Chapter 6

• SNOW’S POV
• “I don’t mind.” He says flashing me a kind smile. “And please, call me Stefan.”
• “Are you sure?” I ask him again and he simply nods his head with a smile. I look at him weirdly as my mind goes to dangerous places. How do I know I can trust him? Would it be wise to get on a horse with someone I just met? My mother taught me better than that. He may have helped me but how do I know he won’t hurt me later? Something in his eyes make me feel like I can trust him but would it be wise to only trust my instincts.
• “How do I know you won’t hurt me?” I ask him seriously. He already gave away money for me and now he’s just willing to travel with me on his horse? I’ll probably only slow him down.
• “Why would I hurt you?” He asks with a raise of his brows as if I just asked the silliest question ever.
• “You’re a stranger. You don’t know me and you’re just willing to give away your money for me and travel with me to the North? For free?” I ask him curiously.
• “Let’s just say I’m in a good mood today.” He says jokingly. I frown at him and he sighs as he walks toward me. His manners and movements are all foreign to me. I feel like I fell asleep and woke up on another planet where a man can be kind to a woman without asking for anything in return.
• “Look, I understand why you might have suspicions. We live in a terrible world and it’s not every day you find a good Samaritan like me but I can swear on the gods that I’m just trying to help. Here, you can have my dagger.” He says handing me the shiny weapon.
• “If you ever feel threatened by me, then you have permission to shove it into my chest. However, I won’t force you to come with me. it’s your choice.”
• He says staring at me deeply. He’s weird and he’s probably lying but right now he’s my only hope if I want to get safely to the North. I think of going back home but I quickly brush away the thought.
• I let out a sigh and nod my head at him. “Okay. Thank you.” I say softly.
• He smiles at me and leads me toward his horse. He lifts me easily like I don’t weigh a thing and places me in front of him on his horse. His chest is like a wall against my back and I wonder just how many abs he has under his shirt. Not in a sexual way though. I’ve just never been this close to a man without feeling uncomfortable. I wonder why I’m not uncomfortable being this close to him.
• After what happened to me, I should be terrified of being on the same horse with a man. But Stefan has a calm aura surrounding him. I don’t trust him but something tells me he might not want to hurt me.
• The horse starts moving and I sigh to myself as I prepare for my new life with the kind stranger. I’ll either come out of this alive or die in the most gruesome way possible, and still then I’ll have no one to blame but myself. Just like I was to blame for my mother’s death.
• “What’s your name?” He asks. I feel his warm breath on my neck. He’s so close to me but for some reason, his proximity doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Maybe it’s his voice and the way he talks. He sounds genuine. Maybe it’s all an act. Maybe I’m overthinking. My mind is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
• “Snow Lancaster.” I answer him honestly.
• “Snow like your hair.” He says and I immediately have bad memories of how the people from my pack used to make fun of my hair.
• “You have beautiful hair by the way. I have never seen anyone with hair as white as yours.” He says. The only other person who ever complimented my hair was my mom. She always told me not to feel insecure about my hair.
• “The people from my pack used to call me a granny because of the color of my hair. It’s kind of weird that you think it’s beautiful. Only one other person ever called my hair beautiful.” I say to him and he lets out a dramatic gasp.
• “Well tell the people from your pack that I think they’re idiots.” Silence surrounds us and the air gets tensed as I start overthinking again. I’m seconds away from changing my mind and getting off this horse when his voice interrupts me.
• “What pack are you from, Snow?” Stefan asks drawing me out of my thoughts.
• “The pack of the rising sun.” I answer.
• “Oh, you’re from the East. Why are you heading North then?” He questions.
• “I just couldn’t live in the East anymore. Too many unwanted memories. What about you? Where are you from?” I ask.
• “North. I live there.” He answers. My eyes grow wide at his response. He’s from the pack of the black knights. What is a black knight doing this far from home? Maybe he came here for business.
• “You do know that the North doesn’t accept strangers that easily, right? They might consider you a rogue or a spy and kill you on the spot.” He explains and I get shivers from his explanation. I had thought about that but the way he says it makes me even more scared.
• “I thought I could seek an audience with the king and offer my services.” I state.
• “Oh, the Alpha of the North doesn’t receive outsiders anymore.” He states and I let out a frustrated breath. If the Alpha of the black knights doesn’t receive outsiders, then I’m wasting my time heading North. I should probably go somewhere else.
• “It’s a good thing you’re traveling with me though.” He says drawing me out of my thoughts.
• “What do you mean? How would you convince the Alpha to let me in?” I ask him curiously.
• “Let’s just say the Alpha and I are friends. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get in safely.” Stefan says and I let out a shaky breath.
• “Why are you helping me?” I question shyly.
• “Why not?” His answers genuinely confuse me. Is this what experiencing kindness feels like?
• “I must say you are brave for traveling all on your own. These roads are dangerous. Do you have your wolf yet?” He asks.
• “No. I’m not eighteen yet, but I will be on the next full moon.” I say remembering my birthday. The day I got my wolf was supposed to be special. My mother was supposed to be there with me to watch me transform for the first time and she’s not here. She’s dead. Every time I remind myself that my mom is dead, it feels like a dream.
• A part of me hasn’t accepted it yet. I tell myself that when I wake up the next day, she’ll be there with me, smiling despite our struggles. Making me her delicious porridge and letting me fall asleep on her lap.
• “You don’t sound excited.” Stefan states. “That’s just a week away.”
• “I used to be excited about it, but not anymore.” I answer slowly and Stefan goes quiet. I must sound so sad and I’m sure I’m making this conversation very awkward for him.
• “I know it isn’t proper to ask, but are your parents okay with you traveling all by yourself?” Stefan asks curiously. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask me this question but the least I could do is answer him. He’s already doing so much to help me.
• “I don’t have parents.” That’s all I say and he doesn’t ask any more questions for a while. We ride his horse in silence, as I admire the view around us. I used to love flowers but now they just look like weed to me. All the beauty in my world faded with my mother’s death.
• We stopped by a nearby stream to drink some water and Stefan caught some fish for us to roast.
• With the little time I have spent with him today, I notice how skilled he is and how gracefully he moves. Every move he makes is calculated. He makes no mistakes and hardly breaks a sweat with anything he does. He’s so dreamy and almost perfect. I almost feel like I’m hallucinating him.
• “We’ll have to rest here for the night.” Stefan says as he comes to a stop in front of a cave. “I’ve used this cave before and it’s dark so it looks like no one is in there. We’ll be safe in there.”
• Stefan makes a fire to warm us up and places some blankets on the ground for me to sleep on. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring myself to sleep though.
• Stefan is cute and all but he’s still a man and I’m scared of what might happen to me if I dare shut my eyes. I hold the dagger he gave me and mine close to my chest.