Phoenix made a startled noise, ready to surge forward to stop the bleeding but he caught himself, folding his hands back onto his lap once more, his face burning. Either Prince Aspen hadn’t noticed or he pretended he didn’t as he stood up, clearly ignoring the bleeding wound on his shoulder. Phoenix’s inner Omega had instinctively felt the need to heal the Alpha but no matter what happened at the Winter Court, Prince Aspen had made it very clear that he didn’t want anything to do with him as an Omega. 

“We won’t be able to outrun them.” He murmured, whether to himself or for Phoenix’s benefit, he couldn’t be sure. “With Celik missing, we can’t rely on speed. We’ll have to wait them out and hope Jynx can lead the rest of the army away.”

Phoenix remained where he was, afraid to move as Prince Aspen seemed to be formulating a plan in his head. The thick woods around them were so silent, he could almost hear his own heart beating. The darkness was thick, seeming to press in around them like a heavy velvet blanket. Goosebumps rose up along the length of his arms and he shivered. These woods were foreboding and a chill of fear breathed down his neck. Thankfully, he was quickly shaken from the moment as Prince Aspen reached down and hauled him to his feet, not caring if he was being rough or gentle. “Let’s go.” he said gruffly. “Staying here is only asking for them to find us. We need to find a place to hide.”

He stumbled after him, feet sinking into years of dead leaves and undergrowth. The forest was cold and each step they took only seemed to get colder. His feet sank in the muck of dead litter, frost crystals beginning to crust the surface. He shivered, arms wrapped around his chest in an attempt to keep what little body heat he had left. Prince Aspen trudged ahead of him, clearly focused on finding them a place to lay low to notice. 

Finally, when Phoenix was sure his fingers and toes were turning blue, Prince Aspen stopped by a sheltered little alcove. It wasn’t deep enough to be a cave but the rock overhang was large enough it could easily hide them from anyone looking from the sky. If they could even see through the thick cover of the canopy. But the best part? The small alcove appeared dry. 

Prince Aspen looked back at him, eyeing his appearance for a moment before he undid the heavy fur cloak around his neck and came towards him. The warmth that enveloped him immediately when the cloak wrapped around his shoulders brought a whine of thanks from him. Prince Aspen’s scent was much stronger now, as if he was once more wrapped up in his arms on the back of the Chepi. He was thankful, in that moment, for the darkness of the woods so the Alpha couldn’t see the red of his burning face. 

“You won’t fare well in Winter if you’re cold already.” He scolded him, turning and folding himself down beneath the overhang. It was just tall enough to allow the both of them to sit out of the wet and cold. 

Phoenix was quick to follow, not wanting to give up the Prince’s generous offer. He sat close to the Prince but not close enough to touch and pulled his knees up to his chest where he was able to wrap the cloak around his legs and knees completely. He was much smaller than the Alpha and the cloak worked as a perfect blanket. 

“Are you… not cold?” Phoenix finally dared to ask, turning his purple eyes onto the figure beside him. 

For a moment, it seemed as though Prince Aspen wouldn’t reply, and then, “I was born and raised in the Winter Court. Ice runs through my veins. I tolerate colder temperatures better than I do warmer ones. So no, I’m not cold. I can’t have you frozen to death before I get you before my mother and sort out this mess once and for all so use the cloak to get warm.”

Phoenix didn’t know if his remark was hurtful or not. He certainly felt his chest tighten and he had to look away. No matter what his instincts told him, no matter how much his scent affected him, he had to remember that he was just a headache to the Winter Prince. Disposable once they could find out if he met the agreement standards. And there was the other matter…

“Am I… am I really the heir of the Autumn Court?” He asked, even quieter this time as he tightened his hold around his legs.

This time, Prince Aspen took even longer to respond. So long, in fact, Phoenix thought maybe the Winter Prince had fallen asleep. Eventually, however, he replied. 

“I don’t know…” 

Those were the only words he spoke but they were heavy with how they were both feeling. Phoenix knew King Midas was known for some pretty despicable things but if had truly stolen the Autumn prince and bred him in some secret harem to make him, what would happen to him? If he was the son of King Midas, then he had to adhere to the rules of the agreement Winter and Spring had made but if he was also the heir to Autumn, he would need to return to the Autumn Court at some point. But either way, it seemed a war was inevitable. Would he truly be the downfall of his entire race? This was all too much to handle. Only a few days ago, he was sleeping with the rest of the Omega slaves in the Spring Palace, blissfully ignorant of the outside world. Now, he was shivering beneath an overhang in a dark forest with the Winter Prince contemplating his future as the destroyer of the Fae. 

A shift beside him brought him out of his head as he realized Prince Aspen had laid down. “Get some sleep.” The prince’s muffled voice called out. “You’ll need the energy.”

Nervously, he shifted himself so his back was pressed against the Alpha’s, the cloak wrapped tightly around him. The warmth was seeping pleasantly into his limbs and the scent of the Alpha was intoxicating. So much so that he didn’t hold back from burying his nose into the furs and letting his eyes close.