Chapter One

RUE

I never thought I'd have to run from Christmas. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, full of joy, magic, and warmth, but not this time. Not for me. This time, I was running for my life—and my freedom.

The forest around me was an endless, tangled maze of snow-covered trees. My breath came in sharp, panicked bursts, clouding in the cold night air as I tore through the woods. My boots kept slipping on the fresh snow, the icy ground threatening to send me sprawling with every step. The wind howled, slapping my face with stinging gusts, but I couldn't stop. Not until I was far enough away—away from the Dark King's twisted deal—away from my father's terrible sacrifice—away from a life I didn't choose.

As I ran, the cold bit into my skin, sinking through my clothes. My fingers had long gone numb inside my gloves, and the chill seeped into my bones, turning each breath into sharp, painful rasps. I didn't dare look back. I didn't want to know if anyone—or anything—was following me. All I could hear was the crunch of snow under my boots, my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and the unforgiving wind.

I stumbled, nearly losing my footing on a patch of ice hidden beneath the snow, but I forced myself to keep going. My legs burned with exhaustion, but the fear propelling me forward was stronger than the ache in my muscles. The trees grew thicker around me, their heavy branches draped with snow, casting shadows that made the woods feel more like a cage. A dark, frozen prison.

I should have known this part of the forest better. I'd flown over it countless times on Christmas Eve, leading the reindeer team with a clear view of the land below. From above, it had always looked so peaceful. But on foot, in the dead of night, everything was different—twisted, wild, and unrecognizable. The sense of safety I usually felt soaring through the air had vanished, replaced by cold dread that seeped into my very core.

I had to get away. I had to escape before the Dark King's minions caught up with me. Every second that passed felt like it brought them closer. I could practically hear the cold voice of Azrael Frost in my head, the words of the Dark King's cruel ultimatum echoing like a nightmare on repeat.

"Your father owes me a debt, Rue. A life for a life. Marry me and I'll free the elves from their servitude."

My stomach twisted at the memory. The marriage itself wasn't even the worst part. No, it was what he planned to do after the ceremony that truly terrified me. Azrael knew my secret—knew that I wasn't just Santa's adopted daughter, but a reindeer shifter. He wanted to use me, control me, to seize control of Santa's reindeer and, by extension—Christmas itself. And my father, Kris Kringle, the man the world knew as Santa Claus, had agreed to Azrael's demands. I knew he'd been forced into it, but the betrayal still stung like ice in my chest.

How could he? How could the man I loved so much, who had raised me like his own, just give me away like that? The shock of it, the pain of knowing he'd made that terrible choice, settled like a heavy stone in my gut. My father was trying to save Christmas, trying to protect the elves who worked so hard in his toy shop, but in doing so, he was sacrificing me.

I blinked hard, trying to push the tears back, but they burned in my eyes, threatening to blur my vision. I couldn't afford to cry. Not now. Not here. I had to keep moving. My lungs ached with every breath, the cold air biting with each inhale, but I forced my legs to keep going, even as they screamed in protest.

The snow was getting deeper. I could feel it dragging at my worn leather boots, each step becoming more of an effort. My legs were growing numb, and I had long lost feeling in my fingers. Still, I pressed on. The world around me began to blur as my eyes teared despite my effort, and the trees seemed to stretch taller, the shadows growing longer as the wind whipped mercilessly through the branches. Every gust felt like it was trying to push me back, as if the forest itself was in on the Dark King's plan to trap me. Small twigs and leaves caught in the strands of my long chestnut hair, becoming more tangled with every step.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me shifted. My boot slipped on something slick, and before I could react, the earth seemed to vanish beneath my feet. I was falling, tumbling. My world spun, branches whipped at my face and tore at my clothes while snow flew up around me in a flurry of white.

The fall seemed to last forever, my body hitting rocks and roots in painful jabs until, finally, with a bone-jarring thud, I landed at the bottom of a ravine.

Pain exploded in my leg, sharp and blinding, and I screamed before I could stop myself. The cry echoed through the trees, swallowed by the wind. I lay there, gasping for breath, my vision swimming as the pain radiated up from my ankle. For a long moment, I couldn't move. I couldn't even think. The cold beneath me was overwhelming, the snow seeping through my clothes, chilling my skin. All I could focus on was the sharp, stabbing ache in my leg. I tried to shift, to push myself up, but my leg gave out beneath me, sending another wave of agony through my body.

I bit my lip, stifling a sob. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't be trapped here. If I didn't get up, if I didn't move, I would freeze to death. Or worse…Azrael's men would find me, drag me back to him, and I'd be living a fate worse than death.

I blinked up at the sky, but the stars were hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds. The wind howled louder, and the darkness seemed to close in around me. The cold was seeping deeper now, settling into my bones, and I could feel myself starting to shiver. I was miles from home, lost in the middle of nowhere, and injured. No one was coming to save me.

Then, I saw him.

A massive figure loomed at the top of the ravine, silhouetted against the weak moonlight filtering through the cloud cover. My heart stopped. At first, I thought it was one of the Dark King's soldiers, come to drag me back to him. But as the figure moved closer, the shape became clearer, larger, broader, more imposing than any of the slim, sleek elves that now served Azrael as their leader.

An orc.

My breath hitched, fear racing through me. Orcs were dangerous—everyone knew that. I'd heard the stories growing up, stories whispered around the Christmas markets, about how they were ruthless hunters and fierce warriors. Brutal. Unforgiving. They weren't to be trifled with. I'd never seen one up close before, but now, I wished I never had.

I tried to push myself up, to scramble away, but the pain in my leg flared, sharp and searing, and I cried out. I couldn't move. I was trapped. Helpless. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears like a drum of panic as the orc descended the slope toward me.

He was huge—easily towering over me, even from a distance. His shoulders were broad, his arms thick with muscle, and his steps were slow but deliberate. He moved with the kind of strength that came naturally to creatures like him, his boots crunching through the snow with ease.

I pressed my back against the cold ground, my pulse racing, knowing he'd spied my presence in the depth of the ravine. Oh God, I was going to die. This was it. If the cold didn't kill me, this orc would.

He stopped a few feet away, staring down at me with an expression I couldn't read. His face was angular, sharp, framed by dark hair that brushed his collar, and his skin—green and rough like stone—was marred by scars. But it was his eyes that caught my attention. Dark, intense, glowing faintly in the dim light. There was something almost…thoughtful about the way he was looking at me, as though he was sizing me up.

"What are you doing out here?" His voice was deep, gravelly, with a roughness that sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't the kind of voice I'd expected.

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I couldn't think straight. My mind was spinning too fast, and both fear and pain were choking me, making it impossible to speak.

He crouched down beside me, his gaze shifting to my leg. His frown deepened as he took in the twisted angle of my ankle, and I winced as his large, calloused hand gently brushed against it.

"You're hurt," he muttered, almost to himself. He was surprisingly gentle for someone so large and intimidating. I didn't know what to make of it. The pain in my leg flared again as he touched it, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out, tasting the coppery taste of blood on my tongue.

The orc sighed and straightened, running a hand through his hair. "I don't have time for this," he said, sounding irritated. "There's a snowstorm coming, and I've got a reindeer to find."

Reindeer? My brain scrambled to make sense of what he was saying, but it was hard to focus through the pain and terror. Rather than end my life himself, he was going to leave me to winter's fate. I was sure of it. He was just going to walk away, leave me here to freeze to death. I wasn't worth his trouble.

"Wait!" I called out, my voice hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "Please…I can't walk."

The orc stopped with his back turned to me. He paused, and for a moment, I thought he would just keep going, but then, with a long, frustrated sigh, he turned back around. His eyes scanned me up and down again, clearly weighing his options.

With another grunt of annoyance, he crouched down and, before I could protest, scooped me into his arms as though I weighed nothing more than a delicate ornament made of glass.

I gasped, clutching at his broad shoulders as he lifted me off the ground. "What…what are you doing?" My heart was pounding even harder now.

"You're not going to survive the night out here," he said gruffly, his breath visible in the cold air. "I'll take you to my cabin."

I blinked up at him, too stunned to respond. I didn't understand why he was helping me. Wasn't he supposed to be a dangerous brute? My mind raced with questions, but I didn't have the energy to ask them. All I could do was cling to him as he began trudging through the snow, his long strides steady and powerful.

As the wind howled and the snow fell thicker around us, I rested my head against his shoulder, exhaustion creeping in. I didn't trust him, not yet, but this orc was my only chance at survival. And I wasn't ready to die. Not yet.