“Well, um, you should probably finish getting dressed then,” he said, adverting his eyes from her.
Demi looked down. She had been so afraid up to this point that she completely forgot the fact that she didn’t have any pants on. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it down as much as she could to hide her panties. Her cheeks suddenly warm even in the biting cold.
Spotting her pants on the ground over by the stump, she hurried over to collect them. And then pulled them on.
“Let’s get back to the camp.” Tobias took one step in that direction before wincing in pain and collapsing the ground.
“Tobias,” Demi cried and rushed to his side. Found him clutching his calf and breathing heavy. “What’s wrong? Let me see.” She moved his hand aside to see the deep puncture wounds left from where the bear had sunk its teeth in.
Her eyes followed the trails of blood as they drizzled down her protector’s leg and dripped to the mud below.
Her heart sank.
This does not look good. . . .
Chapter Eight
THE SCENT OF BLOOD GREETED Korver’s nostrils when he stepped out of Natasha’s car—or the car that she had stolen to be more specific. They were parked on the side of a quiet and vacant highway. The scent led him to the edge of a steep slope on the side of the road. His sharp eyes scanned the trees.
“What is it?” Natasha asked as she came up beside him.
“Do you smell that?” he asked.
“No. I don’t smell anything. What is it?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he started to head down the slope, looking to follow the scent to its source. He used the small pines that grew on the slopes to help him move steadily down the incline.
“Do we seriously have to go down there?” Natasha asked.
“I’m not going to justify that with an answer.”
Natasha sighed. “Fine. But I’m not leaving my collection behind.”
Korver waited for her to join him at the bottom of the slope. A duffle bag was slung over her shoulders with her “collection” inside.
Korver stopped and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Every scent and sound for well over a mile flooded into his nostrils and ears respectively. His brain quickly digested the information so he could paint a mental picture of everything around him.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Natasha asked.
Again her question went ignored. Korver set off into the woods, his nose having pinpointed the exact direction the scent of blood was coming from.
The two werewolves moved deeper into the trees, the scent growing stronger every second until at last Korver found the source.
A human head.
Hanging from a branch like some kind of grotesque fruit, dripping blood steadily, which pooled on the ground beneath it.
“Now isn’t that a lovely sight,” Natasha quipped.
Korver ignored her. He walked around to the other side of the head to get a look at the face. It was facing northeastwards. Eyes wide open. The head was obviously female, but it was hard to determine the age. Long red hair attached it to the branch above.
It was not a shocking sight, nor was it anything new. Korver had seen this work before and was very familiar with the responsible party.
“Go back to the car and flag down the others when they catch up,” he told Natasha. “We’re going on foot from here.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
Korver did not like his orders being questioned, but he had more patience for Natasha than any of the other members of the pack.
“This is a sign,” he explained. “It was left here to tell us which direction to go. Hugo has followed the traitor and the half-breed into the woods.”
“You can get all of that from just a severed head?”
“I’ve known Hugo for a long time. I know the way he operates. The eyes point the way. We go northeast from here. I’m sure we’ll catch up with Hugo soon enough.”
Natasha nodded, but still seemed puzzled. “Why would Tobias abandon the road?”
“He grew up in woods like these. He is more comfortable out here than he would be in a five-star hotel. He probably believes he can use that to his advantage to lose us.”
“He won’t. Hugo is too skilled of a tracker.”
“Of course. But there is something else I don’t quite understand.”
“What’s that?”
“If he’s taking Demi to her father, and I’m sure he is, that means Ridley has been hiding somewhere out here in the wilderness all this time.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“Why would he give up his place as alpha just to come out here and rot? It makes no sense.”
“He’s an old fool and a coward. He probably feared you usurping him.”
“No, that’s not it. He had no reason to fear me. The pack still supported him. I would never have gotten the support I needed to overthrow him. There has to be something more. Something I don’t yet fully understand.”
***
Demi paced back and forth with her hands on her hips. She cringed every time she heard Tobias groan in pain, but tried to avoid looking. Just thinking about what was happening made her feel lightheaded.
“Demi,” Tobias spoke up.
“Yes?” She stopped her pacing but did not look his way.
“I need your help.”
“Um, with what?”
“Just come over here so I can show you.”
I was afraid he would say that . . . She turned on her heel and walked over to where he sat beside the smoldering remains of their campfire. He had finished wrapping his wound, so she couldn’t imagine what he needed her help with.
He held out two small, straight sticks. “Take these.”
“Why?” she asked without taking them.
“Because my leg is fractured. I need you to help me set it or it’s never going to heal.”
Her stomach did a backflip. She never realized she was so squeamish . . . until now.
But she took the sticks from him anyway. “So how exactly is this going to work? Obviously, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I know. That’s fine.” He winced as he stretched his leg out so that it was straight. The wraps that covered it were stained with blood but it didn’t appear to be bleeding any longer. “Just place the sticks on either side of my calf. I’ll take it from there.”
That sounds easy enough. Demi followed his instructions.
“Press them firmly against my leg.”
“I am.”
“No. Firmer.”
She did, feeling sick when the tips of her fingers were forced to brush against the bloody wraps.
“Better?” she asked.
“That’s fine.” He again grabbed the bandage roll—which he had produced from his own backpack when they returned to the campsite—and started to wrap it around his calf and the sticks all at once to create a makeshift splint.
“Where did you get that?” he asked her.
“Huh?”
“That necklace you’re wearing. Where did you get it?”
Demi looked down and saw the sapphire pendant hanging from the silver chain. She didn’t expect him to comment on it.
“Oh, um, it was a gift.”
“From your boyfriend?”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “Just a lucky guess. Is it serious?”
She smiled and shook her head. “So not going to talk to you about that.”
He just laughed softly.
“So do you have a werewolf girlfriend?”
“No, I don’t.”
“A regular girlfriend then?”
“No. I don’t have a regular girlfriend either.”
Demi just nodded, not sure why she even asked him.
“Thanks,” he said when he finished wrapping his wounds at last, tying off the bandage so that it would stay in place.
“Sure.” Demi still felt a li
ttle sick to her stomach as she backed away and sat down on a rock nearby. “No problem.”
Tobias examined his work for a moment before looking up at Demi again. “There’s still fish if you want, although it’s probably overcooked.”
“No thanks. I’m really not hungry anymore.”
“You should eat anyway.”
“I said no thanks,” she repeated more forcefully. “So what do we do now?”
“Pack up camp. Then get moving again.”
“What about your leg?”
“I’ll manage.” He snatched a strip of burnt fish from the wooden spit over the fire and took a bite. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I never said I was worried.” She crossed her arms and gazed around at the trees around the clearing, trying to look anywhere but at him. Birds sang in the trees and insects buzzed around their heads.
Demi wasn’t sure why she was being so short with him right now. She wasn’t really mad. In fact, she should probably be thanking him for risking his life to save her.
That’s probably why . . .
It was just her natural defense mechanism, and it wasn’t so easy to turn off. From her experience, people didn’t just do nice things for her for no reason. Everyone had an agenda. It was hard for her to belief that Tobias was any different.
She was really starting to feel comfortable around him, and that frightened her.
He’s only helping me because of friends with my dad, she reminded herself. It has nothing to do with me.
After he finished eating, Tobias began the strenuous process of trying to stand, and it wasn’t going well.
So Demi came over and offered him a hand. He seemed hesitant at first, but he ultimately accepted her help and got up on one foot, refusing to put any weight on the wounded leg.
“Can you even walk with that?” Demi asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You can tell me the truth, you know. I’m not stupid. I can see you’re hurt.”
Tobias sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair as his eyes scanned the forest floor. “I just need . . .”
“What? What do you need?”
“That.” His eyes focused on something.
“What?” Demi asked, looking around without seeing what he was talking about.
“That branch over there. Can you get it for me?”
“Um . . . which branch exactly?” Demi asked with a raised eyebrow. They were in a forest. There were branches everywhere.
“Over there between those two trees.” He pointed. “Do you see it?”
“I think so.” Demi scampered over to where he was pointing and picked up a branch that was almost as tall as she was. It was shaped a bit like a fork with only two prongs. “This one?”
“Yes. That’s the one.”
Demi brought it over and handed it to Tobias, who immediately held it like a crutch with his left arm fitting nicely between the two prongs. He placed his weight on it to test it out and then walked around the clearing a bit until he appeared satisfied.
“Will it work?” Demi asked.
“I think so.”
“Good. Does that mean we can get moving now?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“We have to pack up the camp first. It’s not exactly easy for me to bend down right now, so I’m going to need your help.”
Demi frowned. That tent looked like it was a pain to set up when she watched Tobias do it. She hoped that it would come down a bit easier.
“Alright,” she sighed, “let’s do it then.”
They got started packing up, making sure the fire was put out and the ashes scattered, and then disrupting the ground so that it didn’t look like anyone had been here.
“You seem pretty comfortable in the woods,” Demi commented as they worked. “Do you actually like being out here?”
“Yes. I actually prefer it.”
“You mean you would rather live out here than in a house?”
He nodded.
Demi shook her head in disbelief. “You’re crazy.”
He grinned. “Are you telling me your aunt and uncle never took you camping?”
“No.” Demi’s tone changed, becoming more somber. “They never took me anywhere. I mean, they cared about me and loved me and all that I’m sure. They were just . . . busy.”
Tobias nodded. “I understand.”
“What about you?” Demi wanted to change the subject.
“What about me?”
“I don’t know. Just tell me something about you. I feel like I don’t know anything about you and you’ve already saved my life three times.”
“What do you want to know?”
This is not going to be as easy as I thought. “Well, let’s start with your age. How old are you really?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Come on. Tell me.”
“You really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”
“Very well. I’m fifty-seven.”
Demi’s jaw dropped. “A-are you serious? That’s impossible. I mean, you look like you’re maybe, I don’t know, twenty-one at the most.”
He flashed her a rare smile. “Werewolf. Remember?”
“That’s it? That explains everything?”
“We have a much longer lifespan than humans. About three times in fact. Now we should really get moving. I don’t want to waste daylight.”
“Sure.” Demi was still reeling from the bomb he dropped. “Lead the way.”
Demi followed Tobias into the woods. Still confused about all of this werewolf stuff, but the initial fear and skepticism had mostly worn off and was now replaced with curiosity. She wanted to know more.
“Oh one more thing,” she said.
Tobias looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“You look pretty good for fifty-seven.”
He smiled again. “Thanks.”
Chapter Nine
HUFFING AND PUFFING, DEMI MADE her way up the side of a steep slope that was murder on her legs and back. She wanted to rest—just plop down on the ground and not move a muscle—but she pressed on. If Tobias, who was literally on one leg, could keep climbing up the hill, then she could too.
What was most embarrassing was that Tobias was actually well ahead of her. How he was able to climb the slope almost effortlessly was beyond her. Either he was more capable than he looked or she was seriously in bad shape.
“Hey, any idea when we might stop to rest?” Demi asked between pants. “I mean, you should probably get off that leg at some point, right?”
“I’m fine,” he replied, his voice not showing any signs of weariness. “Besides, we’re nearly to the summit.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just keep going. You’re doing great.”
“Why do I feel like I should be the one telling you that?”
Tobias laughed as he came to a stop and looked back at her. “I’m just more experienced at this. That’s all.”
“I spent six years in gymnastics. I should be able to handle a little hill.”
“This is nothing like gymnastics.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that one out already.”
“Just take your time.” He started climbing again. “It’s not much further, and there’s no reason to rush.”
“Except for the fact that we’re being hunted by a pack of bloodthirsty werewolves.”
“True. But rushing won’t do you any good if you end up slipping and getting yourself hurt. Just go at your own pace.”
They continued on in silence for a few minutes, until Demi got sick of it and decided to put an end to that silence. “Hey, there’s something that I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I’m not sure if you can even answer this, but I was wondering if I can, you know, if I can—”
“If you can shift into a wolf like me and the other werewolve
s,” Tobias finished her sentence for her.
“Yeah. . . .”
“Well, I’ll give you the short answer.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t know.”
“That is short.”
“You’re actually the first half-breed I’ve ever seen. They’re not exactly common. I’ve heard some stories that they’re no different from regular humans, and others that they’re no different from werewolves. I don’t know which to believe.”
Demi frowned. She had really hoped he would give her a more definitive answer. Turning into a wolf wasn’t necessarily something she wanted to do, but she would like to know if it was possible.
“Typically, werewolves shift for the first time when they’re around thirteen,” Tobias went on. “But a half-breed. I don’t know. That’s something you’re going to have to—”
“Let me guess,” Demi smirked, “ask my dad?”
“Right.”
“That’s what I thought . . .”
They continued on their way up the hill for another ten minutes until they reached the top at last. As exhausted as Demi was, she still felt a swell of optimism.
From the peak, she could gaze out and see a beautiful landscape as far as the eye could see. Tall mountain ranges capped with snow, a seemingly endless sea of evergreens, and a crystal clear blue sky. It was desktop background worthy.
And it was breathtaking.
So much so that Demi almost forgot all about her exhaustion and the bitter cold.
“It’s beautiful,” Tobias said. “Isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It really is.”
“Do you see those mountains in the distance?” Tobias pointed northeast to a far off mountain range.
“Not the ones that are, like, a million miles away, right?”
“Those ones exactly.”
“Um, yeah I can. What about them? Please don’t tell me that’s where we’re going.”
“No, we’re not going there.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“We’re going to the other side of those mountains. That’s where your father is.”
You have got to be kidding me . . . Demi’s heart sank. It seemed so far away. She couldn’t even wrap her head around just how many miles it might be.
Apparently, Tobias could sense her distress. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s not as far as you think it is.”
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