The storm lashed violently, pounding the ground in merciless torrents, washing blood and silver poison alike from Kael's torn flesh. Elara stumbled forward under his heavy weight, guiding them toward the distant ruins hidden within the forest—a sanctuary known only from whispered legends.
"Stay awake," she urged breathlessly, feeling Kael's powerful frame weaken further with each step. "We're almost there."
Kael grunted painfully, staggering. His breathing had become ragged, silver poison still burning cruelly against his skin despite the rain's icy relief. With every step, blood seeped through his torn clothing, staining Elara's fingers crimson.
"Leave me," he rasped harshly, voice edged with agony and despair. "Save yourself."
Elara halted sharply, eyes blazing fiercely in the stormy darkness. "No. You said you'd trust me with your life. Now keep your promise."
He met her gaze, eyes darkened by pain, yet something fierce ignited within them—a spark of defiance and unexpected vulnerability. Without another word, he pushed himself forward, allowing her strength to support his weakening steps.
Finally, through dense trees and thorned vines, the ancient stone walls of the forgotten sanctuary loomed, ivy-covered ruins whispering of centuries past. Elara pulled Kael toward the crumbling entrance, heart hammering fiercely.
Inside, shadows pooled thickly, cloaking the broken altars and faded murals in eerie twilight. She guided Kael carefully toward a cracked stone altar in the center, easing him down gently. His head fell back, eyes closing briefly, breath shallow.
"Stay awake," she pleaded again, panic and urgency sharpening her voice.
Kael groaned softly, forcing his heavy eyes open, molten gold reflecting the dim glow of moonlight slipping through fractured windows. His gaze settled on her with fierce intensity, voice strained yet tender. "If I die here, let it be looking at you."
"You're not dying," Elara snapped fiercely, voice shaking despite herself. "Not now—not yet."
She quickly tore fabric from her skirt, soaking it with rainwater pooling on the stone floor. Carefully, she began cleaning his wounds, feeling him flinch beneath her gentle yet determined touch.
"How sentimental," he murmured bitterly, wincing slightly as she wiped silver essence from his chest. "You've forgotten how cruel I've been?"
Elara lifted her gaze sharply, eyes blazing defiantly through tears. "I forget nothing. But cruelty doesn't erase loyalty."
Kael stared silently, breathing unsteady, his expression shifting from bitterness to something deeply conflicted. Finally, he spoke, voice raw with quiet pain. "I don't deserve your loyalty."
"You don't get to decide what I feel," she whispered fiercely, pressing harder against his wounds to stop fresh bleeding. "So stop talking nonsense and survive."
Kael's gaze softened marginally, a faint, tortured smile briefly curving his lips. "Stubborn woman."
She shook her head gently, a reluctant smile tugging at her own lips. "You knew that when you marked me."
His eyes darkened visibly, gaze tracing the scar on her collarbone with tender regret. "I've marked you for suffering."
"No," she corrected quietly, fingers brushing softly against his heated skin. "You marked me as yours."
Their gazes locked, the silence heavy with raw vulnerability and unspoken truths. Thunder crashed violently outside, yet within the ruins, a fragile calm settled, sheltering them momentarily from the storm raging beyond.
Kael reached weakly for her hand, intertwining his fingers gently yet possessively with hers. "Stay close tonight," he murmured, voice barely audible, eyes heavy with exhaustion. "My enemies will not rest until we're both destroyed."
She nodded solemnly, gently pressing her palm to his heartbeat. "They'll find us ready."
His eyes drifted closed slowly, exhaustion finally claiming him. She remained beside him, guarding his fragile sleep fiercely, listening to the storm's fury battering relentlessly against the sanctuary walls.
Hours passed slowly, filled with anxious silence broken only by Kael's labored breathing. Elara's gaze roamed the faded murals, ancient depictions of wolves and warriors locked in eternal conflict, a cruel reflection of their own deadly dance.
A sudden noise—a whisper of footsteps—shattered her fragile calm. Instantly alert, she rose swiftly, heart pounding violently. Silently, she gripped Kael's dagger, stepping cautiously toward the sanctuary's shadowed entrance.
"Who's there?" she demanded sharply, voice trembling slightly despite her fierce resolve.
From shadows emerged Mina, drenched and shivering, eyes wide with relief. "Elara! Thank gods you're alive."
"Mina?" Elara breathed, relief surging sharply. "How did you find us?"
Mina's expression flickered strangely, hesitance briefly crossing her features. "I followed Lysandra—she knows this place. She'll be here soon with reinforcements. We must leave quickly."
Elara hesitated, suspicion flaring briefly before fading into desperation. "Kael can't travel. He'll die if we move him."
Mina's eyes darkened sharply, voice hardening unexpectedly. "Then leave him."
Elara recoiled violently, disbelief and betrayal slicing deeply through her chest. "What?"
"He's a monster," Mina whispered harshly, eyes narrowing coldly. "He doesn't deserve your pity."
Elara lifted her chin defiantly, grip tightening on Kael's dagger. "He saved my life—twice. I won't abandon him."
Mina's lips curled bitterly, stepping back sharply as shadows shifted ominously behind her. "Then you'll die beside him."
From darkness stepped Lysandra, her cold gaze glittering victoriously, armed soldiers spreading swiftly around the entrance, blocking escape. She smiled cruelly, eyes fixed hatefully upon Elara.
"You should have run when you had the chance," Lysandra purred darkly. "Now it's too late."
Kael stirred weakly behind Elara, sensing danger despite exhaustion. She stood protectively before him, heart thundering with desperation and fierce resolve.
"If you want him," she whispered dangerously, voice shaking yet deadly calm, "you'll have to kill me first."
Lysandra's gaze hardened with chilling triumph, a dark smile curving her lips cruelly. "Gladly."
As soldiers closed mercilessly around them, Elara felt Kael's fingers intertwine fiercely once more with hers, strength returning faintly yet defiantly to his weakened grip.
Their eyes met, fierce determination passing silently between them. In that moment, facing certain death, Elara understood one truth with deadly clarity:
They would survive or perish together—but never apart.
"Ready?" Kael murmured weakly yet fiercely.
Elara nodded sharply, heart hammering fiercely.
"Always."