1. Damsel in Distress

ALIZA

Today after spending the day exploring the town, I ended up in a cozy little café. The fresh aroma of the coffee and chocolate making me feel refreshed and happy.

It’s been two days since I moved into Grandmother’s house and I am enjoying every second of it. Although mother was not happy about this and didn’t speak to me.

Back in my kingdom, I spent my days learning healing magic with Master Theo and kingdom politics from my mother, Queen Aileen, as the healing fae princess and heir to the kingdom.

But now that I'm out of the kingdom, I can finally breathe. This place gave me a space to breathe from the constant stress of expectations and responsibilities of being a princess and an heir. I hadn't realized how much I needed this break until now.

This town is just a few miles away from the Crescent Moon Pack, one of the largest and strongest werewolf pack in the country. Being this close makes me feel an odd mix of excitement and curiosity.

As a member of the Elders Council, Grandma and other members will stay here for the time being to discuss the countermeasures of ongoing rogue attacks with the Alpha of the Crescent moon pack.

Realizing that Grandmother was probably starting to worry, I decided to head home quickly. But as I turned around a corner I saw little boy with two men. One of the men knelt down on the ground, offering a candy to the kid.

It appeared normal at first but as soon as the boy un-wrapped the candy, a strong and bitter smell hit me. It was a smell of a strong sedative.

Totally oblivious to the danger, the child raised the candy toward his mouth, making my heart skip a beat. “Stop, kiddo! Don’t eat that!” I called out, raising my voice.

Both men turned their heads in my direction, their expressions changed rapidly from astonishment to dangerous as they saw me. While the little boy looked at me with his innocent eyes, obviously confused by what was happening, while holding the unwrapped candy.

"It's just candy," one of the man replied. However, there was something off about the way he said it. His eyes were cold with a sinister glint in them.

I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “That’s strange… because it smells bitter like a sedative.” I replied trying to keep my tone casual but I was actually a little anxious as it was quite late and there wasn’t anyone around here.

The second man looked around us, looking out if there were any other people around us.

“Give the candy back to me, kiddo. Let’s get you home, okay?” I said gently to the kid, while also an eye over the two men.

The kid hesitated but still lowered his hand to give me his candy.

However, the first man's expression hardened as he stepped closer to me. “You shouldn’t interfere in things that don’t concern you,” he muttered then lunged at me.

I quickly sidestepped and pushed the kid behind me. Then I grabbed the man's outstretched arm and gave it a firm twist. He let out a grunt of pain and I took advantage of his pain to push him away. I knew the basic self-defense even though I wasn't as skilled as the werewolves.

"Stay back," I warned, even though I was quite nervous. The man's eyes filled with anger as he staggered but got back up.

The other man has come forward but instead of attacking me, he dug into his pocket and pulled out thin metal darts laced in tranquilizers, making me tense up. Damn it!

I realized then that these men came prepared and this was not some random kidnapping. What kind of grudge could they possibly have to go after a child?

“Hand over the kid to us and no one gets hurt. Otherwise don’t blame us for being cruel." he said in a cold voice as he rolled the darts between his fingers.

I felt panic rising inside me but forced it down. They were blocking our path, so we couldn’t go back. I looked over my shoulder and saw the forest a few steps away from us. It could be dangerous and grandmother had warned me to not go there but right now the forest will provide the perfect cover for us. There was no other option.

The kid's body shook a little though he tried to stay strong. I knelt down and said in a whisper, “Let’s play a game, kiddo… when I tell you to run, run as quickly as you can, okay?”

His nodded as his eyes twinkled. What a Brave and Smart kid.

The first man stepped closer and warned me again with a sneer on his face. "Don’t make this more difficult. Just hand him over and walk away. Otherwise…"

But as he spoke, I quickly bent down to pick up two small stones off the ground and hurled one at his eye. He let out a loud curse and clutched his face in pain. Then, I threw the other stone at the second man's hand making him drop the darts to the ground.

Oopsie! I may have applauded at my perfect aim if the situation wasn't so serious.

“Run!” I yelled and grabbed the kid’s hand as we ran toward the forest, hoping my shout would catch the attention of the werewolves around here.

He kept the pace with me with his short legs as I slowed a little too. The darkness greeted us as soon as we entered the forest. Behind us, I could hear them swearing and their footsteps echoing as they ran after us.

But I felt a little more at ease though, because it was difficult for them to keep up with a little moonlight. "Just a little more, kiddo." I whispered squeezing his hand in reassurance.

The forest floor was uneven with rocks strewn all over and roots tumbling over the ground. I had to keep up a quick pace while being cautious and protecting the kid. And the kidnappers' were getting closer too.

The forest got thicker and darker up ahead. We might be able to get rid of them if we could simply blend in with the darkness since it would be even harder for them to see anything.

“Almost there.” I muttered, mostly to help me relax as much as the kid. So we ran deeper into the forest. Just as I thought were safe, the kid stumbled over something and his small body hit the ground as he lost consciousness.

‘Shit’ I gasped, dropping to my knees and checking his pulse. Then I breathed a sigh of relief. He was fine but the fear and exhaustion might have caught up with him and he also inhaled the tranquilizer from that candy after all.

I took him in my arms and frowned. He felt too but I didn't have time to think about that as I needed to get both of us to safety first. I adjusted him in my hold and was about to run but the second guy managed to catch up with us.

"Fuck you!" he snarled, extending his arm as a dart flew out straight at us. I twisted my body to protect the kid and a sharp sting ran through my body when the dart struck me. It shouldn't have hurt this much, I thought.

"Not now... please, not now." I mumbled, struggling to remain conscious as dizziness followed after the pain. The tranquilizer was taking effect too soon but I held the little one tightly to me.

Just when I thought it was over for us, he came to save us.. like a knight saving a damsel in distress.

…