Chapter Seven

When we had settled in for the night, Aurelius and I were on opposite sides of the cave. We had cooked the rabbits and ate them. Each of us got our own mammal to devour. The fire we created to cook the animals also provided heat for us. Aurelius couldn't claim he was cold this time so there was no excuse for us having to sleep wrapped around each other. But, strangely, when I woke up the next morning that was the exact position we were in. We had somehow met in the middle of the cave at some point in the night. Aurelius laid on his back with his arms wrapped firmly around me, securing me to him. My head rested on his chest and my left hand caressed his stomach while our legs were mingled together below us.

I cringed once I fully took in the predicament we were in. Aurelius had to have pulled me to the middle of the cave while I was sleeping. There was no way I had gone over here on my own. I hated cuddling and yet I've done it two nights in a row.

Quietly, I pulled my body off of his. Getting up, I went towards my book bag and looked for a brush so I could fix my hair. The item wasn't really a necessity but I managed to sneak it in without Alpha Kenyon knowing. My hair was wild and unless it was maintained it would always look crazy. I loved my hair with all of my heart so allowing it to look reckless on the regular wasn't something I could do. All I needed to make my hair look good was water, grease, and a brush. My hair was still slightly damp from last night and I had a small container with grease in my bag. It wouldn't last me the whole trip but it was still something.

While Aurelius slept I took the time to twist my hair and get dressed. I didn't know how long it took for me to do those things but by time I was done Aurelius was still fast asleep. I sighed and stood up again, walking over to his body. His chest rose and fell at a steady speed and each breath he released was soft and gentle. Kneeling so I wasn't looming over him I admired Aurelius' sleeping form. He looked so peaceful I almost didn't want to wake him. That must've been how he felt yesterday watching me sleep. The difference between him and I was that I was going to wake him up. He could sleep again later.

"Aurelius," I called. He stirred slightly but his eyes remained closed. I called his name a few more times but he only got more comfortable. Getting annoyed, I slapped my hand down on his chest. With that, his eyes sprung open and he looked up at me with alarm. His narrow eyes looked hooded and lazy as they stared at me. His nose was scrunched in confusion and he was rubbing his chest to probably soothe the pain. My slap wasn't exactly gentle.

"You're so aggressive." Aurelius grumbled groggily. His usual deep voice was raspy and husky as he spoke. I ignored the fuzziness I felt in my stomach at the sound of his voice. Aurelius looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to explain why I had hit him. I shrugged; there was no need to explain. "What happened to your hair?" He questioned, finally sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"I twisted it," I stated the obvious with a roll of my eyes. He wasn't blind; he could see what happened to my hair.

"My sister used to do that to her hair before she cut it off. Yours is a lot longer though." Aurelius commented, reaching up to touch one of the twists. For some reason I didn't pull away from him and allowed him to play with the strands. A smile spread to his face as he looked at me and my hair and I gave a small smile in response back. I didn't know why he found this amusing but whatever rocked his boat was fine with me.

"I thought you said you don't have a family." I remarked, and the smile dropped from his face.

"I did, now I don't." Then he let go of my hair and stood up. Taking the hair elastic from around my wrist, I used it to put my twists into a low ponytail so it wouldn't get in my way throughout the day. I would take the twist out sometime tomorrow. It was pointless really. I was going to put it right back up as soon as I took the twist out. But, doing my hair was the only normal thing I had left to do. Doing the simple task gave me some sense of comfort.

"We're going to be walking all day today. We might not even get to eat or rest. Do you think you can do that? If not we can take you home. It's morning, so we have time." I told Aurelius, grabbing my bag and placing it on my back. He laughed airlessly in response to my suggestion as he put on his shirt and shoes.

"I don't know how many times you're going to keep offering me the same thing before you get tired of it. I do not want to go home, Cyra. I am fine. If I die trying to do this expedition with you then so be it. It'll be worth it." He said, coming to stand in front of me and looking down at me with determination in his eyes. He had his mind made up and there was no way I could change it. I really should just accept that and move on. But, I couldn't.

"Why would it be worth it, Aurelius? You don't know me and just two days ago you were trying to be a hunter. The same people I'm against right now. This battle is literally the opposite of everything you believe in. You're on the wrong side." I informed him angrily. He was not making one bit of sense. Why would an upcoming hunter who was so hell bent on killing werewolves that he moved to do a different state just to fulfill that desire, want to help me in destroying the hunters and saving the werewolves. It made no sense.

"You don't need to understand my motives. Okay?" He ground out, matching my anger. I glared fiercely up at him. There had to be a plan he had in his head that countered mine. There had to be some reason behind this. I just didn't know what that reason was and it was eating me.

"Aurelius, I swear to you, if you try to go against me or betray me in any way. If you even get in front of me at some point, I will not hesitate to end you. You saw me kill those hunters. You saw how easy it was for me to do it. It will be the same with you. Do not test me." I promised him, not moving my gaze from his even once. Aurelius' lip twitched in rage and his fists clenched at his sides as he listened to me. I was angering him but I didn't care.

"You think that low of me, Cyra? You think I would betray you?"

"I don't know you, Aurelius. I don't trust people I don't know. You could do anything and it wouldn't surprise me." I replied honestly and Aurelius shook his head in disbelief, releasing a scoff from his lips. Stepping away from me, Aurelius walked past me, bumping my shoulder in the process before dropping himself into the water below the cave and going back on land. I took in a deep breath and did the same. Without a word I led the way west and we walked in silence.

That's another thing I couldn't understand about humans. They let their emotions take control of them far too often. Logic wasn't a factor when it came to decision making with them. Aurelius didn't know me. He didn't know my values, he didn't know my personality, he knew nothing. But yet, he wanted to follow me blindly to his own demise. Then he wanted me to trust him? As if we were friends or something. Made no sense, humans made no sense. Now he wanted to be in a mood because I was honest with him. That was his problem and his business. I told him I wouldn't babysit him. His feelings went in that category.

As we walked Aurelius picked dandelions to snack on. It had been hours since we last ate but I told him we were not going to eat again anytime soon. We wasted a whole day yesterday, we couldn't waste today too. We had to keep moving. I had practically forever to complete this journey but that didn't mean I should just take my time. Werewolves died every day at the hands of the mortals. Each day that passed meant more lives were being added to the list of the dead. We couldn't take our time.

"Here's some water," I broke the silence. Taking out a water bottle out of my bag I handed it to him. Aurelius didn't even look at me when he took it from me or said thank you when he gave it back after getting his fill. I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. I liked the silence but I didn't like the attitude that came with it. You would think he would get over it after five hours had passed but no. He was still as upset as he was in the morning. Completely immature.

I was sure that we had walked at least a mile away from the cave. It was getting dark but I detected another cave only a quarter of a mile away from us. I would settle us in there for the night and while Aurelius rested I would go hunting for some game. Hopefully I would be able to catch something bigger than a rabbit; like a fox or deer. It was going to be tricky though. I was going to have to hunt while the hunters were roaming around. I knew I would be fine though. I was just worried about Aurelius. As long as he listened to me and stayed in the cave he should be fine.

Right as I was about to tell Aurelius the plan I heard the sound of bodies getting near us. Their heartbeat was fast and their breathing was rushed and short. They weren't far either, probably only a couple of yards away from us. Using instinct I grabbed Aurelius and pushed our bodies to the side. Not even a second later a bullet rushed through the space we had just occupied. I cursed in my head at my luck. It was one thing for me to fight off hunters on my own. It was another thing for me to fight them while watching for Aurelius at the same time.

"They're getting closer," Aurelius said, and he was right. I could hear the fallen leaves and branches crushing under their feet as the hunters made their way towards us. The scent of wolfsbane was the same as the last time I encountered hunters. Meaning there was no Psi's, which was strange. They usually always carried them and for the second time in a row they weren't. Maybe luck was on my side.

Running towards the first hunter I could see, I punched the weapon out of his hand. The gun fell to the floor with a thud and without wasting a second; I raised my foot and kicked him under his jaw. I heard his teeth break and shatter and smiled as the scent of blood began to fill the air. I didn't have time to play though; there were more hunters I had to take care of. I snapped his neck quickly and moved on to the next.

Glancing beside me I noticed that Aurelius was fighting to. And he was holding his own rather well. His movements were quick and precise and I could tell that his hands were heavy. I couldn't just watch him though. I had my own men to fight. With the next guy, I punched him in his head, fracturing his skull. Then I punched him in his neck, breaking the bones and causing him to drop down dead.

Turning to my next victim, I smiled as I reached out, pressing into his clothed chest before digging in deeper- releasing my claws and breaking through his skin. I pulled his heart out through his chest quickly and dropped the pulsating muscle to the ground. Blood squirted out but this time it didn't go everywhere. Just on my hand. I wiped it off on his shirt before he fell to the ground.

Aurelius had two bodies on the ground next to him and with one punch to the head another body joined them. Just as I thought we were done the sound of a bullet slicing through the air filled my ears again. Aurelius hadn't noticed it and stayed put, not alarmed in the slightest. My eyes zoned in on the advancing object and with shock I realized it was heading straight for Aurelius.

Without thinking I moved to push his body out the way. Once my hand pressed against his chest and successfully moved him away I felt the bullet pierce my shoulder a second later. Fire lit within me and I opened my mouth to release a cry of pain but it was muffled by a large hand that was placed over my mouth. I knew it was Aurelius' by the scent and calmed down.

I had been cut by a knife laced with wolfsbane before but I had never been shot. You were to get shot by a wolfsbane bullet when you reached 21 years of age. Your body was supposed to be fully mature by then and the healing process was thought to be more successful if you got shot at that age. I was only 18 so getting shot wasn't something I had to witness or heal from before now.

The pain was unimaginable. I could feel the burning sensation spreading from my shoulder to the rest of the body. For the second time in my life I wanted to cry. A lone tear fell from my right eye as I fought against making any noise of pain.

Aurelius looked down at me with worried eyes before looking behind me and opening my back pack. I felt a weight lift off of me and knew he had taken out one of the guns I had taken from the hunters the first night I was here. Aiming up, I watched as Aurelius peer at the trees. His eyes looked concentrated and focused and after a pause he pulled the safety off of the gun and fired. The sound of a body falling from a tree and hitting the ground shortly followed.

I stared at him amazed. How on earth did he do that? It was so dark right now. The moon had risen but the trees blocked off most of its light. It was hardly possible for a human to see without any of the night vision accessories they wore. But somehow, Aurelius was able to see the man lurking in the trees and shoot him. Incredible.

"They're all gone now. Do you think you can stand, Cyra?" Aurelius asked me, crouching down at my level and assessing me with concerned eyes. I didn't even remember dropping to the floor. The pain was so blinding that I could hardly register anything I was doing. I nodded, attempting to get up. I made it to my feet but after a short moment I lost my balance and would have hit the floor again if Aurelius didn't catch me.

"We have to pull the bullet out," I gasped out, already reaching for my shoulder to do just that. Aurelius shook his head and grabbed my hand, stopping me.

"We have to get somewhere safe first. More might come. It's too dangerous out here right now. And, you can barely defend yourself anymore." Aurelius observed, holding me against his body as he looked around the woods, possibly for a temporary shelter.

"There was a cave not too far away. If we keep walking ahead we could make it there." I whispered. I hated the predicament I was in. This whole time I've been telling Aurelius I had to protect him and now with one shot I was rendered useless. I could barely stand on my own. I didn't even know why I took the bullet in the first place. I should've let it hit Aurelius like it intended to. Aurelius would have been able to survive a bullet wound to the shoulder. It would hurt him but not as much as it was hurting me. But like a dumbass I had to get in the way and take the bullet for myself.

"I'm going to carry you." Aurelius warned me before placing an arm under my legs and his other arm behind my back before lifting me off the ground. He adjusted me in his arms and I hissed as the movement caused my shoulder to move also. The longer the bullet stayed in the more pain I felt. I needed to get it out and put salve on it immediately. The healing process wouldn't start as long as the bullet was lodged into my flesh.

Closing my eyes, I rested my head against Aurelius' chest. I listened to his heart beat and felt the movement of his chest as he made his way through the woods with me in his arms. I hadn't counted the seconds it took us to get to the cave I mentioned earlier but we got their in some amount of time. It felt long but that was only because I was in so much pain. It probably didn't really take that long.

This cave wasn't as big as the one we were in last night but it had enough space for us to lay down in it and maintain a foot distance away from each other. Aurelius laid me down on the ground gently. I grimaced as the contents of my bag rubbed against my shoulder and bit down on my lip to stop the cry I wanted to let out. Aurelius noticed my discomfort and quickly took my bag off my shoulders and from behind me. After doing that he rested me back on the ground. "Take it out, now." I ground out, looking at him expectantly.

"You want me to just dig in and pull out the bullet. My fingers are too big and my hands are dirty." Aurelius complained, looking at my shoulder with distaste. I groaned in my head at his reaction. Of course he would do this. Fucking mortal.

"Fine, I'll do it." I growled before using my uninjured limb to try to pull out the bullet. My fingers dug into the open wound and I gasped at the new feeling. It wasn't a good one. My fingers touched the bullet, thankfully it wasn't lodged deep. But once my finger touched it I pulled my hand away. The wolfsbane had burnt my finger. Aurelius didn't notice since my hand was covered in blood but I knew. To get the bullet out would be a lot more painful than I thought. "Aurelius, please." I begged, looking up at him with teary eyes.

Aurelius gulped, glancing between my eyes and the bullet before nodding. "I'll try; I'll try to take it out." He said and then began to dig into the opening between my skin. When Aurelius touched the bullet he let out a sigh, I didn't if it was from relief or pain. But, he was able to grab the bullet between his pointer finger and middle finger. Aurelius was right, his fingers were large. He managed to stretch the wound and make it bigger in the process of getting the bullet out. And, as he pulled the bullet out I felt like I was getting shot all over again as the wolfsbane laced object rubbed against my flesh once again.

"I got it out, Cyra. Now what?"

"Pass me my bag." Aurelius dropped the bullet and did as he was told, passing me my bag. It took effort but I managed to sit myself up. Once the bullet was out the pain stopped increasing and now it was at a steady level. Taking the bag from Aurelius I opened it and searched for a glass container. It was filled with the same salve Tatiana had on her arm the last time we spoke. It could only be stored in glass which wasn't practical for travel but I had to make do. Pulling out the container I quickly opened it. I took a gunk of it out and wrapped it around my finger. Then I took that finger and dug it into my wound until I couldn't push anymore. I winced at the uncomfortable feeling but continued to rub the salve into the wound. It needed to be completely coated by the salve for all the wolfsbane to properly come out. After doing that and rubbing some of the mixture on the surface of the wound I took out a bandage from my kit and placed it on top of the wound.

The pain wasn't as severe anymore and I was finally able to breathe normally. Not only did the salve take out the wolfsbane but it also helped soothe the pain. I was grateful for it.

"Do you feel better now?" Aurelius asked and I nodded. "Good, now I can yell at you. Why on earth would you take a bullet for me? Are you a fucking air head?" He whisper-yelled and I bit back a smart remark. I did not have time for a lecture or an interview. Even if this time he was right. "Do you know how dumb that was? What if the bullet had hit somewhere more fatal than your shoulder? What would you have done then? We're in the wilderness, Cyra. I can't just take you to the hospital to get you all fixed up. You can't go doing stupid shit like that."

"I know it was dumb, Aurelius. You don't need to remind me. I'm sorry for trying to spare your idiot life. It wasn't wise of me." I replied sarcastically and Aurelius scoffed.

"It sure wasn't. I've been shot before, Cyra; I can handle the pain of it. Obviously you cannot." I was once again reminded that this foolish human had gotten to see me at my weakest state and I felt uncomfortable at the knowledge. He could've hurt me even more or took advantage of me but instead he decided to help me. That showed something about his character. Something positive.

"I get it, Aurelius." I muttered, looking away from him and down at my lap.

"I just can't believe you did that. After saying how I was going to get hurt, and I was a liability, and I am this and what not you are the one who ends up hurting yourself. Not me. How cute." He continues and I fight the urge to punch him in the face. I could do it, but it wouldn't only hurt him.

"I said I get it, Aurelius." I repeated, looking up into his eyes again. He finally shut up. "I'm going to need at least two days to recover enough to where I can go out there again and not be at great risk of getting hurt again." I said. Aurelius didn't reply, he just looked at me. I moved my eyes away from his once his gaze started to feel uncomfortable and too intense.

"Look at me, Cyra," He demanded with a soft tone. I refused and continued to look down at my bloody hands. Taking the initiative, Aurelius placed his hand under my chin and raised my face so my eyes met up with his again. I sucked in a breath at the close proximity of his dark orbs and tried not to shrink away. I somehow knew that would anger him and I also didn't want to come off as more weak than I already seemed. "Don't ever do something like that again. Okay?" His voice was serious and sincere as he spoke to me. Me taking the bullet for him had really alarmed him for some reason. Honestly, it alarmed me too.

"I won't."

"Promise me, Cyra." Aurelius stated, his face moving closer to mine so that his lips were practically touching my own. I ignored the sparks that went off inside of me at the touch and tried not to pull away from him even though I desperately wanted to.

"I promise, Aurelius." I whispered against his lips. After a couple of seconds he pulled his face away from mine. And then, silently, we both lied down on the cave floor, willingly embraced each other, and fell asleep.