Chapter 101: A Walking Disaster

Elara:

I realized I had ventured far too deep into the woods somewhere between the moment I stopped hearing the music from the gathering and the moment I realized I could no longer see a single light from the academy.

Apparently, in my desperate attempt to put as much distance as possible between myself and Reign Valemont, I had forgotten one very important detail - I had absolutely no idea where I was going.

I stopped beneath the towering trees and slowly turned in a circle, trying to recognize something... anything... that might tell me where the academy was. But nothing looked familiar.

The trees here were older, thicker, and far more densely packed than the parts of the forest I knew from my morning runs. My running route had always followed a fixed track close to the academy grounds, which meant I had spent weeks confidently believing I knew these woods when, in reality, I knew only a tiny fraction of them.

The realization made my stomach drop. Worse, the canopy above me was so thick that even the moonlight struggled to reach the ground properly. What little silver light managed to slip through the leaves only created scattered patches across the forest floor, leaving everything else swallowed by darkness.

My heart began beating loudly and rapidly inside my chest, and this time it had absolutely nothing to do with a certain handsome, arrogant, infuriating blonde man.

I was lost. Completely and utterly lost.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, praying for a miracle as I unlocked the screen.

"Come on, come on..." I muttered under my breath while staring at the tiny signal indicator in the corner. Nothing. I lifted the phone higher as though somehow that would magically convince the network to appear. Still nothing.

"Oh, for heaven’s sake," I cursed, lowering the phone with a frustrated groan. "Of course, things have to go this way."

Turned out freezing Reign Valemont wasn’t enough trouble for one night. I had also managed to wander into the middle of nowhere without a map, without a working phone connection, and without the slightest idea how to get back.

Violet would probably have found the situation hilarious if I weren’t currently standing in the middle of a forest trying not to panic. I considered calling anyway, but there was little point. No signal meant no call, no message, and no magical miracle delivered by modern technology.

I stared at the screen for another few seconds before finally accepting that my phone wasn’t going to save me.

Standing there wasn’t going to help either. That much was obvious. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and looked around again, trying to decide which direction looked the least threatening. Unfortunately, every direction looked equally dark.

"Wonderful," I whispered sarcastically. "Just wonderful."

I had two choices - stay exactly where I was and hope someone eventually realized I was missing, or start walking and hope I accidentally found my way back. Considering my history with waiting for people to rescue me, the first option wasn’t particularly appealing. So I chose the second.

I stepped forward carefully, following what appeared to be a narrow path between the trees. Whether that path led toward the academy or deeper into the forest was anyone’s guess. I could only hope it was the former. At least if I kept moving, I was doing something instead of standing around imagining every possible thing that could go wrong.

I had barely taken a couple of steps when a voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

"Are you really that desperate to end up in trouble again?"

My heart leaped straight into my throat. I spun around so quickly that I nearly lost my balance, my eyes searching through the darkness for the person who had spoken.

"What the-" I stopped myself before finishing the sentence.

I knew that voice. Or at least I thought I did. The darkness made it difficult to see clearly, and I instinctively took a step backward as I tried to make out the figure standing between the trees. My brain was still processing the sound when my foot landed on something uneven. I glanced down just in time to see the edge of a rock beneath my boot.

"No, no!"

The panic and realization barely settled before my boot slipped and the world tilted violently beneath me. I reached for the nearest tree branch, my fingers brushing against it without managing to catch hold.

There was nothing to stop my momentum. My foot twisted awkwardly as I lost my balance, and I tumbled down the small rocky slope. It wasn’t a large fall, but it was enough to knock the breath from my lungs. I landed hard against the ground, my coat bunching beneath me as pain shot sharply through my leg.

For several seconds, I lay there staring at the dark canopy overhead, trying to force air back into my lungs. Then hurried footsteps thundered through the undergrowth, followed by a deeply familiar voice.

"For stars’ sake, woman! You are a walking disaster!"

Even through the pain, I recognized Alaric immediately, and though I would rather die than admit it to his face, relief washed over me the moment his familiar face appeared in my sight.

He crouched beside me without wasting another second, his strong arms slipping around my shoulders as he carefully pulled me into a sitting position. His usual arrogance and aloofness had vanished, replaced by an unexpected concern as his eyes swept over me.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

I realized I had been staring at him and quickly looked away, focusing instead on my throbbing ankle. "I think I sprained it," I admitted.

His brows furrowed before he reached for my foot. The moment his fingers touched my swollen ankle, pain shot through me, and I bit down hard on a cry, managing only a muffled groan.

He immediately looked up at me, his expression tightening at my reaction. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, to my complete disbelief, he quietly offered, "Let me carry you."