RED ( Twisted Forbidden Tales) Book Two

Fate

Walden

The full moon glowed bright and beautiful in the night, casting a dazzling glow over the Dark Woods ahead. The rain added a slight chill, bringing forth an eerie foggy mist along the pathway that led to my destination. Talia definitely chose this place to hold the ambassadors' meeting with purpose.

Many mixed feelings coursed through me. This was my birthplace yet I had no attachment. All the ambassadors were scheduled to meet at the borders of the Sapience Kingdom or, as the people here called it now call them, Sapience Ruins. None of us had received our missions yet. Were Talia and the Old Wisdom Tree waiting for something?

With the moon calling me with each step I took forward, the wolf within me began to surge. My senses awakened and the most tantalizing scent hit my nostrils. Before I knew it, the wolf in me began to purr. I thought only cats did that, but with my luck, of course, I would be an exception.

Why was this scent so familiar? Two voices in the distance ahead could be heard soon after. They were talking about a meeting and The Night Wolves. We were headed to the same place as I thought.

Should I hide or keep walking? I was told to keep a low profile when coming here. My father’s kingdom was going through a recent uproar with his missing Night Wolves Guard reappearing after years of absence. Would my brother be among them?

The rain was coming down even harder, years of drought had finally broken, so the Night Wolves' return wasn’t a coincidence. The day the changes started was the day I destroyed the necklace. Walking through the Dark Woods brought a sense of calm to me that I couldn’t quite explain.

However, this didn’t mean I knew where I was going. A new letter had appeared with the meeting day and time. A map was provided too. After memorizing it thoroughly, the map disappeared as quickly as it appeared. For a wolf, I wasn’t too good with directions even if I memorized them.

I decided not to hide as the two women approached closer to me. They shared an umbrella and I only owned a black hoodie. With the hood covering me and being pelted by the heavy rain, I knew how I must have looked and didn’t want to scare them, but unfortunately, something was bound to happen before I could let them know of my presence.

A wrong step led me to slip because of the rain. To make matters worse, in order to try and stop my fall, I resulted in taking one of the women down with me. All three of us were shocked. The woman who I brought down with me didn’t even scream as we tumbled downhill. Instead, she held me closer to her and whispered to just lay still.

“Huh?” I breathed out. I had never been in a situation like this ever since I was born.

“Don’t thrash around, just let the water guide us or things will get messy,” she said as we continued to hold on to each other, falling for what seemed like forever. I didn’t even feel any pain as I finally took a good look at her. My instincts had me holding her even tighter. She let out a small hiss sound as if in pain.

“I’m sorry,” I said, I couldn’t help it. She had the most alluring hazel eyes I had ever seen. Those eyes stared back at me with the same intensity. A slight frown was still on her face as I felt us beginning to slow down. Where we ended up in the fall was simply up to fate.

Still in each other's arms, the mist flowing around us from our breathing from the chill we finally felt. She was just as drenched and muddy as I was now. Both of us were shivering from the temperature and the impact of the fall. A stinging pain and something warm began to flow down my back. Was I badly injured? But I was a wolf? Shouldn’t my wounds heal automatically?

“f**k, Ria! Are you all Who the hell is that? “ The other woman approached us from out of thin air. The umbrella they were huddled under together was now closed and pointed toward me as a weapon. We had yet to leave each other's embrace as we looked at the woman standing in defense of her friend.

“You can let go now.” The woman whispered to me, bringing me back to my senses.

Reluctantly, I let her go and watched as she got to her feet, her breath slightly hitched with a hint of pain. She had to have been injured in that fall too. Worry built up inside me for her. Strangely, I only ever cared for myself, but after everything that happened, I found myself experiencing new emotions.

“ Stand down Bo, I’m a good girl.” The woman stood there with her eyes still on me. It was then I noticed I was still on the ground in an utter stupor.

“Good, but who the hell is he, Ria? You know we got to be on guard, with hunters and all.” The woman's name, Bo, not quite, whispered to the woman I fell down the hill with. So, her name was Ria. It suited her. Why did it sound so familiar though?

“Hey!” The woman named Bo whispered and yelled at me. Then a sharp kick to my leg brought pain all through my body.

“Bo, what the f**k! Can’t you see he’s injured?” Ria bent down to help me up. I couldn’t understand why I was banged up so much from a fall. Wait did I unintentionally shield Ria in the fall and take most of the hit? Had my wolf taken over just to protect this woman? What was going on?

Finally, on my own two feet with an added limp. Another thing that was foreign to me escaped from my lips. I felt the strangest urge to bow, and so I did.

“ My apologies, ladies.” My back was on fire now, but I still bowed, out of respect or submission. I was unclear at the moment, but something about this Ria was affecting me.

Two low but audible chuckles filtered the atmosphere where we stood. I didn't think any of this was fun, people always submitted to me and not the other way around. Though I couldn’t help the tickle in my heart, I was relieved that my actions somehow defused a situation that could have easily gone south. Her friend Bo had mentioned hunters. I wondered what that was about. Before I could think of asking. Ria spoke.

“Mr. That’s cute with the bow and all, no need for apologies. This was an act of nature, however, we do need a name.” Ria said as she gestured to herself and then her friend. She was right, I knew their names but they had yet to know mine.

Standing straight, I could now smell the blood on me. I needed medical attention soon. Finding the extent of my injuries was a must. “Right, my name is Walden, it’s nice to meet you, ladies.”

Bo and Ria’s subtle glance could not be missed as they silently communicated with each other. Did they know who I was? My reputation wasn’t pretty. Would I be in danger here? Talia wouldn’t be that cruel, would she?