TEN

 Eliza felt like her legs might give out any moment soon.

 But the second she heard loud voices calling out her name, she knew better than to allow herself even a second rest.

 “Shit, shit. Shit!”

 Everything was going well. Perfectly well. What had suddenly gone wrong?

 Her entire movements had gone according to plan. She had chosen to sneak out of the palace by dawn and she had dawn exactly that. Following the shortcut Rebecca had shown her, she successfully made it out of the palace and found herself in the woods.

 The first hour was spent trying to figure out exactly where she was. After going in circles so many times she eventually lost count, she finally figured a clear different path. But even with it, she still found herself at a dead end more often than not.

 At a point, she wanted to give up. Maybe allowing herself starve to death in the woods wouldn’t be so bad but the thought of Harold managed to get her to continue.

 He might have been waiting for her. He must be waiting for her. He must have been trying every means he could to rescue her.

 She just had to find her way to the Grey Pack. And at that moment, it felt like the most difficult task ever.

 Another hour passed followed by several others and Eliza could barely say she had made any progress. It was safe to say she was very far from the Storm Palace but also very safe to say, she was successfully lost.

 By the time it was afternoon, she ran out of strength. Left with no choice, she plucked fruits from the trees she could spot nearby, drank water from the stream and resumed her seemingly endless journey.

 The moment she spotted the sun begin to set, she felt a fresh wave of frustration hit her. Maybe she hadn’t planned her escape well enough. Maybe she could have gotten a map with her. At least that way she wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere, confused on how to go further or even back to where she came from.

 Night fell and Eliza finally gave up for the day. Her mission immediately changed from trying to find her way to the Grey to finding somewhere she could sleep. A shelter. Any form of shelter.

 For the first time in over twelve hours, a smile appeared on her face as she spotted a cave she could use as shelter few meters away. But that smile was short-lived as the moment she took a step towards it, a voice rang out through the woods.

 “Eliza!”

 She paused her step at the first call, the voice unfamiliar. But at the second call, her entire body immediately freezing up, the voice painfully familiar.

 “No, no,” she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. “No. There’s no way he found me. There’s no-”

 “Eliza!”

 “No,” she whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her body. She couldn’t stay still- he was going to catch up to her in no time that way but at the same time, she couldn’t resume walking out of fear of running into him.

 From the several unfamiliar voices, she could also tell he wasn’t alone. He came prepared. Prepared to make her miserable again.

 “No,” she took a s step on the tip of her toes, followed by another. “He can’t catch me. He just can’t. I won’t allow him-”

 “Now where do you think you’re going?”

 The words rang out, slicing through her thoughts. Eliza immediately felt a shiver down her spine, the voice so close she could almost feel his breath on her skin.

 “Shit.”

 She didn’t turn around but she could hear him taking slow steps towards her. Her fingers curled, her brain trying to think of the easiest way to escape at that moment.

 No logical thoughts surfaced, forcing her to succumb to the irrational ones. Without a moment’s hesitation, she took to her heels and began running.

 She couldn’t have made it easier for Alaric even if she tried. As she sprinted through the woods, he followed easily behind her, catching up in no time.

 “Shit,” she turned her head, realizing it was only a matter of seconds before he caught up to her. “Stop following me! Stop-”

 She was busy yelling at him she didn’t notice a collision right in front of her. Before she could stop herself, she lunged straight into a rock, stubbing her entire foot on it, the tension so hard it immediately sent her flying into the air.

 Alaric was fast enough though. Skilfully, he slid onto the bare ground, his arms spread just in time for her to crash onto him, the two of them rolling in the dirt before violently crashing into a tree with a loud thud.

 Eliza let out a loud scream, her scream subsiding the second she realized Alaric’s back was the victim of the collision. She was safely tucked in his arms, the only bruise sustained being the one from her collision with the rock.

 “Let me go,” she pushed him away and quickly got on her feet. She watched him do the same in seconds, her shoulders immediately slumping in defeat. “Why did you follow me? What do you want from me?”

 “You belong to me.”

 “Why do you always find me?!” she was now yelling. She could barely stand properly, her weight shifting awkwardly to her bruised leg but she continued, “Back then in the woods, at the Grey Pack and even now too? Why won’t you just let me go? I shouldn’t matter this much to you so why won’t you just let me live my life without you?!”

 “Because you’re mine,” his voice was low but controlled. He straightened his shoulders and took a step towards her, Eliza uselessly trying to take one away from him. “Because you are my mate. Because you’re my property.”

 “And if I keep on trying to escape? Even if you take me back now, I’ll still run away every chance I get. I’ll do it every single time. I’ll run away a thousand times if that’s what it’ll take!

 “”Then I’ll just have to find you a thousand times too,” he was already so close to her, he easily wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. Her breath hitched as he moved his finger to her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. You belong to me, Eliza. There’s no escaping.”

 Her lips parted in an attempt to reply him. Or at least push him away to stop the heat suddenly radiating from within her. But before a sound or action could come from her, one came from the sky.

 Thunder rumbled and with a speed quicker than lightening, rain poured down from the sky.

 “The universe must fucking hate me,” she looked up at the sky and let out a bitter laughter, pressing her palm against his chest. “You all must-”

 The rest of her words came out in a slur, Eliza immediately feeling the ground beneath her tilt. One second she was ready to scream and do everything in her power to get away from Alaric and the next, she was plagued by dizziness that instantly sent her collapsing right into his arms.