"Do you know this girl?" Kaelith asked at last, his voice steady but carrying a cautious edge. He could sense the woman's nerves from the way her hands trembled faintly at her sides, though she tried to mask it.
Their presence alone, the overwhelming aura Zevryn exuded and his own looming stance in armor was enough to frighten anyone who stumbled upon them in the middle of the forest.
"Yes… she… she is my friend's daughter. I have been searching for her the whole night," the woman finally replied, her words rushed yet sincere. Her voice cracked on the last syllable, betraying the exhaustion that weighed on her body.
Despite her fear, she forced her feet forward, each step bringing her closer to them. Perhaps it was the sight of Elara in Zevryn's arms, alive and breathing, that gave her the courage to move.
Her eyes never left the girl, her gaze locked as though afraid Elara might vanish if she dared to blink.
Kaelith tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes as he studied her. "Who are you? And from where do you belong?" His tone was firm, probing, as he always was when dealing with strangers.
The woman halted just a few paces from them, her lips parting as if to answer immediately, but her eyes betrayed her first. They flicked over Elara's form, widening with visible shock. The disbelief painted across her face was impossible to miss.
Because Elara, though blood still clung stubbornly to her skin and clothes had no visible injuries anymore. Not even the faintest scar marred her body.
The bruises, the cuts, the deep wound on her head… all gone. Completely erased as though they had never existed.
Her heart skipped a beat. She knew Elara had no wolf. Without one, wounds like those should have lingered for days, weeks even. And yet here she was, appearing untouched by the torment she had endured.
The woman tore her gaze away with visible effort, realizing Kaelith was still waiting for an answer. She understood the unspoken tension in the air; if she wanted to uncover who these two mysterious men were and how Elara's impossible recovery had happened she would first need to give them something of herself. An introduction. Trust.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she steadied her voice. "I am Maria, a small doctor from Mooncrest Pack. And she…" Her eyes softened as she looked back at the unconscious girl in Zevryn's arms, "…she is Elara, the daughter of Mooncrest's beta, Roman Throne." Every word was deliberate, a piece of truth laid bare, because Elara's safety was worth any risk.
Kaelith gave a slow nod, absorbing the information. His gaze flickered toward Zevryn, his expression tightening slightly. He knew. Knew that the revelation would hurt, that the truth would land like a blade in Zevryn's chest. And just as he feared, the sight before him was gut-wrenching.
Zevryn's face looked as though someone had once again ripped out his heart and crushed it before his eyes. His knuckles whitened around the girl he cradled in his arms, his jaw clenching hard enough to tremble.
The faint shimmer of hope that had lit his eyes earlier now dimmed, replaced by a hollowness Kaelith recognized all too well.
But still, Zevryn was not ready to surrender that last, fragile thread of hope. He lifted his gaze to Maria, his voice rough, heavy with desperation that he could not hide. "Are you sure… she was born in Mooncrest?"
The question hung between them, a final plea, as though her answer could undo the truth and stitch his broken hope back together.
Maria's heart clenched at the raw ache in his words. She swallowed hard before replying, steady but gentle. "Yes. Her mother was my best friend. I am the one who handled her delivery. I've seen her grow up in front of my eyes all these years." Her tone carried the firmness of someone defending family, her words an oath she wanted etched into their minds. Elara was important, precious and she needed them to understand that.
And perhaps, if they understood, they would allow her to keep Elara safe. Maria's fingers curled into her palms, silent resolve sparking in her chest. She would do anything in her might to protect Elara.
But her words were like sharp daggers to Zevryn. Each syllable carved into the last fragile thread of hope he had clung to. He lowered his gaze, staring at Elara in his arms for what felt like the final time, his vision blurring as tears welled against his will.
She was not his Liliath. She only carried the face that mirrored her.
And yet, the weight of her resemblance crushed him harder than if she had been a stranger altogether.
With a heart heavier than stone, he forced himself to accept the bitter truth. His voice was raw when he finally spoke. "She was really injured when we found her. We… have healed her. You can take her with you now. But don't speak to anyone about seeing us." The command lingered in the air, both plea and warning, as he gently gestured for Maria to take Elara from his arms.
Maria moved quickly, almost stumbling in her haste, and pulled Elara into her embrace. She clutched the girl to her chest as though terrified she might be stolen away again, her fingers tightening with the desperation of a mother who had finally found her lost child.
The way she held her was not just protective, it was reverent. As if a man wandering through a merciless desert for days had finally found his first sip of water.
Maria's tears broke free, spilling unrestrained as she pressed trembling lips to Elara's forehead. She had always cared for her like she would her own daughter.
And only she knew how excruciating this night had been—wandering in the cold, haunted by the knowledge that Elara's life was hanging by a thread, her only prayer that she might find her alive. Against all odds, here she was. Breathing. Whole.
She looked up at the two men, her gratitude heavy in her gaze. "Thank you… thank you so much for saving her! I was really worried for her, and thanks to you two, she is safe." Her voice cracked with emotion, but the sincerity in her words was undeniable.
"It's okay," Kaelith replied, though his voice carried the steady calm of a soldier used to deflecting thanks. "Anyone in our place would have done the same." His gaze, however, betrayed him when it lifted skyward to the glowing edge of the moon. Time was slipping away, and the dawn was fast approaching. If they lingered much longer, their presence would not remain a secret.
"We'll have to leave now. Take care of her," he said, his tone clipped but softer at the end, his eyes unwillingly drawn back to the unconscious girl.
The sight pulled at old wounds he thought he had buried, reminding him too vividly of the pain he'd once felt when his sister had been torn from his life.
He clenched his jaw and shook his head, grounding himself back to the present. "We should leave now," he said to Zevryn.
Zevryn didn't speak. He only nodded, his lips pressed into a grim line. But before turning away, he allowed himself one last, lingering glance at the girl in Maria's arms.
His chest constricted, torn between the torment of loss and the whisper of a hope he didn't dare believe in anymore. Then, shoulders squared with silent resolve, he followed Kaelith into the darkness.
Maria's eyes stayed fixed on them until their silhouettes finally disappeared between the trees. Only then did she let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. At once, her attention shifted back to Elara.
Her hands trembled as she hurriedly checked for any sign of lingering wounds, her healer's instincts driving her to ensure no harm remained. But to her shock, she found none. No scratches. No bruises. Not even the faintest scar. It was as though the agony Elara had endured hours ago had been nothing more than a nightmare.
Maria's breath hitched, her gaze flicking back toward the path the mysterious men had taken. Who were they? To be able to heal such grievous wounds so effortlessly, it was no small thing. Power like that didn't belong to ordinary men.
Her mind spun with unease, but then another thought crashed into her, freezing her blood. With frantic hands, she brushed Elara's hair aside and checked her neck, knowing all too well the burn that should have been there. Lucian's betrayal, marking another she-wolf while his mark remained on Elara would leave her with an ugly, searing scar that no healer could erase.
But when Maria's eyes fell on Elara's neck, they widened in disbelief.
**Xuv's Note**
Day TWO of begging for reviews... *hmp!* (╯≧▽≦）╯︵ ┻━┻ Don't make me pout forever, okay? Only the *cutest, sweetest, most galaxy-brained readers* leave reviews (✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)✨ You wouldn't break my heart like that… right? (つ≧▽≦)つ 💕
With love and mild chaos (ง •̀_•́)ง ** your ✦ 𝓧𝓤𝓥 ✦**