The encounter

**"Catch her!"**

Alexia ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her heart pounding heavily in her chest as though it was about to burst. She leaped over stones and dodged branches, paying no heed to the pain in her feet. The smell of pine filled the air, and birds sang overhead, their melodies drowned out by the shouts of her pursuers, growing louder with every step.

She cursed her ill luck and the day she ever crossed paths with these ruthless men. The dress she wore, intended to aid her deception, now hindered her escape. Today was truly the worst day to be dressed as a woman, branches kept clawing at her dress, and her heels sank into the soft earth, slowing her down.

The worst part was, the dress wasn't even hers; so she couldn't discard it. She had borrowed the clothes in hopes of deceiving some rich noble brat, but fate had other plans for her.

"You won't escape from us today, you wretched girl!" Marcus, the leader of the men, bellowed. His bald head gleamed in the sunlight as he increased his pace. His goatee and thin frame gave him a sinister look, and his eyes, filled with hatred, gleamed as he clutched a dagger in his hand.

"Old fart," Alexia muttered under her breath. But she didn't bother to look back and kept running. She knew it was partly her fault for 'borrowing' money from him, but at that time, her brother was seriously ill. What other choice did she have? As a woman, and an unmarried one at that, there were no legal jobs available for her, this had been her only option.

Marcus had only himself to blame. If his lust hadn't clouded his judgment, he wouldn't have been so easily fooled.

Deceiving him had been surprisingly too simple. She rented women's clothing from a nearby seamstress, applied makeup, and approached him. A few fluttering eyelashes and sweet words later, he happily emptied his pockets. She then quickly fled, took her brother, and moved to this village.

But she hadn't expected to meet him here again when she was so close to deceiving another foolish noble.

'Such unlucky bastards, Couldn't they have waited until I had successfully deceived that brat before showing up?' she thought bitterly.

Lost in her thoughts, a hidden root suddenly caught her foot, and she tumbled down a small hill.

"Ahhh!"

Alexia screamed in shock as the world spun around her, rolling down the hill. Branches and rocks scratched her skin and tore at her dress, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

'What am I going to tell Madam Ann?' she wondered bitterly.

She landed at the bottom with a painful thud, her body aching from the fall.

"Ouch," she groaned, pain shooting through her limbs. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up despite the throbbing aches.

The men were already closing in, their faces twisted with anger.

"Grrrr."

Her heart skipped a beat at the low, menacing growl behind her. She turned slowly and saw a gray wolf standing before her, its eyes gleaming with hunger. It bared its teeth, advancing slowly.

Alexia's blood froze as she realized she was trapped between the men and the wolf.

"You wench," Marcus spat. "You'd be better off dying to that wolf because if I get my hands on you, I'll enjoy ravishing you before giving you to my brothers. Then, after we're done, I'll torture you slowly until you wish you were dead."

Hearing his words, Alexia stared at him with disdain. 'All this for just two hundred silver coins? Such a pathetic old fart,' she thought, then turned her gaze back to the wolf.

"This would probably be a good time for my prince charming to appear," Alexia muttered, though she knew deep down that no one would come to save her. But she still held a glimmer of hope. Who am I kidding? If a man were to save me, it would just be for his own greedy gains.

But she didn't want it to end like this, not when her brother still couldn't take care of himself.

Time seemed to slow. The wolf's growl rumbled through the air, sending shivers down her spine. Its claws scraped the ground, each step more threatening than the last. With every move it made, she involuntarily stepped back, her pulse pounding in her ears as her mind raced for a solution.

But there was no escape. She was weaponless, her body aching, and her chances of outrunning the wolf were almost zero. Her heart pounded in her chest, the terror nearly paralyzing her.

The wolf's fur bristled, its teeth bared, saliva dripping from its jaw. It crouched, ready to pounce. Alexia braced herself for the inevitable attack, her eyes wide with fear.

'Oh my gosh, is this is really the end?' she thought, her lips quivering.

'I never thought this is how I'd end up, in the jaws of a lowly wolf,'

Her legs trembled. She tried to think, to plan, but the wolf's gaze seemed to have frozen her in place. She could feel the heat of its breath and see the muscles rippling beneath its gray fur.

'I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to you, Luke. Please forgive your useless sister,' Alexia thought sadly, as her thigh suddenly itched, but she paid it no mind.

Whoosh!

Like lightening, a sharp arrow, suddenly flew out from the forest accompanied by a piercing sound that could make one's scalp tingle, leaving a golden trail behind. It struck the wolf in the forehead, and the beast collapsed instantly.

"Ah!"

She gasped in shock, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.

And then, suddenly, everything froze. Alexia's eyes were still wide with disbelief as she stared at the dead wolf. The three men were still atop the hill, staring down at Alexia with greed. Even the birds in the air were frozen in mid-flight.

Emerging from the shadows, a man appeared. His raven-black hair framed a face that exuded both strength and mystery. His golden eyes seemed to hold all the secrets of the world.

He was tall and muscular, with a rugged jawline. He wore simple clothes that did little to hide his formidable presence. In his hands was a golden bow, the weapon that had just struck the wolf.

"Interesting," he muttered as he stared at Alexia thoughtfully. "Who would have thought that after searching all over for you, you would appear here instead?" he said, almost mockingly.

With much difficulty, he drew his eyes away from her and turned to face her Marcus and his men.

"Well, since I'm here, I might as well do you a favor," he said coldly. Then he snapped his fingers, and immediately the men vanished.

"I do have a lot of questions for you, but I can see you're not quite ready... or perhaps they don't want you to be ready," he said, turning his eyes back to Alexia, and staring at her intensely. He quickly snapped his fingers, and everything returned to normal.

"Who are you?" Alexia demanded, her eyes wide and fixed on the handsome stranger who had suddenly appeared behind her. Though this man had just saved her, she didn't trust him one bit. Her body was tense, and her fists were clenched, betraying her underlying fear despite her intense curiosity.

From all her previous interactions with men, she had grown to despise them. They were nothing more than loathsome pigs who only thought with their lower bodies, which was also why she always preferred dressing as a boy.

"Is that how you thank someone who just saved your life?" the man asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

He didn't seem the least bit disturbed by her defensive attitude and instead lazily leaned against a tree.

"Anyways, I'm Darius. I live in these forests," he calmly replied.

"Huh," Alexia muttered, a bit shocked as she processed this new information. What kind of man lived alone in a forest?. He must be lying. He must have an ulterior motive; that's why he doesn't want her to know who he really is.

Darius nodded. "Indeed, but you're still not thanking me for saving your life. Are you so ungrateful, young miss?"

Alexia immediately regained her composure and blushed slightly. Even though she was suspicious of his intentions, it was true that he had just saved her life.

"Thank you," she finally said. "But why?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she tried to gauge his intentions. Most people would just ignore her situation, even if they could help. It was human nature to be selfish, so his actions were very suspicious to her, and she couldn't afford to let her guard down.

"I don't understand. Is it wrong to save someone? I was simply doing what any other person would do," Darius said, smiling slightly as he took a step forward toward her, making her involuntarily step back and furrow her brows cautiously.

"Besides, I have a debt to repay," he continued, clearly unbothered by her obvious discomfort.

"A debt?" Alexia repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. How did this supposed debt concern her? She was sure she had never met this man before. If she had, she would definitely remember a face as handsome as his. And besides, he kept telling her to thank him. If he was really repaying a debt, then why was he being so haughty?

Darius nodded again. "Yes, one from long ago. But enough about that. Shouldn't you be more concerned about your friends?" he said, looking over her shoulder.

He pointed up the hill, and she quickly looked up and realized that Marcus and his men were nowhere to be found. Alexia's eyes widened in disbelief. How had they vanished so quickly? What happened to them?

"What did you do to them?" she asked, clenching her fists tightly.

"They are fine," Darius assured her. "I merely led them away. They will not trouble you for now."

"But how?" Alexia pressed, her mind struggling to grasp the situation. How had he led them away without her noticing? And all this happened in less than a minute? How was that even possible?

Darius offered a smile that seemed especially creepy to her "Let's just say I have my ways. But enough about them. Let me help you with your injuries."

He lifted a heavy stone and placed it beside her. "Sit," he instructed gently, his eyes showing a rare softness.

"Do you even know how to treat a wound? Are you a herbalist?" Alexia asked skeptically, folding her arms across her chest as she fixed her striking purple eyes on him.

"Isn't it just some minor injuries, why do I have to be a herbalist for that?" Darius thought as he scanned her with his eye, silently assessing her, his expression unreadable. Finally, he shook his head almost imperceptibly, as if disappointed by something.

'What is he thinking?'Alexia wondered, her thoughts racing. 'Maybe he's never seen someone as beautiful as me before. Yeah, that must be it'

But her doubts persisted. 'What if he's dangerous? Living in the forest like some kind of hermit... he could be anything.'

'A murderer?, some criminal on exile?, maybe even a thief?. Wait, that doesn't make sense, She was also a thief, but that wasn't the point. The point here was that everything about him screamed danger, but also something about him made her feel oddly safe. Her instincts were screaming at her to go, but her heart said otherwise.'

"I should just go," Alexia declared, her voice firm despite the ache in her body. "I can take care of myself."

But she was once again met with Darius silence.

"Umm..." Alexia hesitated, her resolve wavering under his intense gaze. Her body still throbbed with pain, and as much as she didn't trust him, she knew she needed help. "Fine," she relented reluctantly, seating herself on the stone.

Darius nodded as if satisfied with her compliance, then moved to gather leaves and began preparing a paste. Alexia couldn't shake her unease. 'You better not regret this,' she thought, clenching her fists in her lap.

As he applied the paste, his touch was surprisingly tender.

'What the heck Alexia, What are you thinking,? How could you think the touch of a stranger is tender?'

As Darius worked, his eyes fell on a trident-shaped mark on Alexia's thigh. His brows immediately furrowed, and his expression became somewhat intense.

'It can't be,' he thought, his eyes widening in shock. He instinctively reached out, his fingers almost brushing her skin.

"What are you doing?" Alexia asked sharply, instinctively pulling away. She quickly stood up from the rock but immediately regretted it as she felt a sharp pain from her wounds reopening.

'I knew I shouldn't have trusted this stranger. Men will always be scum; it's practically in their blood,' she thought, disdainful.

Darius quickly regained his composure, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he said, quickly withdrawing his hand. "I didn't mean to shock you. I simply... What is that mark?" he asked, pointing at her thigh.

Alexia followed his gaze to the mark on her thigh. "It's nothing," she said, trying to use her torn dress to cover the mark. Though she denied it, her tone and actions betrayed her unease. "Just a birthmark. I've had it since I was born."

Darius nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I see," he murmured, though his gaze still lingered on the mark. His mind whirled with questions, but he knew pressing further now would only scare her away.

Feeling uncomfortable, Alexia clutched her side uneasily. "I should go," she said, her voice trembling slightly. Without waiting for a response, she turned and slowly limped away, wincing from the pain in her wounds as she headed deeper into the forest.

Darius watched her disappear into the shadows, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. "It is time," he whispered to himself.

A woman suddenly appeared beside him. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her hazel eyes sparkled with amusement. She wore a flowing white dress that clung to her curves.

"You fool, you scared her off," she teased, a playful grin on her lips. "Seems like you're determined to stay single forever."

Darius chuckled, his gaze distant. "It is not about that," he replied, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

He felt his instincts warning him that something dangerous was coming, and Alexia's appearance was a sign. He needed to be prepared. Slowly, he began to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" the woman gasped in shock.

Ignoring her question, he continued to unbutton his shirt, revealing his bare torso. Turning around slowly, he revealed a trident-shaped mark, similar to Alexia's but much larger, covering his back and glowing faintly.

The woman's eyes widened in shock as she gasped. "It can't be…"

Turning back to face her, Darius met her gaze, his own eyes lit with resolve. "It is," he said, a cold determination in his voice. "The time has finally come."