Solum

Chapter IV

The bright light of the sun's rays shone down on Aria blinding her. She hissed and shielded her eyes from it's harsh glare. From the stories Reagan had told her, she knew the sun would be bright but she hadn't expected it to be this bright.

It was unlike the poorly lit room she had known all her life. She found herself wondering how anyone could withstand such light.

The exit Caleb instructed them to take had led them to a clearing, just outside the building they were held in.

Closing her eyes, she allowed them to adjust before reopening them again. What she saw before her was better than she could have ever imagined.

Looking up, the sky she'd only been been able to see in her dreams, beamed down at her. The light blue bought with it a tranquil calm. The fluffy white clouds that floated above resembled plush pillows. Ones that Aria wouldn't hesitate to lay her head upon and fall into a blissful sleep.

Even the plants, such a luscious shade of green sent a joyous feeling in her as she touched their damp leaves. Each plant sheltered a wide variety of flowers that ranged from shades of reds to hues of violets. Aria was ecstatic, she had never seen such an array of colors quite as elaborate as this.

She looked up at the great oaks that dominated the field. Their branches extended out towards them as if welcoming them into their new life.

A light breeze flew past them and Aria's eyes shut once more as she took in the fresh earthy scent that nature had to offer.

With a delighted expression on his face, Reagan wrapped his arms around her watching as her face contorted into one of happiness. He bent his head down to whisper into her ear, "Didn't I tell you?"

The stranger grunted, irritation clear on his face. "We should get going," he told them. He sniffed the air, picking up the scents of the guards whom were posted at different points in the area. "We're surrounded. What now?" He asked them, folding his arms and blowing an out of place strand of hair from his eyes.

Aria rummaged through one of the backpacks Caleb gave her until she found the map of the grounds he'd left in there. She handed it off to Reagan, who in turn unfolded it and held it out in front of him.

Reagan pointed to an area circled in red on the map. "There's a blind spot not too far from here. If we follow this path," he pointed to the walkway that led to the side of the house, "We should be scotch free." Reagan made sure to keep his voice to a hushed minimum, as to not tip off the werewolf hearing each of the guards had.

"Let's go," he ordered, he placed the map back inside the bag and hoisted it onto his shoulders.

"Who put you in charge?" The boy hissed bitterly. He straightened out the second backpack that he had been carrying and trailed behind the two, nonetheless.

Reagan kept his eyes forward completely ignoring his snide remark. "We'll be fine. Just stay close to me," he told Aria and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. She nodded her head but his effort hadn't been enough to stop her heart from quickening its pace. She could tell that something bad was about to happen.

"Get yourself together before you get us all killed," a voice sneered into her ear.

Aria didn't have to turn around to figure out the person in which that voice belonged to. She gritted her teeth and willed everything in herself to refrain from turning around and glaring him down. She had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but he was beginning to agitate her.

"He's right. We wouldn't want them to hear us," Reagan agreed.

Aria nodded, hearing it from Reagan, she did as told. She closed her eyes and forced herself to think positive thoughts, in an attempt to return her heartbeat to its normal pace. It seemed to work because her heartbeat slowed down considerably.

It wasn't until she opened her eyes again that she heard the ferocious snarl that erupted from behind her. At first, Aria suspected that the sound came from the stranger behind her, a scare tactic to intimidate Reagan and her.

She abandoned her suspicions coming to the conclusion that by doing so, he would be inadvertently ending his own life as well. Even so, the low groaning sound that followed had her brainstorming a different theory. One that she'd feared would come to fruition ever since Caleb came to her with such a fraught proposal.

Aria stiffened, she could feel the ragged breathing on her neck. Sharp jaws just barely skimming over her skin. She didn't dare turn around, she knew the danger that awaited her if she did. Beads of sweat dripped down from her forehead staining her hole-riddled clothing.

She could sense Reagan tense up in front of her as he tentatively turned his head. And when he did, he came face to face with the growling wolf boring down on Aria. It's mouth pulled back into a snare, ready to sink it's teeth into her.

The sight sent shivers through his body. His body moved on its own accord. Survival instincts kicked in and he shoved Aria out of the way. His effort though, hadn't prevented the wolf's teeth from grazing her back. She didn't fall gracefully either.

Aria could feel the ground beneath her thudding but she couldn't hear the stampede of guards rushing to their location. Instead only a low buzzing sound filled her ears. She touched the side of her head feeling the blood that exuded out of her ear. No doubt the cause of her sudden deafness.

She could only watch as Reagan shifted. Fur sprouted out from his body as his legs turned into paws and he landed on all fours. Time seemed to slow down as the wolf lurched forwards taking a mouthful of Reagan's fur in its menacing jaws.

Aria willed her body to do something, anything to stop what was happening. Her body was frozen except for the involuntary shaking that she would make. Her heart picked up its pace as the wolf held its grip on Reagan and he let out small whines.

Her brain told her legs to move but it was as if the signals to the rest of her body were severed. Her chest tightened, by now she was gasping for air. Reagan's eyes rested on her one last time. His face held neither the fear nor the shock of a person approaching death.

Instead he looked contempt with knowing it had been him and not her. He whispered something to her, something she wasn't able to hear. And then she heard it; the snap. The sound that would forever be stitched into her waking thoughts. One that would haunt her for as long as she lived.

A scream threatened to escape her lips but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She sat in disbelief silent tears rolling down her cheek, her mind struggling to grasp what had just taken place. She blinked back hoping that it was all a dream. A dream she so badly wanted to wake up from.

To her right she could see the blur of fur rushing towards her. Aria shut her eyes. She didn't recognize the wolf coming closer to her and was convinced it was most likely a guard coming for her next. She didn't even bother to put up a fight. Only sat there welcoming her own demise.

The wolf's next move was one that she wasn't expecting. It picked her up by her clothing using its jaws and carried her off. It's shiny mud brown fur flying in the wind. Each step it took sent a shockwave that vibrated beneath the ground and a cloud of dust flying through the air.

Her mind was still in shock, she could see the army of wolves that were on their tail and she prayed they would get caught. The wolf never faltered a step, not even when one of the guards nicked its hind legs.

The world around her seemed to pass by in a haze as the wolf picked up its speed. The trees, plants and ground all blending together in a blur of colors.

The wolf made a sharp right, jumping over logs and weaving through the trees. Aria wondered who this person was and why they were helping her, why it couldn't just leave her alone to die.

The faster the wolf ran, the wider the distance between them and the guards grew. It stopped at a large clearing, quickly running behind some bushes. With Aria's clothing still in its mouth, the wolf was still. Using its snout, it nudged her in the back, motioning for her to do the same.

The thudding of paws grew louder until the guards ran right past them, completely unaware of their presence.

Once it was sure they were out of range, the wolf shifted. The sound of it's bones snapping as they took on a human shape filled the air. Aria was surprised that she recognized the hard cold eyes staring back at her.

So he was still alive, she thought.

She'd completely forgot about his existence. Her focus had primarily been on Reagan and him alone. Even thinking of him made a knot form in her throat and her breathing to hitch as sobs racked her body.

"Get yourself together before you get us killed," the boy repeated the exact words he had told her, in the same monotone voice as before. Aria was taken aback that she was even able to hear him. She didn't know if she would ever regain her hearing. The buzzing sound in her head was gradually diminishing.

She scowled at him, disbelieved that he had the audacity to snap at her at a time like this. He carried her in his arms as they trekked deeper into the forest.

"Don't tell me what to do," she hissed, her voice laced with venom. Normally, she would have felt regretful for speaking to someone so abrasively but she'd decided that this guy would be an exception. After all he didn't seem to think twice before doing likewise to her.

"I saved your life. You should be thanking me," he grunted through his teeth.

Aria scoffed. "I never asked you to," she retaliated. Every fiber of her being hated him with a passion. If he'd spent less time trying to save her, Reagan would still be alive. She shook those harrowing thoughts away, she wasn't ready to give up on him just yet.

"Well if that's how you feel."

Aria was startled to see that he had released his hold on her. She plummeted to the ground with a rigorous thud and narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure. Rubbing her now sore behind, she got to her feet, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

"We have to go back for Reagan," she stated matter-of-factly. She tried to maintain her composure, failing when her voice faltered at the mention of his name. He simply ignored her and continued walking until he reached a narrow stream. This only enraged her further, even more so when he splashed water onto his face and hummed quietly to himself.

"Hey, don't you hear me talking to you!" She shouted. He whipped his head around with an icy stare that sent Aria staggering backwards.

"Name's Gage. Hate to break it to you sweetheart but your boyfriend's dead. His words sent Aria stumbling back to the ground. They were like punches, each one knocking the air right out of her.

And then she felt it.

The flicker of pain that ignited from her toes and spread to the remainder of her body. She felt as if she was on fire, slowly burning alive. She looked down at her hands, slightly expecting them to be ablaze, only finding the they were the same alabaster complexion.

Gage was still busying himself, completely oblivious about what was happening to her. As quickly as it came the pain abruptly subsided, leaving her baffled as to what had just taken place.

"You're wrong," she croaked out a bit flustered. She wrapped her arms around her legs -a position she was much too familiar with- and rocked herself back and forth. He was wrong, Reagan was still alive. She could feel it.

Gage walked over and sat down beside her. For a second, Aria assumed he was at last making an attempt to console her. She forewent the idea when he reached across her and took hold of the backpack Caleb gave them. She mentally chastised herself for even thinking such preposterous thoughts.

Gage dumped out the contents of the backpack, "Thanks to your boyfriend, we only have one bag of supplies." Aria flinched. Reagan had insisted that he carried the second bag, meaning that they'd left it behind.

Now that she had a name to put to his face, Aria took the time to study Gage. His naturally light brown skin was a noticeable juxtaposition between her pale one. The consequence of the lack of sunlight she'd been exposed to all her life.

Even his unruly, curly brown hair and equally brown eyes differed from her black hair and grey ones.

Being this close to him made her aware of the scar that ran down his cheek. Most likely a token from his days as a fighter in his pack. She hadn't noticed it until now and thought it best not to let her curiosity get the best of her and question him about it.

Deciding upon a can of soup that was placed in the bag, Gage opened it and busied himself with devouring every last bit. As always, he chose to ignore Aria's presence. She didn't mind it one bit.

The hatred she'd had for him choosing to save her and not Reagan was still raging on inside of her. She needed someone to blame and seeing as he was the only person left, she'd stubbornly settled for him.

Feeling her intense stare, Gage grunted and relocated to the opposite side of the forest, slumping himself against a tree.

Aria furrowed her eyebrows angrily. She was well aware of the reasons for her hatred for him but she hadn't the slightest clue the source of his anger towards her. She shrugged her shoulders, she wouldn't lose much sleep over the frivolous thought.

He didn't like her and she wasn't too keen on him either. And that was just how it would have to be.

*******
Noooooo Reagan not my baby 💔I wonder what that strange feeling was. Hmm...If anyone guessed Gage, then correct you are! Maybe drop a vote or two to celebrate. How many of you think Aria is right and Reagan is still alive? Let me know down below.