MILLIE

I turn a few heads when I return to camp, and my anxiety suspects the worst. The campfire burns low, and the men are alert. I can only pray they didn't hear Leander and I losing our minds in the forest. Or my pelvis riding a tree like a cock.

Goddess, what did I do in my previous life to deserve so much embarrassment?

I return to my position by a tree, staying in my wolf form. Leander mutters a few words to one of his men, whose names I've yet to ask. Leander seems moodier than usual. More intimidating. His voice is rumbling and deep, a threat. Although he emptied his balls in the woods, that wasn't enough to calm him. There's unleashed energy bubbling in his abdomen. I know, because I feel it, too.

My body recognizes that we have unfinished business.

Whatever is happening between us is more tumultuous than the politically disastrous situation we're in. We have lost our home, but I'm quickly losing something more important: my will. Or at least what remains of it.

I close my eyes and feign sleep, trying to avoid Leander. I need a couple of days pretending he doesn't exist before I can face him again. This is a dance I've mastered.

I doze off after a few minutes. The faint sound of a male's frustrated pacing echoes in the background. I'm tempted to rise and pace as well, if not for the urge to stay curled into a ball and hide.

I awake hours later when I hear a vehicle running. The rumbling engine is a welcomed sound. They fixed it, which means we're free to continue running.

I shake my muddied fur and look around, my stomach rumbling with hunger.

The group discusses the next steps as I listen from a distance. Leander leans against a tree a yard away with his arms crossed. He's frowning as he waits for something.

The men don't acknowledge me; don't dare to glance at me although I'm in my wolf form, covering my nudity. We are in the wild, at the mercy of nature. And they know that Leander is more wolf than man as he runs from his enemies.

I'm sure it kills him to run. His dominant nature demands the opposite, but he can't take on the entire werewolf nation on his own.

I don't like feeling like I am invisible. I'm here along with everyone, experiencing the same uncertainty and danger, and I have plenty of thoughts about our plans. But I allow the distance between myself and everyone at least until Leander is calmer. I am doing this for him, because he has done plenty for me. He didn't have to admit his foul play at the trials in front of all the Alphas, but he did it because he feared losing me.

Based on what I hear from the men, today is going to be long. There will be plenty of traveling.

Freshly cooked meat is available, but I hold off on eating. I've always found that I run faster when my stomach is empty.

The group heads out and gathers by the vehicle. Leander strays behind, probably ensuring there's no signs of our presence in this part of the woods for our pursuers to find.

We wait for the Alpha by the car for a few minutes. He returns with a large t-shirt and shorts for me. They strongly smell of him, but I haven't seen him wearing this set. He must have rubbed the clothes all over his body, replacing any previous scents, because that's the only way he could stand me wearing them.

Possessive Alpha. It's almost amusing. Even after all the crazy events that have unfolded, Leander stays true to his character.

I find privacy behind twin trees. I shift back and change into the clothes, my hair and skin remaining muddied.

I return to Leander and pull the hem of my shirt down. "Good to go," I exhale, digging my nails into the cotton shirt. An utter nervous wreck.

He glances down, not missing a single one of my subtle moves. His nostrils flare and his brow furrows. I'm sure he's recalling the same memories that are making me squirm.

"I need you to ride in the vehicle."

I shake my head. "Not while the others are running on foot."

He leans in, and I scoot backward. "No excuses. I need you to be rested. I will join you in the car. Will that make you feel better?"

I dip my chin, seeing that he won't let this rest.

We settle in the car, sitting side-by-side in the back row. I roll down the window, needing fresh air. Leander has always had a way of taking up all the space and air in a room. And a way of stealing my focus. He was certainly everything I could envision last night as I humped a damn tree.

I entwine my fingers on my lap. Right over my sex which throbs faintly in recognition of Leander's proximity.

The car takes off, jolting suddenly and making me jerk up. Leander grunts and reaches for my seatbelt, dragging it over my chest and clicking into place.

Then he crosses his arms over his chest—as if all that is the only seatbelt he needs—and stares out the window.

We ride toward the horizon. I watch trees fly by. It's all foreign territory, but my wolf feels at home; like she's a part of something greater. I'm struggling with keeping her hopes low. She must realize that Leander could very well still hurt us.

Leander lowers his window, the fierce breeze blowing his hair back. The thudding of his men's steps becomes louder. His wolves loyally chase the car. At first, I didn't understand why. But I suspect they know Leander's story, and that's why they're fiercely devoted to him. They have known all this time that Leander deserved to be Alpha—not because he won the trials, but because he has exposed the Council's sins and dared to plot against it.

Everyone is hellbent on justice, but I'm unsure where I stand in all of this. I want Leander to get his revenge after chasing it for so many years. I want to keep listening to him, getting more answers and understanding the bigger picture. But I can sense this war will demand years of our lives. Will he ask me to take lives for his cause?

I'm no longer desperate to escape the bond. I agreed to take things slowly and see where this relationship ends. Maybe we will become mates once and for all. But accomplices in bloodbath? I'm not sure about that. I'm no warrior.

We ride for hours, the car relentlessly bouncing as the unpaved road challenges every turn. We chase the horizon through all sorts of terrain—grass, rocks, puddles. We pause to push a fallen tree out of the way and then continue our struggle.

We stop hours later by a lake at night. Leander goes hunting for the group while I find a secluded spot to wash the mud from my hair and skin. It feels so refreshing to escape the filth and the evidence of what happened last night. But I know I'll be reminded of the humiliation every time I look into Leander's grey eyes.

Once I'm clean, I change back into my clothes and return to the group.

The men get busy, setting up a perimeter and checking on our equipment. I feed the fire, keeping it alive as wind howls down the mountains.

"Millie."

My spine straightens when I hear my name roll off Leander's tongue.

I look at him cautiously. We've been distant all day. I used to love this freedom. Used to thrive in isolation. But now it has become uncomfortable.

"Hey, I—"

We both perk up at the sound of a snarl a few yards away. It's a wolf. Not a simple one, but a shifter.

The snarl didn't sound right. It sounded unhinged. This must be a rogue.

Leander shifts and runs in the direction of the snarl. I chase after him, but I'm quickly cut off by two of his men who grab my shoulders and pin me to the ground.

Now I'm the one that's snarling.

I kick my feet and demand to be released. My wolf has become vicious, desperate to ensure her mate's safety. Reasoning blurs as my emotions become more tumultuous than ever before. I feel like I became possessed by my inner beast.

No. It's not just my wolf. It's me. I don't want Leander to get hurt. His hood has been lifted, revealing that he's no monster. I'm getting attached to him.

I pant and struggle during every minute he is gone. Refusing to give up.

Only when Leander's face enters my line of view do my shoulders sag. He returned with a splash of blood on his cheek. Dark and metallic. I can't help but stare at it as I calm my breathing. It's such a small drop, but it makes me think of what else is coming now that there is war. How many lakes of blood will flow? My stomach churns at the thought.

"I'm fine," he says as he pushes his men off me and sets his palms beside my hips. He hovers over me, looking at me with concern. "I terminated the threat. Calm down. All is well."

I pant, my hands clammy and my heart thundering in my ears. Leander seems to have enhanced everything from lust to my protective nature.

He helps me up, and our connected skin electrifies me.

"You're weak. Come, you must eat. I will feed you."

I separate our bodies, disturbed by our growing attraction. But the most unnerving part is his affectionate offer to feed me. Those broad, scarred hands of his are not capable of hand-feeding. They can't be. It would be too cruel of a sight.

I set a hand over my heart as I slowly calm down. "I just need some water for now. Thank you."

"I'm sorry that you were worried," he says, frowning.

He's saying that more often. Apologizing. Showing me a caring, human side of him that I never thought possible.

And I'm thanking him more often. Letting go of the hurt every time I whisper it. Forging something between us. Something that I have also never thought possible.

We are becoming friends. Paving the way for something more. As the world falls apart around us with war, we are growing stronger.

***

The next part will become free on January 14, 2025, but until then, it can be unlocked for only 5 coins.