His Tainted Mate (Alaskan Tails #3)

Chapter 6

ELLE

As the day wore on, Elle's strength returned. She stood, taking a deep breath. She knew the terrain would only get more challenging from here, but she was ready. She would use every ounce of her knowledge, every bit of her cunning, to stay ahead. She had to.

Elle looked around. The cave that had been her original destination which now seemed too exposed. It would be too easy for the man she now thought of as the hunter to find. With renewed determination, Elle left the cave and continued her journey. The forest was her ally, the terrain her weapon. She moved through the trees, her heart resolute. She would face whatever came next, no matter how difficult, no matter how painful. She had chosen her path, and she would see it through to the end.

The sun was just beginning to set, casting a pale light over the dense forest. Elle moved swiftly, her feet finding familiar paths through the underbrush. She might not have spent her whole life in these woods, but she had spent the best years of her childhood here. Somehow those paths and trails she had run wild as a child had remained ingrained in her memory. She had mapped every ridge and hollow in her mind and stored it there. Like a computer recalling information, her body and mind worked in concert to allow her to move easily and quickly through the wilderness. This knowledge, and her ability to tap into it, was now her greatest asset and her only hope for escape from the hunter—someone, most likely her sister, had sent after her. Every step she took was calculated, each choice of direction a strategic move to stay ahead. She would either outsmart, outmaneuver, or outlast her pursuer.

As she wove through the trees, her heart pounded not just from the exertion but from the swirl of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Memories came flooding back, unbidden and vivid. She saw her father teaching her how to track deer in the soft soil, his laughter echoing through the trees as she stumbled over roots. She remembered the way her mother sang while gathering herbs, her voice blending with the rustle of leaves. The forest was a living memory, a tapestry of her past woven into every tree and rock.

But those memories were tainted now. The disease had taken so much. So many friends gone as they succumbed to it, their strength sapped by the relentless progression of symptoms. Elle had felt the first signs herself—the fatigue, the tremors. She pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the terrain, on the patterns of light and shadow that guided her.

A sharp pain lanced through her side, and she stumbled, catching herself against the rough bark of a tree. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She had no time for weakness, no time to let the disease win. Elle knew it would win in the end, but for now she would survive, and she would do it on her own terms. But doing so depended on her ability to keep moving.

She could feel the hunter’s relentless pursuit. Elle was beginning to resent not only the hunter, but whoever had sent him. She didn’t owe anyone any explanation for why she was adamant she would face her death alone. As she pressed on, the feeling that he was closing in intensified. Every rustle in the underbrush, every snap of a twig, caught her attention and sent her heart racing. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to see him—the relentless tracker who had been hunting her. She had evaded him so far, but she knew he was close. Closer than ever.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. The hunter was a shadow, a presence she couldn’t escape. He was fast becoming as much a part of these woods as she was, and he had the advantage—he wasn’t dying. The realization hit her like a physical blow, and for a moment, she faltered. Could she really stay ahead of him forever? Was she shortening what was left of her life with physical exertion? Her resentment of the hunter and whoever had sent him continued to grow.

Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, her vision blurred as she sank to her knees. Her hands digging into the soft earth, gripping it as if she could draw strength from it. Her body felt like it was on fire, the pain radiating from her joints and muscles. She had assumed it was the disease progressing, but now she wasn’t so sure. Could there be more to what she was feeling than the progression of her illness? This felt like something else, something more insidious.

Elle forced herself to her feet, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She had to keep going. The terrain ahead was more challenging, a series of rocky outcrops and steep inclines. It was dangerous, but it was her best chance to evade the hunter. She wanted to find a place to rest, a place to die. She knew the hunter would be cautious, would expect her to take the easier paths, but he was wrong. She needed to be unpredictable—do the unexpected.

She began to climb, her hands and feet finding purchase on the rough stone. Each step was agony, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t afford to. Her mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of information she had about the hunter. She didn’t know who he was. What she did know was that he was methodical, patient. He didn’t seem to rush, didn’t seem to make mistakes. But perhaps he wouldn’t expect her to take such a risky route or maybe he wasn’t a technical climber.

She thought about shifting, but doing so would tax her body’s remaining reserves, depleting what little resources she had left. Reaching the top of the ridge, Elle paused, looking back the way she’d come. The forest stretched out below her, a sea of green and shadow. She couldn’t see any sign of pursuit, but she knew better than to let her guard down. The hunter was out there, somewhere, moving silently through the trees.

For a moment, she allowed herself to remember the moment when she’d looked up from the stream to see him standing there. She’d felt as if someone had backhanded her. It had taken every ounce of strength, every bit of her resolve to shift and dart away. She’d known then that he was a hunter, and she was his prey. But she was more than that. She was a survivor, and she would fight until her last breath to have her way. The thought of being surrounded by sympathetic friends and her sister all waiting for to take her final breath was more than she could bear.

Elle shook her head. That wasn’t for her. She hated the idea of heartfelt confessions, sad faces and tearful eyes. She’d seen the last stages of the disease—they weren’t pretty, and she would not subject anyone to bearing witness to hers.

The wind picked up, whispering through the leaves. Elle turned and began to make her way down the other side of the ridge, her movements careful and deliberate. She had to trust in her knowledge of the terrain, her strength that still remained, and in her instincts. She had to believe that she could stay ahead, that she could outsmart him.

As she moved deeper into the forest, the memories continued to assault her. She saw Sheila, her childhood friend, her face pale and drawn as the disease took hold. Inside her mind, Elle heard her voice, weak but determined, telling her to run, to survive for as long as she could and to die in her own way. She had promised Sheila she would not allow them to lock her away from the sunshine and the fresh air. She would die on her own terms; she intended to keep that promise.

Elle’s vision swam again, and she blinked hard, trying to clear it. Her body was betraying her, the symptoms intensifying with every passing hour. She stumbled, catching herself just in time. She couldn’t afford to fall, not now.

As she steadied herself, she tried to remember when the ravages of the disease had begun to overtake Sheila. Had she been hit with these same crippling bouts of nausea? Elle leaned over, still holding onto the tree, and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the rainforest floor. Elle knew Sheila had experienced weakness and pain, but she couldn’t recall dizziness, disorientation, and vomiting.

She stood up and wiped her mouth with the hem of her t-shirt. She took deep lungfuls of air. It was then that the realization hit her with sudden clarity. Maybe it wasn’t the disease; maybe it was something else, just as devastating and completely different. If it was something else, then the hunter might be after her for his own reasons. The thought filled her with a cold, hard resolve. How dare he try to draw her into some melodrama about fated mates and destinies shared. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t let him win.

Gritting her teeth, Elle pushed forward, her determination burning brighter than ever. She had to stay ahead. She was unwilling to surrender her will to another. She’d never been one of those girls who waited for her fated mate to arrive and save her from whatever had befallen her. She had to find a way to turn the tables on the hunter, to make him give up whatever quest he believed he was on.

She moved through the forest, her senses heightened, every sound and movement amplified. As she stood on the edge of the cliff, she felt as if she was standing on the edge of the unknown. She had no idea how she would proceed or what obstacles would be placed in her way, but she was ready. She would not let the hunter rob her of her peace. She would use her knowledge, her memories, and her sheer willpower to stay ahead of him.