Word Count: 2235

~Evoni

We meet up with Maric again at the edge of the forest line.

He's pacing when we approach him, looking out toward the town with a tense jaw. He knows the risk he has taken letting me have free reign in public with only Archie with me.

He relaxes a touch when he sees us, looking over the bags on our backs and in our hands.

"You have everything?" He asks.

"Yes." I look to the right, noticing my boyfriend slumped against a tree trunk, his hair raining down over his eyes. "Is he still unconscious?"

The Alpha nods grimly. "I made sure of it."

Setting my belongings down, I move to crouch in front of Rowan. I check his pulse, then lift up his face to inspect it.

At least he's alive and breathing...

I look over my shoulder at Maric. "He better not have brain damage."

"I doubt it will be all that different to his current condition," he muses with a shrug, before his attention snags on the cat cage I brought with me. "What is that?"

"It's Cherry," I say simply.

"Your cat?"

Archie chuckles to himself, looking back out toward town. He didn't put up as much protest as I thought he would when I requested to head back to my home, only to put my cat into a cage.

"I couldn't very well leave her behind! Who would feed her?" I exclaim.

Rowan's family surely won't, and my neighbour is allergic. This is my only option in keeping her alive, even if I'm not sure how I'll manage it in a place occupied by werewolves.

Maric runs a hand through his hair tensely. "Goddess spare me."

"You're lucky I even came back. You cannot possibly complain about this." I crouch next to Cherry's cage, peering in at her. She's looking around, alert, but doesn't seem too bothered by the new location.

Archie looks between us, smiling. "I think it's great."

I haven't given him enough credit. I should have gone up to him all those times I saw him in the village. Instead, I let myself think he was strange, and outcast.

Maric looks at each of us in turn, realising he isn't going to win this argument.

"If someone eats her, it's not my fault," he mutters.

I gape at him.

"That was a joke," he adds, and Archie laughs.

I roll my eyes. "Insufferable bastard."

Maric shouldn't try be funny. He should stick to being a broody werewolf who hates humans — it suits him far better.

He walks over to me, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. He picks up one of my bags, and then grabs Cherry's cage, and hands it to Archie, before he picks up Rowan, lifting him over his shoulder like he's a bag of potatoes.

"Let us leave. We'll be making slower progress due to the additional load," he says, turning toward the forest.

I take one last look toward the town, exhaling slowly. I'm not sure when I will see it again.

+++

We walk until the forest darkens and cools.

Maric is right, the additional load has made us slower. My body aches from carrying a bag full of books on my back, even though Archie and Maric have opted to carry a lot for me already.

I lay down on the furs Maric sets out, groaning softly under my breath. Rowan is next to me, still unconscious.

The forest hums with distant life as Maric lights a fire. Archie digs through our bags, pulling out food we brought with us.

Maric turns down everything he is offered, unfamiliar with the processed food we decided would be easier to travel. I chew on a beef jerky stick absently, watching him prod the fire.

The light licks up the strong lines of his face, darkening the shadows that shroud him. He's beautiful in a way that is completely unfair, each movement he makes so fluid and graceful. I've never seen someone so entuned with themselves.

My gaze drifts, and I catch Archie watching me. He glances at the Alpha, then to Rowan, then back at me, a warning in his eyes.

I swallow the last of my food. What am I doing?

Rowan suddenly stirs next to me, a strangled groan escaping his throat.

I immediately shift to my knees, leaning over him. His eyes slowly blink open and he frowns as he looks at me.

"Evoni..."

"Hey," I smile softly, trying to coax him back into the world of the living slowly. "Feeling okay?"

He gapes at me, before his head slowly turns to where Maric sits on the other side of the fire, watching him beneath a heavy brow.

Rowan immediately scrambles up, a little uncoordinated from his time unconscious.

"Holy loving fuck! A werewolf!" He shrieks, his voice rising into the endless dark of the forest.

I grab his arm, trying to stop him. He looks utterly terrified. I must have looked exactly the same when I first saw Maric. He is an imposing male, and to see him is to shred away the human belief that they made werewolves extinct.

"Calm down Rowan, breathe," I soothe.

"Evoni, run!" He tries to get to his feet, but he winces, collapsing back onto the furs uneasily. He's in no place to make a run through the forest, even in his desperation.

The problem is, if he does run, he will get lost, and there is no guarantee I'll be able to find him again.

"Where do you suppose you'll go? We're deep in the forest now," I tell him, gesturing around.

For the first time since he woke, he takes a moment to take in his surroundings.

The light from the fire illuminates the trunk trunks around us, and absolutely nothing else. A mere few feet away is a thick cloak of inescapable darkness. If he thinks Maric is terrifying, surely whatever is beyond that he cannot see is worse.

"What the fuck..." He breathes, terror corrupting his expression.

"Stay calm, Rowan. Hear us out," Maric says smoothly, not perturbed in the slightest that he is a terrifying male to behold, and him talking probably isn't going to help the situation.

At least Rowan isn't having to deal with the Maric I first met. He was angry, and I was completely alone with him.

Rowan looks between Maric and I in horror.

"Us?"

I hold my hand out, like I'm quelling a frightened animal. "This is a strange situation, I know—"

"He hit me!" Rowan places a hand on the side of his head, where it hit the wall earlier. I don't even want to know how Maric kept his unconscious when he brought him into the forest.

"He couldn't risk you telling anyone about...well, werewolves not being extinct," I say uneasily, wringing my hands. How am I supposed to explain this to him?

His eyes dart back to Maric, finally taking him in properly. The silver ring around his irises, the marks spread across his visible skin, his stature. He must be wondering how he didn't realise far earlier.

"How is this possible?" he whispers.

"We've hidden deep in the forest at the far side of the island for generations. That is how we kept it from you brainless, pathetic humans." Maric looks down into the fire, jaw set in a hard line.

My brows raise. Maric is taking a risk telling Rowan the truth, but I suppose he's about to find it out in a matter of days, anyway.

Rowan recoils, angry for another reason. "Excuse me, do you have any idea who my father is?"

"Rowan, listen," I cut in quickly, before he can give Maric cause to kill him. "I'm afraid we're heading toward his pack, and once we get there, it will be a while before we can ever leave again."

"If ever," the Alpha adds.

Rowan shakes his head, refusing to accept this. He's taking this about as well as I expected him to.

"No, I'm leaving now." He tries to stand again, but he doesn't have the strength to. I sidle closer to him, fingers grasping his clothing.

"Just relax. You need to rest after hitting your head," I insist.

"I don't hit my head, he did!" He scowls at Maric, who only stares back.

The thing about Rowan is he doesn't let anything go. He's been like that since I met him. I used to admire that, that he knew what he stood for. Over the years, however, I've realised it's a pride thing — nothing can interfere with his ego. Ever.

"I know this is a lot, but you need to stay calm. There is no getting away from this," I tell him. Better he accept that sooner rather than later.

He blinks at me, just now realising I'm a part of this. That I'm not encouraging him to run.

"Babe...how are you involved?"

"It's a long story. Just know I'm not exactly here willingly." I ignore the heat of Maric's stare at my words. I'm not lying.

"You're keeping my fucking girlfriend hostage?" He snaps at Maric.

The Alpha pins him with a look that would send anyone cowering. He is not someone whose authority to stand up to.

"I wouldn't try challenge me. I will break your spine," he warns darkly. I believe him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, and neither is she." Rowan's cheeks have grown red, either from the heat of the fire or from the heat of his anger.

"That's not your choice," he responds simply.

Rowan looks at me like I might help him, but I shrug, tired. It's easier for me to accept this because I've been studying werewolves, and I have far warmer feelings towards them than Rowan. I also have a goal, which I truly believe will guarantee my freedom.

"This is where you've been? With him?" Rowan's voice cracks.

"Yes."

He looks hurt, like I've had any say in this matter. He then looks at Archie, who has been watching this exchange from the edge of the campsite, his face drawn.

"And why the hell are you here, Archie? What do you have to do with this?" Rowan demands.

"Maric is my friend."

"Of course he is, you fucking freak."

"Rowan! What is wrong with you?" I scold.

He digs his fingers into his knotted hair, like he might tear the strands from his skull. I've never seen him so overcome before.

"I always knew he was weird, and now he's friends with werewolves?" His voice is strangled. "Am the only one clinging to reality right now?"

"This doesn't have to be forever, if you cooperate," Maric assures him.

My boyfriend folds his arms over his chest petulantly. This is why I warned Maric against taken him with us. I knew Rowan's mind would never come around to this, even if cooperating is the only way to ensure our freedom.

"No. I refuse," he snaps.

"Then I'll kill you." Maric says it so calmly, I shudder. "You don't think I will?"

Rowan stands, his contempt for the Alpha giving him enough fortification to not stumble. Maric does the same thing, only his presence commands far more authority. He pins Rowan with a withering glare.

It's enough to make Rowan take a step back, before he sits himself down right next to me, our shoulders touching.

"I'm not going to fight him. Not when I'm injured like this," he mumbles, rubbing the side of his head.

"Maybe let's all refrain from violence," I say, watching the Alpha takes his seat back at the fire. "Maric, if I make this fertility powder, will you let Rowan and I return home with no issues?"

He shrugs. "It depends."

"On?"

"How much I can trust you," he says. "These past two days have proven that there is a possibility you can be trusted to maintain our secret, Evoni. Him, however..."

He looks at Rowan, who glares back. Thankfully, he doesn't say anything.

"Shall we cross the bridge when we come to it?" I ask with an exasperated sigh. Only time will tell whether this will all work out.

Maric frowns, not understanding the human idiom. "What bridge?"

"Never mind," I mutter. "It's another days problem."

The conversation ceases, but the headache forming at the back of my skull does not.

I turn to face my boyfriend, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Rowan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He looks away from me, a muscle in his jaw shifting.

"We'll talk once we make it to the settlement. Right now, I think you should get some sleep." I smooth my hand down his back, but he shrugs me off, like my touch disgusts him.

"Fine. Whatever." He lays down on the furs, turning away from me.

I swallow my disappointment at the rejection. I did nothing wrong, yet he is taking this out on me.

As I lay down to sleep myself, I catch Maric's eye across the fire.

Slowly, he shakes his head at me.

🤎••🤎

If you want more, this story is available 10 chapters ahead on Inkit at all times! Just search for Midika Crane (Sophie) and you'll find this work under the stories tab.

I appreciate everyone who supports my work and continues to read my stories. I'm so grateful for you! Enjoy!

~Midika 💜🐈‍⬛