Chapter 10

A loud growl came from the wolf, it echoing all over the curve in a way that had all the sleep vanish away from my body just like that. I stood up quickly, staring at the wolf, him staring at me with his deadly eyes as a shiver ran down my body. Even with all the time spent with him he still scared the shit out of me.

I climbed up on him, my inner thighs sore just as I sat. They had bruises; I was sure. I held on for dear life. He walked out of there, the mouth of the cave white with the frozen rain drops. They were still falling, harder than when we first climbed up but better than at night for sure. The wolf jumped out. He was jumping from rock to rock. Fog was so thick you could cut it, barely seeing anything. The wolf jumped up a rock with the rock crumbling away. A whimper pulled from him as he went scrapping down the rocks trying to get his footing. Nothing but fur and blood was left behind, him finally getting a rock stable enough. He whimpered again, scared to go up again but he was a man, he was the kind of man that hated fear for sure. He went jumping up higher than before. My heart was doing nothing but crying out for him. I placed my hand in his fur, digging it in and touching the warm skin.

I don’t know what got into me for suddenly I thought I could take away his pain. My eyes closed, feeling the darkness stir in me, my hand warm, probably his heat sipping into my own skin. I opened my eyes, feeling stupid really. Who did I think I was yet my hand never moved from his skin? He leapt over and over, falling a couple of times but getting up again.

It was a long torturous climb that left his hinds shaking. I hoped we would reach the top soon for I was sure anytime he would slip and fall back down to the bottom. I was sure that fall would kill us.

I prayed and prayed. Both hands on his skin, because somehow in my mind I had created a picture that I was this being that could take away his pain. It was silly but hope never killed anyone. I did not feel useless at all, I felt as if I was someone of importance no matter how little it was.

The higher we went the colder it became. The rocks were frozen with ice. My bare feet would do nothing but freeze to dysfunction if I even dared touch with a toe. He tried gripping with his paws but he was having much difficulty.

I did not see us surviving. I did not know how we would survive seriously. It seemed we were still far from the top.

The wolf suddenly shook me off with a growl. My eyes went wide knowing he wanted me to climb off him. I did not see a way he could continue climbing too. My head turned, staring down and nearly dying. Nothing but sharp rocks waited to catch us if we fell. My whole body froze and shook yet he kept shaking me and it was unfair to keep clinging to him when even my weight could have us trampling down. I turned slowly and carefully got off him. As soon as my feet touched ground, I thought I would die. It was like knives cutting through, my skin sticking on the ice. If I stood there my feet would be stuck and frozen on the ice. I jumped away, hopping over and over from one rock to the other with such burning pain going through my body. Did I dare turn, I wanted to see what he was doing?

My head turned only for me to frown in horror. The fact that wolves were okay with nudity did not mean I was too. I mean, I was okay with someone half naked but the man behind me was dead naked. I jumped even faster because imagine if he hopped on the rock I was in. My goddess, his thing would brush on me. I would rather fall.

I jumped over and over, rushing with him fast behind me. He was taller, he was stronger so he was just eating the distance away while I freaked the fur out. I moved faster, slipping now again but too much in a dilemma to care. It seemed it would not end, heaving with nothing but exhaustion. Nothing but blood was left after me, my feet bleeding. The cuts opened and healed to open again and heal. It was pure agony. I wondered how the king and his men went through. Some part of me felt a bit angry. What kind of man left his mate to go through all this alone and I was left running from a naked man.

HE DOES NOT CARE!

My inner voice screamed at me as I huffed.

My legs were shaking at some point, so tired yet I could not stop. I thought I would fall having been at it for the longest of time. I was sure it was midday or even going for late afternoon. Everything hurt.

We hopped and hopped only to look up and nearly cry out. I could see an apex and it could only be the mountain top. I rushed up, hopping with all the energy I had to reach the top and nearly cried out in nothing but relief. I had climbed an icy mountain, who could say that. I was ready to collapse. My head turned back in excitement only to nearly scream, chills going down my body. It was so wrong in all ways. The only tangling thing I was supposed to be seeing was my mate’s.

My feet moved, rushing down the mountain side. I ran down, stones rolling before me. It was a long way but because we were going down it would be faster and less straining. I hopped and jumped, running where it was less rugged. Could we get there already. I was tired. I slipped and hit with my butt hard on a hard rock leaving me cursing over and over. The pain was too much but I could bare through it. I stood up, running down and going for it. The skies got dark which made it even harder to see the way but the man was after me and I was not waiting to feel his naked skin on me. I ran, jumping and dashing. I was surely going to tell the story to my children and grandchildren for it was one for the books.

It was midnight when we finally made it down and I was done.

The man leapt in the air only to hit as a wolf. My dead weight was thrown on his back, burning hot with my clothes wet and cold. We ran through what I would say was a frozen ocean, miles and miles.

It was so beautiful to see, fish swimming right under us. It was one of the most amazing things to see, smiling with my arm stretched wishing I could touch them. I closed my eyes, the morning breaking with me fed up with how long the way was. I was sure a week had passed.

The day moved on just as we finished the ocean. It had been so large. We jumped into a forest; the forest was so green it looked so unnatural. The air in it so different like nothing I had ever tasted. No matter how tired I was, I could not help but sit up, my eyes wide, taking everything in. Such beautiful insects flying about in all sorts of colors. The forest was alive and so breath taking. It felt like home. I closed my eyes, taking everything in knowing we had arrived. We had arrived to my new home.

My eyes opened for suddenly we were not running alone. Wolves were besides us, running with us. They were smaller compared to the wolf I was ridding on yet they were still beautiful. I could not help the smile, everything so wonderful. We ran and ran until my smile slowly slipped. How far were we from the houses? Hours passed I tell you and all the excitement wore off with my body shutting down.

We went through rivers and around mountains. It was a beautiful pack I will tell you that.

All the other wolves suddenly fell away and turned back. I looked up just as the wolf I was riding on jumped through the forest and my goddess.

There were so many houses, all gorgeous but then I realized it was not houses but stores. I gasped. I had never been to the stores. My pack did not have any, they were in the next pack and I was not allowed to go out of the boundary. There were windows with things on them, beautiful things. I saw beautiful dresses.

My excitement and happiness was cut short as people began walking out of the shops and watched. My body shot down and yes, I was hiding. I dug myself as much as I could into the wolf, hiding from the eyes. I was sure they would put two and two together and I was just not ready for the gasps and questions with the start of disapproval. We tore through the city and it was large itself. I would come back when everything was sorted and explore all the stores.

I could not believe it though. I was in the royal pack; I was actually in the royal pack. I felt like screaming and jumping up. I was out of that prison; Elissa could not bully me anymore. I was finally free. I could make friends and start a new life.

A breath escaped me, praying to the moon goddess or any other God my real people worshiped. Could they please help me make a beautiful life for myself? I was tortured enough, I surely had cried enough and all I needed from there was just a good life. Nothing fancy, just my mate which I would treasure, a few friends that I would love with all of me and create a family. I prayed over and over until I felt the wolf slow down.

My eyes flew open seeing that we had left the city behind and we were going through more forests. I sighed, looking up but it was not long before we jumped and a large, a very large stone castle came to view. I gasped, my hand coming to my mouth as I sat up and stared up at it but a few people walked out of the door with me ducking down. Not yet lovely people, not yet. I looked like a wolf’s ass I knew, and I probably smelt like one too. It was not a look for first impressions.

The people who were walking out of the castle seemed to be help. They immediately bowed where they were when they saw the wolf I was riding on. Their heads stayed bowed, knees on the ground. I sucked in a breath, wondering who exactly the man I had spent so many days with was. He had never said anything about himself, he actually had not said anything at all.

He stopped right before the steps and I knew it was my turn to climb down. I could not believe it was over. I turned and hopped off nearly crying out for my inner thighs were burning hot. I was sure they were red and had been bleeding at some point. I stared down and indeed there was dried blood smudged there. It was seriously not a good look for me.

The men that were kneeling on the steps suddenly turned around, rushing back into the house. The wolf turned and tracked away. I was left wide eyed. Was he leaving, please please please may he come back.

Imagine what I would do if he never came back, just walk into the house like this asking for the king. Wouldn’t they chuck me out especially with my different scent I wore which stated that I was not a werewolf.

The wolf went all the way around the castle and the castle was huge I have to tell you that. I shook where I was promising in my head that if he dared leave me there I would hunt him down later and show him what these fists could do. Please please may he come back.

Time ticked away as I stared around. A few people were walking by, their noses swirling with them frowning. One was even just approaching when the man came to view again. He had turned back to his human and I had never been so happy to see him. I could just hug him I swear.

The men that had went running in the house came back running down to stop at the very feet of the man that I had spent so many days with. They knelt down as all the others had from seeing the man.

“Here your excellency.” One of the men said, holding out a thin blanket to the man who was apparently so important they called his excellence. Who was he? I felt like my mind was going to pop. Had I been mistaken. Was he the king? But no. There was no way, he seemed a little less in power than the man that had chased me down the forest back in my pack.

The man walked to me then threw the blanket he was carrying over me. He threw it in a way to hide me. My body was brought to him, his arm around my waist and soon I was stumbling with him pushing me forward. Thank the goddess for my sight for if not for it I would not be able to see anything. I walked, taking the steps. We went through the door. All I could see was the floor, my whole body covered except for my feet which were dirty and bloody. I really needed to clean myself.

Commotion could be heard, people in the house. I could see the bent knees from under the blanket.

“Your royal highness.”

“His excellency.”

My goddess who was this man? I gave up finding out with all the praise said. I was sure all the siblings of the king were dead as per word going by but who knew. We got into something that moved up. It was a box that was flying up. I was shocked, wanting to see more of it but I could not. A button was pressed with it moving. It finally stopped and its doors opened.

Plush white carpets greeted us that looked as if feathers of the purest bird; it was breath taking.

We reached a large golden door, seeing the edge of it. It was opened, swinging open with marble tile greeting me.

The blanket was pulled away with the man pushing me in as I stumbled nearly falling. His push had been rough. I caught myself to turn and stand up straight staring back at the man who we went through a lot together. I was going to miss him I wont lie.

He stared back at me, seeming so rough himself, needing a shower, some shaving and surely some rest.

“This is your room.” He said as I nod my head not even believing.

“Thank you for everything.” I said to him wishing at some point we could be friends.

“The king will come before morning.” He added, those his last words before the door shut closed right on my face.