Prologue
His long strides—quiet and furtive—were almost inhuman in their soundless nature. His eyes pierced the darkness in a frosty glare.Curiosity had gotten the better of him just five minutes ago when he had been awoken from a dreamless sleep by a haunting scream. Not able to slip back into his restless slumber, he slid from under his covers and started toward where he thought the yell came from.
A snap of a branch almost escaped his notice and his muscles locked up in anticipation. The crack was quiet, but his intense focus wouldn't let anything go by unnoticed.
At sixteen-years-old, he'd witnessed more than most kids his age and had learned to be cautious and aware of his surroundings. To always expect danger so it didn't catch him off guard. He knew better than to turn his back on any foreign noise in the forest that encompassed his home. Or to even trust anyone that actually lived in his home.
Trust was a foreign word to him; the meaning escaped him a long time ago.
A sudden deep, guttural growl broke through the serenity of the never ending expanse of trees, followed by a small whimper. The familiar growl set his spine straight, alerting him of a well-known danger.
Caide picked up a large branch as a weapon, not wanting to take any chances. He didn't want to use the small dagger he kept hidden by his side just yet.
More blood on his hands was not his intended goal when he first set out on this small quest.
"Please.. stop."
He heard the pained sob, barely making out two breathless words.
He skillfully weaved through the trees and dodged roots that stuck up from the ground, jogging toward the direction of the noises. The path was burned into his brain, completely unforgettable due to years of memorization. He halted to a staggering stop before the horrific scene, hiding behind a tree to take in the situation.
A young girl, blanketed in a thick layer of blood, cowered in fetal position with her hands protecting her head, as a large, seething wolf towered over her. The wolf seemed to be salivating at the chance to kill the poor, innocent child.
Caide shook his head. His eyes had sadly gazed upon this scene multiple times before; had seen this wolf in particular.
These beasts, they preyed on the innocent, claiming to be protecting their pack. They shunned him for his 'evil' deeds when, in fact, it is them who people should run in fear from—hide their children from.
These mutts were in the wrong but they turned the attention to him and hid behind the things he had done, when they had done much worse. All the while, they claimed to be heroes as they kept him and other 'outsiders' away from their pack.
He had no choice but to embrace the blame.
Caide was pulled from his thoughts by another pathetic whimper. The wolf had edged closer to the girl, probably to go in for the kill.
It expanded its monstrous jaws, dripping a trail of saliva and blood on the girl's cheek. Caide shook his head slowly, ready to turn around and forget the scene before him.
That's when she glanced up and the brightest green eyes he had ever seen, met his. They seemed to pierce deep within his soul. The longer he stared, the more he saw himself. He saw someone lost, looking for answers—freedom. And he couldn't help his next move.
Caide stepped forward, toward the beast, while raising the branch he had grabbed. Small, gnarled branches reached out menacingly from all sides of it, glinting sharply in the moonlight.
He held his finger up to his lips as he met the girl's wide eyes again. She understood his silent message and turned away, putting her arms over her head.
Caide started to walk faster, knowing he had little time. Once he reached the wolf, he took a swing at it with the branch, using all his strength. The sharp edges of the branch dug into the wolf's skin, causing it to yelp in surprise. As the wolf stumbled a little, caught off guard, Caide reached down and took the dagger into his hand, getting into a defensive stance. He wouldn't make a move while its back was turned. Caide always believed in a fair fight.
The wolf whipped its whole body around at an impressive speed, showing only little surprise at seeing him, but mostly anger.
Pure, hot fury burned in its gaze as it bared its bloody teeth at him. Caide dodged quickly when it lunged and he barely grazed its dark-brown fur with his dagger. He hadn't fought in a while, but he knew he could beat this beast.
His fierce determination drove him forward, this time deciding to make the first move.
He took a swipe at the animal's eyes as it turned around. It dodged and leaped at his legs, effectively knocking him down.
As it landed on top, it clawed at his chest, leaving a deep, gruesome gash. Caide barely heard the girl's scream in the background, but stayed focused on the task at hand. He threw his arm forward and sunk the dagger deep into the wolf's chest, causing it to yelp and jump away.
They held each other's glares, both knowing that if they continue, all the wolf would be was more blood on Caide's hands.
It slowly backed off, eyes holding a dark promise, before turning and running away.
Caide waited to make sure the wolf was far, before walking toward the girl.
Her hair was a mess, plastered in mud and blood, but he could see peeks of naturally blonde strands. A dress that looked ready to fall apart with the amount of rips in it, hung loosely over her shoulders. She was soaked with blood and he had trouble finding the source of all that blood as she only had two gashes and a couple scrapes. Nothing too serious. Definitely not as bad as it could've been.
She tried to keep her eyes open, but her effort was in vain. They slowly closed and she fell limp on the ground.
Caide didn't make sure she was okay. He barely even glanced at her as he picked her up carelessly off the ground. He knew she was alive and that's all that mattered at the moment.
He didn't understand why it mattered at all.
~*~*~*~*~
They didn't say anything to each other as Caide carried the girl back to his home. He wasn't even sure she was conscious at this point. All he could hear were her faint breaths, softly blowing against his ear as he leaned her on his shoulder.
His steps were confident and sure as he approached his home. He shook his head at the strange looks he got when he walked through the front door. The staff didn't speak up, as he was their boss.
The maids and other workers had raised him, after his parents' deaths. Even so, he was still in charge.
Caide called for them to bring in the doctor who lived in the castle with him.
Yes, the castle.
Caide was a prince at one point in his life, before he was shunned. The only people that respected him now were the ones that lived with him. They still did whatever he said, even though he would never fully trust them and was far from kind to them.
The doctor soon arrived, eyes widening in shock at the young girl's appearance. He ushered Caide to quickly set her down on the couch, then waved him away. Caide only allowed the disrespect at that moment because he knew Dr. Richards was busy and focused.
He waited for hours as the doctor fixed the girl, stitching and bandaging her up. His fingers pounced impatiently on the table beside him.
The noise echoed in the expanse of the library.
The tick of the clock soon started to grate his ears like nails on a chalkboard.
He switched his seat position for the twentieth time as his body started to become tingly and numb once again.
Caide hated waiting.
Marie, his maid, always joked that his impatience, "will be the death of him someday... or someone else". He just thought she was being over dramatic, as she always was.
Marie had tried very hard to become a mother to him, and while he appreciated her, he wouldn't let her into his heart. Feelings weren't useful, they were a weakness and unpredictable.
When the doctor was finished, he came to find Caide where he sat in the room next door, not wanting to distract Richards from his work.
"The girl will be fine.. just fainted from fear or stress. Whatever attacked her didn't do much damage; she has a small concussion and a gash on her arm and leg, but she will be able to walk in a week.. probably heal fully in around a month." Dr. Richards stated confidently, waiting for Caide's response.
His facial expression didn't change from the usual blank, stoic look. The girl was fine, he thought, but now what was he going to do with her? He had taken her without any plan whatsoever. The split second vulnerability he had felt when he first met her eyes had caused the reckless decision. And now he was stuck with her.
"Thank you, you may leave now." Caide dismissed him, but the doctor hesitated.
"And.. what about you?"
Caide glanced down at the bleeding gash in his chest. It's not as bad as it looks, he thought defiantly.
He looked back up, "just leave some bandages, I'll do it myself."
Still, the doctor hesitated, "but it looks like it will need stitches-"
"I'll be fine, just leave, Richards." Caide was losing patience he never had. Just a split second from snapping.
Dr. Richards left without another word, placing some bandages and disinfectant on the table as he walked.
Caide sighed and left the room after him, heading toward where he left the girl.
She was still laying on the couch, but this time was wide awake. For some reason, she smiled brightly at Caide when he walked in the room.
He frowned.
Caide was expecting fear. Confusion... sadness? Anger? Something. Anything but- but happiness!
This girl had definitely hit her head.
Caide now approached her with a mixture of caution and dominance, wanting to keep control of the situation.
There's a bit of silence. Caide didn't know what to say. He hadn't had to start a regular conversation with anyone in years.
He decided to start with something easy.
"How are you feeling?"
With a smile still attached to her face, the girl spoke back with no fear wavering her voice, "I'm doing fine.. well, as fine as I can be in this situation. Thank you so much for saving me. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you... a-and you could've been dead because of me!"
Caide was shocked. He was expecting a quiet, shy and scared little girl. But he could hear her loud and clear; she was anything but timid.
"How old are you?" Caide was curious. This girl looked maybe twelve but she spoke with intelligence beyond that age and her eyes shined with confidence.
"Fourteen... you?"
Caide was hesitant to reveal any personal information about himself, even if it was as small as his age. In the end, he decided giving his age wouldn't really do any harm.
"Sixteen."
Wondering what a 14-year-old human was doing alone in the forest, Caide questioned, "how did you run into the wolf?"
The girl looked to the side, "I-I don't know. I woke up alone in the forest a couple hours ago. I don't know where I came from, where my family is or if I even have a family. All I know is my name is Allie and I'm 14. I know there's more to the story, I can feel it. I know I had a family, the memory is there, just not close enough to grasp onto."
Caide didn't know how to feel about this new information. He didn't know whether to trust the girl or not. This story of her not knowing anything was a little too convenient.
Was she a spy sent by his enemies?
Caide stared at the her, already knowing the accusation is wrong. She reeked of innocence, it was almost sickening. He couldn't help but feel jealous of the girl who had never had a troubled thought in her life, except for now.
"I was looking for shelter when I stumbled into the path of the wolf."
The conversation faded there, neither of them knowing what to do next.
Caide's mind wandered, thinking of what he was supposed to do with the girl now that he had saved her.
He wasn't going to keep her.. definitely not. There was no room for an immature little girl in his castle; he had more important things to be doing, other than babysit.
The girl had to go.
