During dinner, I was actually getting worried Ryan was not telling me something. He still looked frustrated and I was afraid he wanted to compete so much it could kill him someday. He was lucky I got worried for him. Caleigh kept quiet about the incident, too. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about it, I just hoped that he would just stop right there. I couldn’t always be there for him to save his ass. The huntress turned to me.“So, now that Otis is back, will you try to awaken your wolf as soon as possible?”“I wish!” I chuckled bitterly “My body is not ready. Trust me, I really want to just get better at everything and leave. For some reason, I don’t feel safe when he’s around.”“Well, he technically told you no matter what he is going to make you his. Luckily you’re already stronger than him.”“You’re right. I don’t want to hurt him though as long as it’s possible. If he gave me a reason, sure. But not until then.”“He wouldn’t hit you.” Ryan sighed “He might be an idiot but he kno
He returned my gesture and then walked up to me.“Can’t you sleep?” he asked softly.“Not really. My thoughts are killing me. Worst case scenarios.”“It’s good to be prepared but think about other opportunities! You are becoming stronger, we’re going to leave together, you have friends. And these are only a few amongst the other good things. It’s really unnecessary to think about the worst now.”“You’re right. Why are you awake by the way? Did you sneak out to meet your secret lover?” I grinned but I just wanted to know if he was seeing anyone.“What?” he blushed “No! I don’t have a secret lover! I…” he hesitated “I don’t think we have time for romance now anyway. Especially if we’re leaving soon. Who knows when I’ll be back, right?”“Will you actually come back?” I asked.“I have to.” he smiled bitterly “I told you. My father would hunt me down no matter what.”“But you may be under the protection of my clan!”“I don’t know, Lydia. We will see. Since we can’t sleep and I’m sick of ev
He gently placed his hand on my back. I shiver ran up and down on my spine. He has never touched me that gently before. Everything was so perfect. We could finally forget about what we had to face soon enough. All the responsibilities, trainings, my wolf, his wolf, Caleigh’s injury, my uncle, my mother, my father, Otis and we could keep going on how many issues we had to tackle. Ryan gently caressed my back, making me shiver again. I felt him smiling and gently pushed his chin with my head.“What are you smiling at?” I asked.“Nothing.” he chuckled “I just feel happy. Telling you actually put a lot of weight off my shoulders.”“I wanted to tell you, too. But we are right about not really having time for this. Could you imagine any other more appropriate time?”“Barely.” he chuckled “We still need to keep it as a secret. I don’t want you to go.”“I’m not going anywhere.” I whispered, “Maybe Caleigh was right, we have to rule the world!”“I wish that would be that easy. Speaking of her…
After a moment of surprise, I melted into the kiss. It was soft and brushed all the worry away for a minute or two. Ryan gently caressed my back. When we separated our foreheads softly touched in mid-air. He breathed a sigh but I knew he was smiling.“I’ve been waiting for this since forever.” he chuckled.“Oh, really?” I giggled “What discouraged you?”“You said you have no time for romance.”“Let’s be honest,” I breathed a sad sigh “we really don’t have time for that now. No matter how hard I wish we did. We need to focus on the pieces of training and to find the witch than my pack.”“Are you breaking up with me?”“What?” I chuckled “No, I’m just saying that this is the worst timing ever, Ryan. There’s too much going on.”He nodded then we sat there in silence for a while. My body felt more alive than ever before. I felt excited yet calm at the same time. I have always felt safe when Ryan was around but this feeling strengthened after those moments. I got lost in the sounds, the lak
Caleigh woke me up the following morning. Despite I felt beaten and sluggish I was in a good mood.“Hey Lydia, do you want to see a hunt?”“A hunt?” I sat up immediately “Of course!”“I knew you wouldn’t turn me down!” she grinned “Do you want to try, too?”“Oh, no!” I got out of bed “We need to eat something!” I giggled.“Okay, you know. It’s just you and me this time.”I nodded and we headed to the training grounds first so the huntress could get her bow and some arrows. She also took a dagger in case the animal didn’t die right away. I asked her what she was hunting for but she just shrugged. She usually hunted what she saw. Unless the animal was a baby or a parent. When she knew about that she let the animals go. There were plenty more to hunt. Even though it was a tough world, Caleigh would have felt bad for a baby animal who lost one of its parents. She was very sympathetic on her better days.I was still worried about her injury but she was walking more confidently than the day
I hesitated for a minute then nodded. I would never be able to survive alone in the forest otherwise. The huntress took her dagger first. She looked at me one last time to make sure I was okay with this. She chose a rabbit and then lay it on the table. She pinched the hide on the back of the animal and cut it near the base of the neck. She grabbed a cleaver then; she cut off the feet just above the knees and then the tail and head. I wanted to turn away but I couldn’t. I had to remain strong. I watched as she moved the dagger edge facing up to the stomach and she made a cut up to the neck. Caleigh placed her index and middle fingers under the fur and formed a hook. One of her hands moved towards the rear and the other towards the head of the rabbit. She was swift. I was sure she must have done this more than just several times. I saw as she kept twisting and pulling the skin. Then she tore off the fur from the rabbit’s legs with a sharp tug. The fur looked like tiny shoes there. She l
I chuckled before I turned around.“I’m just getting into it, Ryan!”“Oh, I can see that.”I saw as his eyes scanned my body. There were bloodstains on my hands, forearms, and well, yes… On my face too.“I thought we would have breakfast together as always.”“Do you mean the two of you or the three of us?” Caleigh asked grinning.“Did you tell her?” the man asked surprised.“Not really.” I tried to make an excuse as I cut the rabbit’s hide “She’s the smart one, remember? Besides, she’s our friend.”“Right.” he chuckled “But as far as my idiotic brother knows you two are together.”“I don’t mind playing along.” the huntress shrugged “Who wouldn’t want a princess anyway?” she added grinning.“Oh, hey! I’m not a princess!” I grumbled “At least definitely not anymore. My father is dead.”“Honestly, I think we should get back to training and get out of here as soon as possible,” Ryan said, hitting a serious tone My father and Otis will not make this easy. Lydia, I think you should break th
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud.“I’ve already proven two times I’m better than you.”“Three times a charm.”“No!” I rolled my eyes then jetted.I wanted my mind to simply stop reeling. There was too much to think about. Besides, it wasn’t that easy for me either. Even though I wanted to go back to my pack feeling like I belonged somewhere felt good. I had Ryan and Caleigh by my side. And I would have never traded them for anything. But I knew I wasn’t ready.I decided to keep running from the training grounds to the lake and back. And I did, seven times in a row. I barely broke a sweat but I wanted to stop. I wanted to ask Ryan to help me with swordsmanship. But by the time I got back to the training grounds, he was there and Caleigh was with him. They exchanged a look then Ryan spoke first.“We’re sorry. You were right. We both know that. But things are getting complicated. I think” he breathed a sad sigh “I reached my limits. I will not get any stronger at this stage. Un