The night air bit at Serenya’s skin, sharp and cold, as she darted barefoot through the forest. Her once-ivory gown was hacked unevenly at the hem, her bag—stuffed with bread, a dagger, and a comb she swore would be useful—bounced against her hip. Hours ago, she’d been trapped in another suffocating dinner, her fiancé droning on about his horses as if they were more valuable than she was. Enough was enough.

The rope made of shredded dresses had worked—barely. She’d climbed down her balcony, tossed away her heels, and run like her life depended on it. At first, freedom had tasted sweet. But now? The cold gnawed at her, and every strange rustle made her heart race. Still, she refused to turn back.

Until the mud.

She slipped, hit the ground hard, and had just started cursing when the growl came. The bear emerged, hulking and fast, and she stumbled backward into shallow water. Her limbs felt like lead, and for a moment, she accepted it—this was how it ended.

Thwip.

The bear dropped.

A boy stepped from the shadows. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. A bow still in hand. Without a word, he knelt beside the bear, yanked the arrow free, cleaned it on a cloth, and slid it back into his quiver. Then he unfolded a paper map and studied it, utterly calm.

Serenya scrambled up, dripping and shivering. “Thank you!” she blurted, stepping closer. “I mean—really, thank you. Do you live out here? Are you—”

He turned on his heel and started walking. No acknowledgment.

She frowned but followed anyway, words spilling out in a stream of questions he clearly wasn’t going to answer. Cold or not, he had saved her life… and she wasn’t about to let her mysterious rescuer walk off without her.