Page 19 of Their Crowned Mate
Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and started walking back in the direction I had come from, following the traces of magic left behind by the portal like a trail of breadcrumbs.
My eyes adjusted to the dimness of gently swaying trees, illuminated by an eerie blue moonlight from above. Inhaling deeply, I focused on trying to sense more of that magical residue—it tasted faintly like cinnamon mixed with ozone—but it seemed almost... obscured somehow. Like it was fading.
I shivered involuntarily at that thought. There was no telling what kind of dangers lurked here in these woods. But I couldn't give up yet.
I picked up my pace, running through the trees as quickly and quietly as I could. The air around me seemed to be holding its breath, an unnatural stillness that made me feel like I was being watched from all sides.
I knew I had to keep going if I was ever going to get back home again—my heart pounded with more than just fear now—but it felt like a race against time. Every step felt like a struggle as I tried to push past the growing exhaustion, and soon enough, my feet became heavy and my vision was blurring.
But eventually, I saw something floating in the distance. At first, I thought it was the portal, but then I realized it didn’t have that familiar faint, shimmering glow. It was smoke.
A chimney?
I knew the chances that I would be walking into a trap or at least someone who worked for the emperor if they lived this far out were high, but what choice did I really have? It was freezing and I was bound to get frostbite and lose at least a few digits if I continued on at this rate without even having any proper clothes.
The closer I drew to the smoke, the more apprehension I felt growing within me, but I pressed on through it. I wasn't sure if I was physically here or not, but I didn't feel like taking any risks just in case. I wasn't sure if I had astral traveled or physically traveled, but the fact that my wolf had been transparent and I wasn't didn't bode very well.
When I finally came within sight of the cabin, I decided to skirt around the woods that extended on all sides of it just to make sure that I wasn't going to be ambushed or walking into a trap. And considering how convenient this place was, that seemed like a distinct possibility.
It was a small cabin made of wood, unassuming and quaint at first glance. It almost seemed too good to be true, like an oasis in the middle of a desert—or rather, a warm cabin with a glowing fireplace visible through the frosted windows in the middle of a frigid and remote foreign land.
As I drew closer, I stilled my breath and scanned the trees, listening closely for any sign that I wasn't alone. There had to be someone in the cabin if there was a fire or at least nearby. All I could do was hope they were friendly. I told myself that even if they did work for the emperor, there was no way they would be able to tell who I was at first glance. This didn't seem like a super high-tech world. So unless the emperor had commissioned paintings and put out wanted posters in every village, that seemed unlikely.
Still, I wasn't crazy about the idea of being here any longer than I had to be, especially when I wanted to get back to the guys. Of course they couldn't have ended up getting teleported with me. That would just be too convenient.
I decided to approach from the main path once I made the decision to go up to the cabin and ask for help, since that seemed less suspicious than someone sneaking around the property.
I had barely set foot on the overgrown stone pathway leading up to the door when I heard twigs rustling behind me and looked over to find a grizzled man dressed in a heavy woolen cloak and wielding a glimmering silver sword just a few yards away from me.
"Halt!" he yelled in a familiar voice even though his face was obscured save for the graying beard visible beneath the shadow of his hooded cloak.
"Joram?" I asked, spinning around completely in disbelief.
He froze and stared at me, lowering the blade. He finally pushed the hood down and his eyes widened as he looked at me. "Lavinia?" he asked, echoing my shock. "How did you get here?"
"I have no idea," I answered. But I was starting to think it was less of a coincidence than I had initially been led to believe. Maybe this really was a dream. I just knew better than to let my guard down, at least completely. "But I don't think I'm dreaming. I’m honestly not sure."
He looked over my apparel, scowling. "Come on in before you freeze," he muttered, walking toward the door of the cabin.
My eyes widened in surprise when I stepped inside. The cabin was much larger than it had appeared from the outside, with a warm and inviting fire burning brightly in a large stone hearth. A large wooden table stretched across the center of the room, surrounded by chairs and flanked by two leather sofas that were pushed up against either wall. On one side of the room, there was a small kitchen area complete with an oven, stovetop, and shelves stocked with jars full of dried herbs and spices. On the other side was a closed door I assumed led to another bedroom or storage space.
"Here, take this," Joram said, offering me a heavy wool blanket. "Go warm up by the fire."
"Thanks," I said, walking over to the sofa closest to the fireplace. My teeth were starting to chatter now that I was warming up a little.
I sank down into the cushions and draped the blanket over my legs before snuggling into it. The warmth of the fire started to thaw away the chill that had settled in my bones and I felt myself starting to relax, at least until I remembered why I was here. Joram was in the kitchen area, pulling two mugs out of a cabinet before he went over to the pot of water boiling over the fire.
I stared into the orange flames, letting my mind wander as I warmed up by the fire. Soon, Joram reappeared with a steaming cup of tea in his hands and handed it to me before taking a seat next to me on the sofa.
"All right, now start from the beginning," he said, handing me a mug. "How the hell did you find me?"
I took a deep breath, deciding to start from what I knew. "I didn't. After you left, I ended up going back to my world where I've been for a while, until tonight. I was sleeping and having a dream that my wolf was running through the woods. She saw a portal and went through it, and I followed her. Then I ended up back here. And apparently, I basically landed right outside your doorstep. Pretty big coincidence, huh?"
"Considering how much effort I've taken to cover my tracks and make sure not a single soul knows I'm here, I'd say I'm not so sure it's a coincidence," he said after listening thoughtfully.
"You're right outside the emperor's castle," I say, frowning. "Surely you could have gone somewhere safer."
"Ever heard of hiding in plain sight?" he asked. "Besides, I need to keep an eye on the bastard."
