded slowly. “Okay. Should we eat the food we brought?”

“We should ration as much as possible. Maybe see if you can catch a few quail?”

“Good idea. I’ll be back soon. If you need me, just whistle.” I kissed him, letting my lips linger on his for a few extra seconds.

“I’ll start a fire. Be careful.” He brushed his fingers across my cheek before letting me go.

I walked along the river to where we’d passed a covey of quail. They cooed and waddled away as I stepped closer, carefully avoiding any large twigs on the ground. Aiming my bow, the arrow shot cleanly forward.

“Keep your eye on the prize,” my father had taught me. “Aim for it, believe in it.”

I swallowed away the guilt as I pushed the memory aside. Once the arrow hit, the rest of the birds began to squawk incessantly, flapping their wings and scattering away. I took that opportunity to shoot another arrow, downing a second.

Satisfied, I returned to our base camp with our dinner. But Raydir wasn’t there.

“Ray?” I called out frantically, letting out our whistle, praying for a reply.

Silence. Then: one long note, three short notes. Raydir appeared from the edge of the river shirtless and barefoot. The cuffs of his pants were also damp from the river.

“Sorry, I was just cleaning up.” He wiped his palms together. “I figured I’d let my shirt air out while we camped.”

I swallowed, my gaze trying so hard to divert from his eyes. “That’s smart. If we can wash along the way, we’ll be able to salvage more of our clothes.” Had he always had those abs?

“Do you need any help with the dinner?” he asked.

I held up the quail. “We just need to roast them over the fire. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“You’ve done this before?” We each speared our quail and began to roast them over the fire.

I stared into the firelight, listening to the soft crackle beneath the kindling. “Bella and I—we camped out behind the palace when we were little. Father helped us roast quail just like this. Freshly caught, he’d said, for his special girls.”

He pushed some stray hair behind my ear, letting his fingers linger against the warmth of my cheek for just a few extra seconds. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you, leaving your family.”

“It can’t be any harder than it is for you,” I countered. “You were to be the heir of your father’s throne.

You were popular. You could’ve had a chance at a life you could still call your own.” I didn’t know where this guilt was coming from. Leaving the dukedoms was best for both of us.

“You had a life, too. These last five years without Bella have been so hard on you, I’ve seen that. You’ve grown so much, Ar.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I lifted my quail from the fire. Almost done, and it smelled delicious.

He continued, "When Bella died, my heart broke for you. And while you came out the other side with scars, I can still see the fierce fire in your eyes.”

We ate our quail in silence, listening to the sound of the crackling fire and the hooting of the owls in the distance. If we weren’t on the run, it would be almost peaceful.

“Surely you miss your family,” I said quietly. “I know that I do.” Without seasoning, the quail tasted bland, but it was better than going hungry.

“I do miss them.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But it's time to be my own person. And facing consequences? That’s just part of the journey. For the first time, nothing is planned and I like that.”

“I’m worried,” I admitted, staring into the fire. My senses were terribly on edge. The snap of a twig, the whoosh of the wind, it all echoed the possibilities of danger.

“Me too.” Raydir pulled me into his arms. “But all we can do is keep moving forward and set our focus on getting to the valley.”

I nodded. Neither of us knew what our fate would be once we arrived in the valley.

“We should get some rest,” Raydir said. The fire had died down quite a bit as we tunneled next to each other on the forest ground, one soft blanket to cover us. I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, and prayed we’d make it to the valley.

Four days before the Alignment

I woke up with an oddly dry taste in my mouth. Wiping at it with my fingers, I realized I’d been drooling.

Great, that’s attractive.

My eyes took a minute to adjust to the still-dark sky. By the slight lighter hue in the distance, it looked close to sunrise which meant we would have to leave soon. The morning air was cool and crisp. Soft coos sounded from a handful of morning doves who waddled around the grass.

Glancing at Raydir next to me, his chest rose and fell in continuous soft breaths, his lips moving incoherently in his sleep. I carefully slipped out of his embrace and stepped over to where we had left Majesty and Orion. Out of eyesight from Raydir, I tugged at the laces of my corset dress, letting it fall to my feet, and kicked off my boots. The water looked serene in the fading moonlight, and after two days of constant walking, I needed to wash.

The water felt cool on my skin as I dove in, a calm my body desperately craved. My hair tumbled down my back, now in wet clumps as I emerged and wiped droplets out of my eyes. I inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. A slight mustiness hung in the morning air that bordered on the brink of summer—my favorite time of year.

“Ar?” Raydir’s voice called out, slightly gravelly from sleep. “Where did you go? We really need to get going.”

Crap. How much time has passed? I’ve been gone for five minutes! “Uh, just a minute!” I swam to the edge of the water then realized I had nothing to cover my naked body. My fingers thrust forward, one hand reaching up, the other trying to hide my chest. Majesty’s blanket was just out of reach. Grunting, I stretched my body forward a little more—a little too much more—and let out an eek! as I teetered face-first on the grass. I wriggled up and hid behind Majesty’s coat, wrapping myself in his blanket.

Raydir caught my gaze from the other side. “Are you ok?”

I nodded, shivering now that I was out of the water. “Yeah. I just thought I’d go for a swim before we headed out.”

His eyes traveled from my face to my neck down to where the horse blocked his view. “Naked?”

A smile twitched at the corners of his lips.

Heat crept into my cheeks. “Wet clothes make me cold. Do we have anything for breakfast?”

“I can whip us up something,” he replied, shoving his sleeves to his elbows.

It was cute that he wanted to take charge like that, and I wished he’d been able to cook for me before we were on the run. “Are you sure we have enough time? Maybe we should just eat some of our food instead.”

Raydir shielded his eyes from the sun. “Let’s do that. The sooner we hit the road, the closer we’ll be to the valley by sundown. I’ll prepare while you get dressed. Unless you want company in there?” He gestured to the water behind me.

Is this really happening right now? “Um, maybe another time. We really should get going.” My voice came out as a higher-than-normal squeak.

He nodded in understanding. “Alright. I’ll see you back in a few.”

“Thank you.” I waited until he walked away before rummaging through my satchel for a fresh outfit.

Once I returned to our base camp, Raydir handed me a few slices of bread and the last of our quail from the night before. We ate quickly and mounted our horses, continuing along the path toward the valley.

“So I wanted to ask about Darius Harford,” Raydir said as we trotted along. “How much do you know about him?”

“Why does that matter?” I asked, keeping my gaze set ahead of me.

“It doesn’t, but”—he ducked to avoid a tree branch—“you know who he is, don’t you? You recognized him.”

I scoffed. Now was not the time for him to be jealous. “Ray, you’re not seriously jealous, are you?”

“I just want to know. You knew him before the ceremony, right?”

Why was he so insistent all of a sudden?

“Yes, I knew him from school, but I don’t understand that relevance. We’re never going to see him again, right?” Guilt crept up inside. Maybe I should’ve told him about meeting Darius in Runswick. And then seeing him again at the archery fields.

“I was just curious.” He shrugged. There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“Well how do you know him?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He scratched the back of his head. “I—I don’t. Not really. Just school. We didn’t really cross paths too many times.”

Something in his voice set off an alarm bell in my head. He wasn’t being honest with me, that I knew. To be fair, I hadn’t been entirely honest with him either. But what was it about Darius that had Raydir so set on edge? What bullet had I dodged?

Then a realization hit me. “Did you know he was going to be my Chosen?”

Raydir shook his head. “No, I didn’t.” He glanced at me. “Sorry. The way he was looking at you on the stage at the ceremony…I really wanted to punch him.”

I laughed. “So you can have every girl in the dukedoms falling at your feet but when one other guy looks at me, that’s when you become all macho?”

“Hey, I’m macho all the time.” As if to prove his point, he flexed his muscles which just made me laugh harder.

I slid out of my saddle to give Majesty a rest and Raydir did the same with his horse. We tied our horses’ reins onto a nearby branch. I pressed my back against the tree. Placing his hands on either side of my head, Raydir leaned forward with a lusting hunger in his eyes. His lips grazed mine and I hummed happily.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous,” I murmured, running a hand down his chest.

He let out a low growl of approval. “And what about when I’m not jealous?”

I wove my fingers through his hair. “Hot as hell.”

Raydir dipped his head to kiss my neck and my eyes fluttered closed. I wanted him so bad. When they opened again, my fingers tugged at the fabric of his chest, lifting it slightly so that a small sliver of skin was peeking out. His muscles rippled under my touch. He slipped his fingers under the fabric of my top, running them along my bare shoulders.

Oh my god. Was this really happening? Here?

“Ray, wait,” I said breathlessly. I pulled away from him and readjusted my clothes. “We, um, we should probably—”

“Focus on the journey?” he finished for me.

I nodded. “I’m sorry. I do want to, um, be with you like that. Just…I don’t think our first time should be against a tree.”

He nodded. “Right. You’re right. We should keep going.”

We remounted our horses and started up at a steady pace again.

The warmth of the sun beat down on us. It was almost peaceful. But the further we got away from the water, the more exhausted and agitated we became. Our food supply had depleted substantially.

By the time night fell, the moons were almost in full alignment, and Raydir started to have nightmares about what was coming. I sincerely hoped those predictions were wrong.

He woke up sweating, screaming, crying, thrashing.

“Ray! Ray!” I cried, trying desperately to calm him down.

His eyes flew open, panic washing over his face. “Arwyn, I—I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” His breath shook as he adjusted to our surroundings. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, of course not.” I brushed my fingers over a speck of dirt on his cheek. “Do you want to tell me what the dream—the nightmare—was about?”

“The curse.” He swallowed and looked at me, his green eyes filling with tears. “I—I lost you. And I couldn’t recover. How do we know the valley is safe? What if we don’t reach it in time and I hurt you?”

I covered his hand with mine. “Hey, look at me. You will never hurt me, ok? And when you shift, I will be there every step of the way. I promise. We’re in this together until the end.” I leaned forward pressing a soft kiss to his lips, our noses squishing together. Our mouths parted slightly, allowing us to explore the other, taking our time. He tasted like the honeysuckle we’d picked along our journey, every moment as sweet as him. Warmth spread through me as he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue dance with mine. Oh, god, he’s never kissed me like this before. I craved more, fingers pulling at his wrinkled shirt.

His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against his body as his thumbs rubbed circles against my sides. Wow. He is muscular. I wonder what he looks like—No, stop. This isn’t the time.

“Arwyn,” he murmured against my mouth, “are you ok?”

I realized I’d stopped kissing him. My breath came out in short spurts, hot against his lips. “Yeah, I just got lost for a second.”

He smirked. “Do you want to go back to sleep? We have another long day ahead of us.”

I tucked my hair behind my ears. “Yeah. We probably should.”

We laid back down, my head on his chest, his hand in my hair. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to come. Three more days. Just three more days until everything would change.