I am the Night - the last She-Wolf

Chapter 15 - A Plan

Nathaniel POV

I’ve been through all kinds of emotions today. None of which I can quite comprehend. It’s confusing. I thought once I found her things would settle down and I could make a little sense of it all. That I could stop feeling this tense.

But she wasn’t alone. She was in trouble, which caused my wolf to lose it. He completely took over and if Gabriel hadn't fled, I would have torn him apart.

The problem with my reaction to her was, that he figured it out. He knows she’s different. He knows she’s my mate. I put a target on her back. Maybe I’ve even put her in more danger than she was in before.

“Gabriel,” Zeek says to me and Barron, “he seemed to intend on taking her. You think he knew?”

“He knows,” I say, staring at her tiny body in my arms. She seems fragile. Pale. Thin. She’s bruised all over. Bleeding. She’s broken. “We need to get back to the city as soon as possible! Get her out of here.”

“What about them?” Zeek asks, gesturing towards the wolf Logan and the Hunter. I don’t mind Logan, but the Hunter is driving me crazy. Not because he’s a Hunter, but because his scent is all over her.

I remember that I’d smelled it on her before. The night I met her. It was his jacket she was wearing, and my mind is running wild with jealousy.

He cares about her. I can tell. I hate it. I wish I could get rid of him, but something tells me that I shouldn’t. That it wouldn’t make Mika trust me at all.

I know that she doesn’t understand what’s going on. She doesn’t know me and she doesn’t feel this cursed bond to the same extent I do. She needs to learn, which means I have to take it slow. I have to ease her into this. If I choose to accept this myself.

My wolf already has and he’s purring with glee at her proximity. I feel it too, but I’m trying to hold back. Just in case this is a wicked game and I’m just a pawn in the Goddess's little gamble.

“I want to know exactly what happened,” I say turning to Logan since he’s one of us and I trust him more than I trust the Hunter.

“I don’t know the whole story,” he says, “and I’m not sure Mika wants me to share it with you. It’s her story after all. What I can say is that about a year ago, I was captured by a squad of Hunters. I surrendered to them and instead of killing me, they bought me back to their prison. They wanted information of course. And some other things,” he trails off, shuddering at the memory.

“And what did you tell them?”

“Nothing,” Logan says, “they still think every wolf is a stupid animal. I think it’s better that way. For now. After a while, -I lost track of time, to be honest- I woke up in a cage. I was in my wolf form. Unable to shift. They put a device on my head,-” he points at a wound just above his neck, “it drove me crazy. My wolf. It made me blind with rage and I think it was meant to control me.”

“Did it?”

“Just made me viciously mad,” he says, “that’s about the time I met these two,” he says, pointing at Mika and the Hunter. “They threw them into my cage.”

“Why?” Zeek asks, “don’t they want the girl alive?”

“They do. They tried to force her to shift,” Logan explains, “which of course didn’t work, but she was smart enough to submit to my wolf. Made me hesitate. Gave him time to rip the device off my neck,” he explains and nods at the Hunter, who’s glaring at me. “We are on the run ever since. Besides the s**t they did to her, she also got shot in the process. I removed the bullet, but she’s not healing well. I think her body has been through too much and what she needs is rest. Something we can’t provide out here.”

“Why do they think you are headed up north?” Barron asks.

“We were,” the Hunter answers, “but they caught up with us. It was a matter of time until they’d send reinforcements. Mika wanted to go back to town. Move in the opposite direction. It was risky, but it worked. At least as long as the storm was raging. But they’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

“They want her back,” Logan says meaningfully, “they were doing all kinds of things to her. Because of what she is.”

“And what is that?” I ask, trying to keep the rage out of my voice. My wolf growls at the thought of someone hurting his mate. Our mate.

“She is able to communicate with me,” he says, “she has all the traits a wolf has. I think, with time, she might actually be able to shift.”

“She’s female!” Zeek says in disbelief. There hasn’t been a female wolf in a very long time. None of us remember them. They were rare even when we were children. Now there are none left. Except for the unconscious girl in my arms.

“Exactly,” Logan answers with a confident nod, “are you going to take her to the king?”

“King?” The Hunter asks, but we ignore him.

“Yes,” I say, “he should know all of this.”

“What king?” The Hunter presses again. I stop and turn to him with a threatening glare.

“Don’t test my patience, Hunter. I’m not thrilled about your involvement in this. I don’t want you here, I don’t need you here. Do not ask questions! Do not talk to me at all! That is if you want to live!”

“Chill,” Zeek says, his hand on my shoulder. I shake him off with a warning growl.

“He’s a little tense,” Zeek shrugs it off.

“How are you involved in this anyway?” Barron asks the Hunter, while I keep walking.

“She’s... my friend,” he says hesitantly. There’s something in the way he says friend, that makes my stomach twist and turn. He’s not just a friend. “And I made a few mistakes along the way. I’m trying to make them right.”

“Are you two... a thing?” Zeek asks carefully glancing at me, checking if I have my temper under control. It’s probably a good thing I have my hands full with Mika's body. I hold her a little closer, hoping she’d just melt into me, so I can always keep her safe. Keep her from anyone who wants to harm her. Anyone who wants her in any other way. She is mine!

“What if we were?” the Hunter dares to say. I feel my arms twitch. I almost drop Mika, just to rip out the boy's throat. Eliminate him. Shut him up permanently.

“Don’t push it, Cillian,” Logan warns. He understands. He knows what’s going on. The Hunter doesn’t. He’s blissfully oblivious to the fact that I won’t let him anywhere near her any time soon.

Wolves get possessive like that. I’ve never experienced it myself, but I know that we protect what is ours fiercely. Family. Friends. We protect!

“Who are you people anyway? Why help us?” the Hunter, Cillian, asks.

“Friendly wolves,” Zeek chuckles, “except him. He’s grumpy. All the time,” he nods in my direction, “a little tense lately. Probably because a girl saved his ass.”

“Why did she save you?” Cillian asks curiosity in his voice, “do you know her?”

“I don’t,” I answer for some reason, “but I will!”

“And why should we trust you? Her being female is a big deal, right? How do we know you will treat her right? She’s been through enough already.”

“Because you don’t have another choice!” I say, “but I assure you, nobody will hurt her as long as I am around!”

“We should trust him,” Logan says, “there’s a lot you don’t know, Cillian. I try to explain, but not now. We need to get out of the open. Those Rogues might show up again.”

“They can’t have her,” I growl.

“No, they can’t! That’s what I’m saying,” Logan says. He is right. We need to move, and we need to move fast. I want to find shelter for the night, but it might be better to keep moving.

Taking shelter in the next village will not only put us in danger, it’ll also put the people living there at risk. They’ll get caught in the crossfire and Gabriel won’t stop at anything. He’ll probably be happy to tear apart a whole town just to get to us.

“We keep moving,” I say.

“What about Mika?” Cillian asks, “she won’t make it.”

“She’ll be fine,” I say, glancing down at her sleeping figure. She looks rather peaceful for someone who’s been through hell recently. There’s a confusing beauty to her. Broken, but beautiful.

Her pale hair falls dirty into her eyes, her lips slightly parted as she breathes steadily. Lips that seem suddenly very tempting.

I must force myself to look ahead and not at her. She’s mesmerizing. Even in her current state. She’s like the moon and I want to howl at her for all eternity. Call her. Beg her to be mine. Beg her to shine her light on me for as long as she lasts.

“So,” Zeek asks, “she could talk to you?” he turns to Logan.

“What does that mean?” Cillian asks. I still wonder how they manage to know so little about the race they are fighting. The enemy. It’s pathetic.

“We have different ways of communication,” Logan explains. He’s impressively patient with the Hunter. I guess spending a few days with him will do that to you. Or Logan is just a patient man. Either way, he seems to be trustworthy.

He’s not part of my pack, but he must be from the city. He’s not a Rogue. That much is clear.

“In our heads,” Zeek adds, pointing at his temple, “so we can talk, while in wolf form.”

“Okay,” the Hunter says, “I guess that makes sense.” He turns to Logan, “and she talked to you like that? When?”

“Just today,” he answers, “surprised me as much as it did her I guess. She didn’t understand, but she got the hang of it without me explaining anything.”

“So,” Zeek starts hesitantly, “do you think she’s a wolf? Like us?”

“I don’t know, but she is definitely different. I guess the fact that you are here says it all.”

“How?” Cillian asks.

“Doesn’t matter,” I stop anyone from saying it out loud. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to explain anything. Especially since I don’t understand it myself. I need time to process. I need to see how she reacts. What it is that makes her special.

But damn, I wish she would open her eyes and look at me right now. I wish she would talk to me, tell me what happened in her own words.

I want to know everything there is to know, yet I have no idea how to meet my curiosity. My desperate need to get closer to her in every way possible.

“She said something strange to... what was his name? Gabriel?” Logan says after a moment, “she told him that she is the night. He reacted to that. Any idea what that means?”

“She is the night?” I repeat not able to resist glancing down at her.

“Sounds like something out of the rogue's idiotic chronicles,” Zeek says, “but how would she know about it?”

“She wouldn’t,” Cillian says, “I mean, she’s been desperate for information about anything concerning your kind. She’s been reading a lot, but she didn’t buy anything she read.”

“Smart girl,” Zeek chuckles, “did you guys have the book about the witch? What was her name?”

“Broomswick,” Cillian sighs, “we do.”

“And you believe that bullshit?” Zeek laughs, “I really don’t get it. You have a brain, don’t you?”

“She kind of asked me the same thing,” Cillian chuckles. I hate how he sounds fond of that memory. How he has memories with her and I don’t. I envy him for that. I hate him for it. He knows her in ways I probably never will.

“How did she end up at your compound?” I ask wondering how this girl ends up with them. Shouldn’t the goddess have brought her to us? To me? She should have been with me all along. Not him. She doesn’t belong with him. So, what the hell is the plan here?

Break her until she’s useless. Break me by making me watch her fall apart? Why? The Goddess has either gone mad or she’s dead. Gone. Left us to fend for ourselves and Mika is just a weird coincidence.

“You don’t have to understand,” I stop dead in my tracks at the voice in my head. I look down, but Mika is still asleep, yet I am sure it’s her voice. “For I am the night, Nathaniel, son of Gideon.”

“What’s wrong?” Zeek asks. I sink to my knees and gently set Mika down.

“What’s wrong?” this time it’s Cillian asking and he’s right there by my side. By Mika's side.

“Step. Back.” I snarl at him, itching to push him out of the way and maybe break his back in the process.

“Is she alright?” He asks again. Demanding to know.

I lower my gaze to the girl in my arms. Her eyes are closed. Her pupils move quickly behind her closed lids. She’s dreaming. Maybe. I carefully touch her forehead. She’s burning up. And there is nothing I can do about it.

“Mika?” I whisper her name and her body turns towards me. She stays asleep, but she mumbles something intelligible.

“She’s not okay, is she?” Cillian asks worried, “we need to get her to a hospital or somewhere she can heal,” he says and as much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s right.