The Forest (1)

As the carriage keeps on venturing deeper into the Frosty Forest, a chilly mist settles around it. Everywhere Roseanne looks, she only sees white fog which is gradually shrouding them in its arms as if like a possessive lover. She can make out the dark silhouettes of the tall trees in the forest but that is all. There are no animals, no sounds and no life in this strange forest. 

She never visited the forest before but she has heard many stories about it. Humans do not dare to step into it after dark because all the supernatural creatures roam around this place at night, free to do whatever they want. If an unfortunate human strays into the path of a rogue wolf, they may be assaulted or worse, killed. There are stories of women being forcibly taken away by the rogues or even vampires.

Vampires have been hiding in the shadows ever since the Great War ended. Most of their territories now belong to the werewolves but they still have their own clans and kingdoms outside of Ezealyra. Once the most beautiful and impressive kingdom in the world, the vampiric nation of Meosea was reduced only to a handful of lands after the Great War. The nobles were forced to flee and the vampire dispersed all over the world.

Some took shelter in the forests and borders of Ezealyra, waiting for their chance to rise again one day. They still hide in the shadows and attack innocent humans. Whether it is from werewolves or vampires, humans like her are always discriminated against.

Her eyes are reflecting the fog outside. Dmitri is observing her in silence, vaguely curious about his mate. 

She is a very pretty one, no doubt. Her hair is like the sun, golden and bright while her doll-like features make her look innocent and demure. She has an innocent vibe to her which is almost angelic. Her amber eyes are enchanting, hiding many secrets of its own. The soft porcelain colored skin is etched in his memory. The moment he touched her, he felt sparks erupting around them.

“Are you looking back at Ezealyra for the last time?” he asks her. “Do not worry. You can visit your family-”

“I have no family,” she replies curtly without looking at him. “My father died years ago in the coup. The former Royal Family was executed and the new Royal Family treated me like a slave. I have no one left.”

There is no emotion in her voice but rather she said it in a rather robotic way. He notices that she is still a little weak from earlier. The slave traders must have given her an extra strong dose of poppy.

“Who sold you to the traders?” he asked quietly. 

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me. Whoever hurt my mate will suffer-”

“It was Ivan Visserion,” Roseanne said flatly. “The Crown Prince. Can you go against him?”

She raises her eyebrows, challenging him. Sloria might be an independent nation but the Duke cannot wage a war against Ezealyra without courting death. Ezealyra is too powerful. They have the strongest army and navy along with thousands of Lycan warriors who are the best in battles. They are ruthless killers who will not hesitate even for a second. Even vampires stand no chance against a Lycan in the battlefield. 

So she doubts the Duke of a small nation can stand up against them.

Dmitri, however, is unfazed.

“I can if you order me,” he smirks. 

Roseanne rolls her head and looks away. She has no intention of letting this guy wage a war over a silly mate bond. When a werewolf is mated to someone, they go to great lengths to prove their love and devotion. The mate bond is sacred and being unfaithful to one’s mate causes a gut wrenching pain which is almost unbearable. When a werewolf’s mate is unfaithful to him or her, the betrayed spouse feels a gut wrenching pain everytime their mate sleeps with someone else. The bond is strength to some people but also a curse. People did the dumbest thing over it, even getting themselves killed.

When a mate dies, the surviving half goes through a process of immense grief which is worse than death. The pain never goes away and the person becomes a hollow shell of their former self. If that was bad for wolves, it is worse for humans like her. If the Duke wages a war against Ezealyra and gets himself killed, she will also half die with him. The mate bond will not let her live her life fully nor will she be able to grieve for her beloved Alexei. It will not let her and her pain will only aggregate.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“Sloria.”

“And where is it?” she asks. 

They are now going deeper into the forest. Her anxiety is increasing by the minute. Night has fallen and they might get attacked by rogues or vampires. The Duke will be able to defend himself but she is a human. Her powers as a witch are limited to only electric sparks. Since her father died before giving her proper training, her powers did not manifest properly and she is useless in a fight.

Moreover, the poppy has rendered her senses. It is a weakness of all witches and can suppress their powers for up to two days.

“You will see,” Dmitri said in a cryptic tone.

His eyes gleam red under the dim light and she shivers. There is something about this man that is giving her a strange vibe. Yes, he is dangerous and perhaps even a killer. All the nobles are like that.

But he seems to be someone who manipulates people in the shadows. His smile is hiding a devious nature which scares her. 

She has seen death. She has seen plenty of it. Slaves who were killed on a whim by the Royal Family, omegas who were thrown to their deaths simply because the Emperor was displeased and many more. She has also seen her father being tortured mercilessly in front of her own eyes.

Death was not alien to her. But this man does not seem to be a mere killer. He is like the silent grim reaper which manipulates people into killing.

And that makes him the most dangerous person. 

Suddenly, the carriage comes to a stop. Roseanne panics for a moment, thinking that they will be attacked but the Duke brushes off her fears.

“No one will dare to attack you,” he told her. “You are with a Lycan.”

“I am more scared of you than I am of any other creature,” she mutters. The Duke pretends not to hear her and opens the carriage door for her. He climbs out of it and holds out his hand for her. Every fibre of her mind wants to reject his hand but the wretched mate bond forced her to take his hand and climb down the carriage. She almost tumbles but his strong hands grip her tiny waist. 

Roseanne blushes when his musky scent hits her again, intoxicating her like the milk of poppy. She looks directly into her scarlet eyes and slightly frowns. It is the first time she is seeing them properly and something about them is familiar to her…

“Darling, I do not mind if you want me to mark you here in the middle of the forest,” he whispers with a wink. “Shall I?”

Roseanne pushes him away, affronted by his uncouth way of flirting with her. She might be a mere human but she has her pride.

“No!” she declares. “Never!”

“We shall see,” he said in a wary tone. 

Just then, someone calls for him. 

“My lord!” 

They turn around to see a tall, muscular man in his late twenties coming up to the Duke. Even though the man was older than Dmitri, he bows in front of the Duke. He is shorter than Dmitri but for Roseanne, he is still gigantic. His ginger hair is sleek and brushed back to make him look cold yet disciplined. The man’s golden eyes narrowed on Roseanne as he approached them.

Up close, the man is wearing a black uniform made of thick faux fur. The long coat makes him seem even larger than an average werewolf. There was a brooch pinned to his coat. It is a round band with a silver wolf in the middle, standing on its hind legs, holding a pair of blue roses.

The presence of the brooch only meant one thing; he was Dmitri’s Knight. While the territorial Alphas have Betas, Lycans nobles have Knights. The Emperor’s Knight is the Head of the Round Table. Since Sloria has no Emperor but is ruled by Duke Dmitri, his Knight is the Head of their Army.

“Stand, Sir Leo,” Dmitri ordered in a cool manner. “Meet my mate and the Duchess of Sloria, Roseanne Vadimovna.”

If Leo is surprised, he hides his feelings well. Instead, he bowed at her and said, “Greetings, my lady. I will escort our lord and yourself to Sloria. My men are waiting for us at the corner of the mountain ahead. Unfortunately, the road is rough and not suitable to travel on wheels. We will have to walk.”

Roseanne is scared and glances at the dark forest which is dangerously lurking around them. Walk? In this place?

“Follow me,” Leo requests them. 

“Shall we, my love?” Dmitri smirks a sexy grin at her, flashing his perfectly white teeth. Despite her convictions, Roseanne’s heart leaps at that smile.

Damn this man!