-HER-

I tightened my fingers around the ship's railing as the sea wind blew harder, ruffling my hair. I blinked my tears, hoping that the wind would take them away. The horizon had swallowed the sun, painting the sky dark blue. The stars hid behind the angry grey clouds while the moon peaked out of them momentarily, only to disappear again, leaving everything darker than before.

I was finding it hard to believe I was on the ship to Cromeria with Alexandros. We were halfway there, sailing safely in the Cromirean waters. By tomorrow morning, we will be in the Cromerian capital. There was no way for me to escape now. I didn't know what waited for me in the Cromerian capital, but I was sure that it was nothing good. I was paralysed with fear of the future. What had passed was just the beginning and what was about to come was a huge, dark storm that would last for a long time. I shuddered, not due to the cold but the anxiety and fear.

The sea looked inviting, but at the same time, it looked like it would spit me out if I were to jump in it. The vast abysses of the sea didn't have enough room for my grief and the hatred I had carried in myself. There was no other way to escape this situation except to face it.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking several times to keep all the tears down. I tried to compose myself as I felt his presence behind me. I didn't hear his footsteps because I was too deep into my thoughts, but I knew it was him. He was standing right behind me; his hot breath brushed the back of my neck caressingly.

"Why?" He asked. His voice almost got lost between the giggles of the sea waves and the murmur of the night wind. Despite all of it, I could hear the hurt laced in his voice. "Is it because of the long history of conflict between the two empires?" He asked.

"Yes," I gritted. It was partially true, but there was still a big reason for it... a reason I couldn't tell him. A reason that he shouldn't find out, no matter what.

"I know our kingdoms share a painful past, but we can begin with a fresh start," He offered, sounding ready for a compromise that would be fruitless in the end. If only I could tell him how things were more complicated than they seemed.

"I can never be with a man who tried to kill my brother," I said, struggling to find a reason that would make him stop with this. He fell silent for a while before speaking, "why did you save your brother when he wants you dead? It's clear he only cares for the throne,"

"Because he's still my brother," I sniffed, "The only family I have left now,"

"The family that wants you dead," He added. I clutched the railing harder because he was painfully right, and I didn't want to accept that. My brother had wronged me in many ways since our mother died, but I couldn't fathom losing him. I had lost everything due to him, but I didn't want to lose him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I snapped at him.

"Then tell me, what is it all about? Tell me why you were declared dead. Where have you been all these years, and why did you choose to return now?" He asked the questions I had feared to answer.

"I cannot tell you those things," I said, blinking more tears.

"Why not?" He further pressed, taking a step closer to me until I felt his front press against my back. A shiver ran down my spine as he put his hands over my hips, his lips lightly brushed against my skin.

"Because I don't want to," I snapped, peeling his hands off my waist and leaving him on the deck. I went straight to the cabin given to me for the night and locked myself in it until the morning. I couldn't sleep for the whole night. I was up, trying to think of an escape plan. I needed to return to the Shrine somehow.

Sometime in the early morning, before the sun started to come out, I finally fell asleep due to exhaustion. When I woke up, the ship was already at the harbour, and someone was knocking on my cabin's door. It took me a while to get up and open the door. It was Alexandros.

"Good morning," He spoke, scanning me from head to toe, "I hope you slept well," He commented, even though I was sure that I looked like an old hag who hadn't slept in hundred years. "We have reached," He declared, making me instantly wake up.

"At your capital?" I asked, surprised.

"No, we're at the main port. We need to travel a bit to get there," He said, studying me with pensive eyes.

"When are you leaving?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Now," He told me. "I was waiting for you to wake up," I took a deep breath and looked at him. He must have seen it on my face because he soon added sternly, "You're coming with me, of course,"

At the port, a royal carriage was already waiting for us. We boarded it and set off for the capital in no time. I dozed off almost instantly as soon as we started our journey on land. However, I woke up sometime later when the carriage seemed to have stopped.

I was alone inside the carriage. There was no sign of Alexandros anywhere, and the driver seemed to be gone too. I peeped out of the window to see that we were somewhere in the woods. The sound of gushing water was coming from somewhere nearby.

This could be my opportunity... I thought to myself and opened the door to leave the carriage, only to find Alexandros waiting outside. I almost jumped back as soon as I saw him. He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Were you planning something?" He asked, a small smile playing at the tip of his lips. He knew what I was up to.

"No," I grumbled, glaring at him. It was then I noticed that he looked different. His wounds from yesterday were healed entirely, and he looked much better. Not only that, he was dressed in his Royal attire.

"We're almost there," He said, offering his hand, "but I decided to stop for some fresh air,"

I took his hand and stepped outside the carriage. The first thing that I noticed was the river flowing by in the distance.

"Alex, this is the best they could find for no—" The man I had seen several times with Alexandros stopped abruptly as soon as he saw me. He looked between us before handing Alexandros something wrapped in parchment paper.

"This is my second in command, Lars," Alexandros introduced him. "I am sure you had seen him many times before," I didn't say anything. Noticing the tension in the air, Lars excused himself and left quickly.

"You can change into this for now," Alex said, handing me the object wrapped in parchment paper. "I will provide you with better clothes and jewellery once we reach my palace," He promised.

"Do you think you can buy me with those things?" I asked him sharply.

"No," He said curtly, "That's the least I owe you for being your mate," He replied in a crisp manner. "We take our mates quite seriously and take care of them well,"

"Even if the mate doesn't want to do anything with you?" I shot. I saw pain flicker in his eyes, but he instantly hid it. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard.

"Are you rejecting the bond?" He asked, his tone having a deadly seriousness to it. His question seemed to have stopped the flowing air. The birds chirping in the woods seemed to have turned quiet, and the water flowing in the river froze. He waited for me to speak.

"Yes," I breathed.

~