**"Catch her!"**
Alexia ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.
She leaped over stones and dodged branches, paying no heed to the pain in her feet.
The smell of pine filled the air, and birds sang overhead, their melodies drowned out by the shouts of her pursuers, growing louder with every step.
She cursed her ill luck and the day she ever crossed paths with these ruthless men.
The dress she wore, intended to aid her deception, now hindered her escape.
It was truly the worst day to be dressed as a woman, branches kept clawing at her dress, and her heels sank into the soft earth, slowing her down.
The worst part was, the dress wasn't even hers; so she couldn't discard it.
She had borrowed them in hopes of deceiving some rich noble brat, but it seemed fate had other plans for her.
"You won't escape from us today, you wretched girl!" Marcus, the leader of the men, bellowed. His bald head gleamed in the sunlight as he increased his pace. His goatee and thin frame gave him a sinister look, and his eyes, filled with hatred, gleamed as he clutched a dagger in his hand.
"Old fart," Alexia cursed under her breath. But she didn't bother to look back and kept running.
She knew it was partly her fault for 'borrowing' money from him, but at that time, her brother was seriously ill.
What other choice did she have?
As a woman, and an unmarried one at that, there were no proper work available for her, this had been her only option.
Marcus had only himself to blame.
If his lust hadn't clouded his judgment, he wouldn't have been so easily fooled.
Deceiving him had been way too simple. She rented women's clothing from a nearby seamstress, applied makeup, and approached him.
A few fluttering eyelashes and sweet words later, he happily emptied his pockets.
She then quickly fled, took her brother, and moved to this village.
But she hadn't expected to meet him here again when she was so close to deceiving another foolish noble.
'Such unlucky bastards, Couldn't they have waited until I had successfully deceived that brat before showing up?' she mused bitterly.
Lost in her thoughts, a hidden root suddenly caught her foot, and she tumbled down a small hill.
"Ahhh!"
She screamed in shock as the world spun around her, rolling down the hill.
Branches and rocks scratched her skin and tore at her dress, almost bringing tears to her eyes.
'How am I going to explain this to madam Ann?' she wondered bitterly.
She landed with a thud, her body jarred by the impact.
She winced, her knees and elbows stinging from the fall.
"Ouch" groaning softly, she sat up, rubbing her sore spots.
Her palms and knees were scraped very badly, with a few injuries around her body but otherwise she was unharmed.
With a relieved sigh, she stood up, brushing herself off.
The men were already closing in, their face contorted in snarls, eyes blazing in fury. Veins bulged in their temples and their fist clenched as if aching to strike.
"Grrrr."
Her heart skipped a beat at the low, menacing growl behind her.
She turned slowly and saw a gray wolf standing before her, its eyes gleaming with hunger.
It bared its teeth, advancing slowly.
Alexia's blood froze, how was she supposed to escape now?
She was trapped by Marcus gang and now a wolf.
"You wench," Marcus spat. "You'd be better off dying to that wolf because if I get my hands on you, I'll savor every moment of your agony, as I defile and ravage you, handing you over to my brothers to do the same. And when we're done, I'll prolong your torment, drawing out your screams, until you beg for the sweet release of death."
Alexia lips curled in scorn. "All that for a mere two hundred silver coins? You'd have to pay a hundred times that to even make me consider touching that pencil in your pants." She spat the last word, her gaze dripping with disdain.
"You bitch!" Marcus's face turned beet-red, his eyes bulging with rage.
He clenched his fists so tightly, they turned white, and his voice dropped to a menacing growl.
"You'll pay for that insult. If you survive that wolf, I'll make sure to make you scream my name under me until you're hoarse. And it won't be with pleasure."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Alexia ignored him and turned her gaze back to the wolf.
'This would probably be a good time for my Prince charming to appear. So wherever you are future husband, your wife is about to die'
But she didn't want it to end like this, not when her brother still couldn't take care of himself.
Time seemed to slow. The wolf's growl rumbled through the air, sending shivers down her spine. Its claws scraped the ground, each step more threatening than the last.
With every move it made, she involuntarily stepped back, her pulse pounding in her ears as her mind raced for a solution.
But there was no escape.
She was weaponless, her body aching, and her chances of outrunning the wolf were almost zero.
Her heart pounded in her chest, the terror nearly paralyzing her.
The wolf's fur bristled, its teeth bared, saliva dripping from its jaw. It crouched, ready to pounce.
Alexia braced herself for the inevitable attack, her eyes wide with fear.
'I never thought this is how I'd end up, in the jaws of a common wolf,'
Her legs trembled. 'I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to you, Luke. Please forgive your useless sister,'. Her thigh suddenly itched, but she paid it no heed.
Whoosh!
Like lightening, a sharp arrow, suddenly flew out from the forest accompanied by a piercing sound that could make one's scalp tingle.
Leaving a golden trail behind, it struck the wolf in the forehead, and the beast collapsed instantly.
"Ah!"
Alexia gasped in shock, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.
And then, in an instant, time stood still.
Alexia's eyes, already wide with disbelief, locked onto the lifeless wolf, her gaze unblinking.
The three men atop the hill, their faces twisted with anger, were suspended in mid-stare, their eyes fixed greedily on her.
Even the birds in mid-air, their wings outstretched, seemed to hang motionless, as if the very fabric of reality had been paused.
Emerging from the shadows, a man appeared.
His raven-black hair framed a face that exuded both strength and mystery. His golden eyes seemed to hold all the secrets of the world.
He was tall and muscular, with a rugged jawline. He wore simple clothes that did little to hide his formidable presence.
In his hands was a golden bow, the weapon that had just struck the wolf.
"Interesting," he stared at Alexia thoughtfully.
"Who would have thought that after searching all over for you, you would appear here instead?" he said, almost mockingly.
With much difficulty, he drew his gaze away from her and turned to face Marcus and his men.
"Well, since I'm here, I might as well do you a favor," he snapped his fingers, and immediately the three men vanished.
"I do have a lot of questions for you, but I can see you're not quite ready... or perhaps they don't just want you to be ready," his gaze locked back unto Alexia, staring at her intensely.
He quickly snapped his fingers, and everything resumed.
"Who are you?" Alexia demanded, her eyes wide and fixed on the handsome stranger who had suddenly appeared behind her.
From all her previous interactions with men, she had grown to despise them.
They were nothing more than loathsome pigs who only thought with their lower bodies, which was also why she always preferred dressing as a boy.
"Is that how you thank someone who just saved your life?" the man asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
He didn't seem the least bit disturbed by her defensive attitude and instead lazily leaned against a tree.
"Anyways, I'm Darius. I live in these forests," he calmly replied.
"Huh?," Alexia muttered, a bit shocked as she processed this new information.
'What kind of man lived alone in the forest?'
Darius nodded. "Indeed, but you're still not thanking me for saving your life. Are you so ungrateful, young miss?"
Alexia immediately regained her composure and blushed slightly.
Even though she was suspicious of his intentions, it was true that he had just saved her life.
"Thank you," she finally said. "But why?" she narrowed her eye, trying to gauge his intentions.
"I don't understand. Is it wrong to save someone? I was simply doing what any other person would do," He smiled slightly, takings a step forward towards her, making her involuntarily step back, furrowing her brows cautiously.
"Besides, I have a debt to repay," he continued, clearly unbothered by her obvious discomfort.
"A debt?" Alexia repeated, her brows knitted in confusion.
How did this supposed debt concern her?
Darius nodded again. "Yes, one from long ago. But enough about that. Shouldn't you be more concerned about your friends?" he gestured up the hill, looking over her shoulder.
She quickly looked up and realized that Marcus and his men were nowhere to be found.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. How had they vanished so quickly? What happened to them?
"What did you do to them?"
"They are fine," He assured her. "I merely led them away. They will not trouble you for now."
"But how?" Alexia pressed, her mind struggling to grasp the situation.
How had he led them away without her noticing? And all this happened in less than a minute? How was that even possible?
Darius offered a smile that seemed especially creepy to her. "Let's just say I have my ways. But enough about them. Let me help you with your injuries."
He lifted a heavy stone and placed it beside her.
"Sit," he instructed gently, his eyes showing a rare softness.
"Do you even know how to treat a wound? Are you a herbalist?" Alexia folded her arms across her chest as she fixed her striking purple eyes on him.
'Isn't it just some minor scratches, why do I have to be a herbalist for that?' Darius scanned her with his eye, silently assessing her, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he shook his head slightly, as if disappointed by something.
'What is he thinking?' Alexia wondered, her thoughts racing.
'What if he wants to kill me? Living in the forest like some kind of hermit... he could be anything.'
'A murderer? some criminal on exile? maybe even a thief?. Wait, that doesn't seem right, She was also a thief, but that wasn't the point.
The main thing here was that everything about him screamed danger, but also something about him made her feel oddly safe.
Her instincts were screaming at her to go, but her heart said otherwise.
"I should just go," she finally declared, biting her lips slightly. "I can take care of myself."
But she was once again met with Darius silence.
"Umm..." She fidgetd with her fingers, her resolve wavering under his intense gaze.
Her body still throbbed with pain, and as much as she didn't trust him, she knew she needed help.
"Fine," she relented reluctantly, seating herself on the stone.
Darius nodded as if satisfied with her compliance, then moved to gather leaves and began preparing a paste.
Alexia couldn't shake her unease. 'You better not regret this,' she thought, clenching her fists on her lap.
As he applied the paste, his touch was surprisingly tender.
His eyes suddenly fell on a trident-shaped mark on Alexia's thigh.
His brows immediately furrowed, and his expression became somewhat intense.
'It can't be,' he thought, his eyes widening in shock.
He instinctively reached out, his fingers almost brushing her skin.
"What are you doing?" Alexia asked sharply, instinctively pulling away.
She quickly stood up but immediately regretted it as she felt a sharp pain from her wounds reopening.
'I knew I shouldn't have trusted this stranger. Men will always be scum; it's practically in their blood,' she hissed, disdainful.
Darius quickly regained his composure, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he said, quickly withdrawing his hand.
"I didn't mean to shock you. I simply... What is that mark?" he pointed at her thigh.
Alexia followed his gaze to the mark on her thigh. "It's nothing," she said, trying to use her torn dress to cover it.
Though she denied it, her tone and actions betrayed her unease. "Just a birthmark. I've had it since I was born."
Darius nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I see," he muttered, though his gaze still lingered on the mark.
His mind whirled with questions, but he knew pressing further now would only scare her away.
Alexia clutched her side uneasily. "I should go," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and slowly walked away, wincing from the pain in her wounds as she headed deeper into the forest.
Darius watched her disappear into the forest, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. "It is time," he whispered to himself.
A woman suddenly appeared beside him.
Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her hazel eyes sparkled with amusement. She wore a flowing white dress that clung to her curves.
"You fool, you scared her off," she teased, a playful grin on her lips. "Seems like you're determined to stay single forever."
Darius chuckled, "It is not about that,"
Slowly, he began to unbutton his shirt.
"What are you doing?" the woman gasped.
Ignoring her question, he continued to unbutton his shirt, revealing his bare torso.
Turning around slowly, he revealed a trident-shaped mark, similar to Alexia's but much larger, covering his back and glowing faintly.
The woman's eyes widened in shock as she gasped. "It can't be…"
Turning back to face her, Darius met her gaze, his own eyes lit with resolve.
"It is," he said, a cold determination in his voice.
"The time has finally come."