BOUND: Mates at War | 18+

3 So Romantic

The wind whips through the small passage cutting over the jagged rocks.

"I hate the mountains," Aerin shivers.

"We're getting close, don't let the mountain elves hear you," I whisper while shuddering.

Woodland elves aren't meant for the mountains.
Mountain elves are different from us, we're about the same height but they are more muscular, bigger, better equipped to fight, climb and live in cold, mountainous terrain. While we are skilled with a bow and lethal from a distance, they can fight, hand to hand, and survive. Of all the elven dominions, more of them have survived.

We move higher and higher up the steep slope, the air thinning out to a dizzying degree.

I nearly collapse from exhaustion as a scout jumps down from his hidden perch on a boulder. He looks at us with visible distain.
"Follow me," he says gruffly, leading us to a small opening in the rock wall, that we have to crawl to get through.

Inside the large cavern I immediately see several elves from my dominion. I run toward the small, tattered group, embracing them.

"My father?"

They look down at the ground, sadly shaking their heads.

"We were completely overrun. They killed the scouts before we were alerted they were coming. We had no warning."

"How many of us survived?" I ask them nervously.

"Fifteen," one of them answers quietly.

"F-fifteen?" I feel sick to my stomach. I move to sit on the floor, needing a moment. Woodland elves have been reduced to fifteen.

The sadness I feel is quickly melting into rage. They are going to wipe us off the face of the earth. Elves were around long before werewolves. Our race is ancient, connected to the land. An entire dominion reduced to just fifteen seems impossible.

"Solana," I look up to see Finlas approaching. I bite back a groan, he gets on my nerves.

"I was hoping to speak to you privately," he says quietly, gripping my arm.

I nod and follow him into a small room built into the wall of the hidden cave.

"I heard about your father. I'm sorry. I'm sure you're aware of the alliance our fathers were trying to form between our dominions..."

I nod.

I know what his father was suggesting in order to create a bond between our groups. As the daughter of the Lord of the Woodland elves, I am the most suitable match for him. The Lord of the mountain elves wants a match that has a bloodline with the same notable respect and importance.

I don't want to marry him. A marriage for the sake of an alliance would have been unheard of before. Marriage to anyone other than your lovemate would have been unthinkable.

"We can't keep you here otherwise," his mouth set in a thin line.

I look up at him in shock.
"There are only fifteen of us. Unless I agree to marry you, you're going to kick everyone out? The last of our dominion?"

"Woodland elves aren't as strong as we are. Your people would be a burden to us. The alliance is mostly for your benefit."

My fists clench by my sides.

"We're all elves, Finlas. Kicking us out means turning your back on your own kind! You won't let us stay just because it's the right thing to do?"

"No, not when it means dividing resources from my own people. Marrying you, your bloodline... it is enough of a benefit for it to be worth it to take your people in."

I see red.

"Wow, the proposal of any girl's dreams..."

"This is for bloodlines and protection, we don't have time for romance, Solana. We aren't lovemates."

"No need to remind me of that..."

With my father gone, I know everyone is counting on me. I can't be selfish. Everyone has to make sacrifices, everyone has to give until they have nothing left just so we can survive.

The thought of marrying Finlas, of being blood bound to him makes my skin crawl. We don't have the luxury of waiting for our lovemate now, there are too few of us left, our race is on the brink of extinction. Most people don't have one anymore, they've been killed off.

I picture the last of my people, with nowhere to turn, being picked off until we're all gone.

I can't let that happen. As abhorrent as he is to me, his people can keep mine safe, the few we have left.

"I'll do it," I say through gritted teeth.

"I'll have one of our elders set up the ceremony, unless you would rather use yours. I think one is still living, right?"

I scoff at his callousness, "yeah, Hadar is here. I'll talk to him." With that I turn on my heels and walk away.

The blood bonding ceremony used to be a hallowed event where mates would become one, bonding their earthly bodies and souls together by mixing droplets of blood together. Now it's a forced charade that bonds us together without the mate connection.

I search for my small group, finding them huddled together by a fire.

Hadar and Aerin look at me, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"He's pushing the marriage... if I don't do it they're kicking us out."

Hadar's face hardens angrily while Aerin lets out a sharp gasp.

"You're going to do it, right?" She looks frantic.

"Yes... I don't have a choice. I can't put all of you in danger because I don't want him."

Hadar grumbles angrily and stalks away from the fire. I've known him my whole life. He was lucky enough to find his lovemate long before the killing started. They were like second parents until she was killed. Just like my father, I know he doesn't want me to have to marry Finlas.

"At least he's handsome and a great warrior. There are worse matches..."

I stare at her blankly. She and I have nothing in common but she is the only other person here that is my age. We're friends due to the lack of any other options. Sometimes, even that doesn't seem like a good enough reason.

"You can have him," I snap at her and she rolls her eyes.

"If he wanted me, I would gladly take him. Honestly, Solana, what are you waiting for? 'Lovemates' are not a thing anymore! They are just fairytales now. Almost no one has found theirs in our lifetimes!"

"I know," I grit my teeth. I don't need a history lesson here. Just because no one finds theirs anymore doesn't mean I don't long for what could have been. Lovemates are a gift, a treasure.

"Well, stop looking so upset, he's a good match for you, anyone else would be thrilled," she snaps before standing to leave.

"Thrilled," I scoff to myself.