MARKED BY THE HUNTER

15: ALONG THE ROAD

Bryle looked down at me, completely unfazed. There was a hint of exhaustion in his eyes, and his brow furrowed slightly.

“You slept for so long,” he said, his voice low, almost grumbling. “While I stayed up the whole night carrying you… and now you’re questioning me?”

I blinked. Carrying… me?

The memory hit slowly, last night before, the fear, the darknes form in his cousin's power.. and him. My heart tightened, but before I could say anything,, the carriage jolted again.

I froze.

That’s when I finally noticed it. The confined space. The faint creaking of wood. The rhythmic sound of wheels rolling against the ground. We were inside a carriage, together.

I looked back at Bryle, confusion mixing with something softer now.

“Where…” I hesitated, my voice quieter this time, “where are we going?”

But what unsettled me more wasn’t the question. It was how safe I had felt waking up in his arms, and how I couldn’t seem to forget the sound of his heartbeat.

Bryle didn’t answer right away. The carriage rocked gently as it moved forward, the steady rhythm of the wheels filling the silence between us. Outside, the wind brushed against the wooden frame. Inside, everything felt too close and quiet.

His gaze lingered on me for a moment, Then he exhaled. “Away from that place,” he said, his voies was rough from exhaustion. “Far enough that nothing follows.”

Follows, is he referring to cousin Max? I remember Max saying that he would make me a Queen in his palace. Is that true?

I held onto his words, but they didn’t settle the unease in my heart. Because what happened last night, it wasn’t done with me yet. If destiny's give me another chances, I will return to his cousin's place. I should granted his wish to stay with him forever, and be a queen in this entire life.

NO.. my wolf growled in aggressive way. She didn't approve it.

My breath caught.

“I remember…” I whispered, my fingers tightening slightly against the fabric near him. “It took me… it dragged me up."

My voice wavered as the chill of the air hit me again, and I felt the dizzying drop with me again.

“I called you…”

Bryle’s jaw tightened. “I know,” he muttered.

The carriage hit a small dip in the road, jolting us again, but this time, I barely noticed.

“Then how... ” I looked at him, confusion rising again. “How am I here?”

For a moment, he said nothing. But something in his expression shifted. A flicker of something heavy, because his hand, resting at his side, curled slightly, as if remembering something his words hadn’t yet caught up to.

“…You fell.” The answer came too simple.

I frowned. “Fell…?”

Bryle’s gaze drifted, not meeting mine now. “It lost its grip,” he added. “You were still unconscious when I caught up.”

Something about the way he said it didn’t feel complete. Didn’t feel honest. Because the memory pushing at the edges of my mind told a different story. The creature had held me tightly. And yet, I was here, alive and safe.

My eyes lingered on him, searching for something.

“You carried me… all night,” I said quietly, more to myself than to him.

He scoffed softly, though there was no real bite in it this time. “You’re heavier than you look.”

I almost smiled. But the feeling in my heart didn’t fade. Instead, it deepened, it tangled with something I didn’t quite understand.

Gratitude, or relief? Something more dangerous than both.

The carriage continued forward, cutting through the quiet road. And as I sat there beside him, close enough to feel the warmth he hadn’t realized he was giving.. I couldn’t stop thinking about the moment I woke up. His arms around me. Steady. Protective, he is real.

My voice came softer this time. “…Bryle.”

He didn’t look at me, but I knew he was listening.

“Thank you.”

That moment pause in quick, until he said. “…Go back to sleep.”

Even the carriage rolled deeper into the unknown place, I found myself leaning ever so slightly toward him,

drawn, once again, to the quiet rhythm of his heartbeat. NyaY! at least now.. I know he cares for me.

The road stretched endlessly beneath the pale morning sun, as if the world itself had not yet decided to wake. Light filtered through the trees in soft, broken streaks, painting the ground in shifting gold. The wind moved gently through the branches, whispering across the leaves like a distant warning no one was meant to understand.

For a moment, everything felt almost peaceful.

But then.. an unexpected enemy appeared.

Two figures stood in the middle of the road, as if they had always been there, and only now chosen to be seen. Two women aged 40 or over. Both are wearing red dresses that are long enough for a wedding. Their presence was wrong in a way that could not be immediately explained. I think they already smell my scent.

The air around felt heavier and colder. I know they are witches, young in the looks but they are living in this worlds for thousands of years. Their life must be ended.

Their heads tilted slightly, just enough for me to notice the faint glow beneath their hoods, eyes that did not belong to anything human. They watched without blinking, without speaking, as if waiting… or judging.

My breath slowed without my permission. Something inside me tightened.

Bryle moved beside me.

I felt it before I saw it, the change in his posture, the quiet readiness, the way his attention sharpened like a blade being drawn halfway from its sheath.

“Stay here,” he murmured under his breath.

But it was already too late. The first crack sounded like wood breaking under impossible pressure. Then another.

The figures started to shift. At first, it was slow, with subtle distortions beneath the cloaks, like something was struggling to break free from its own skin. Then, it happened in a violent, horrifying rush. Bones cracked with wet, hollow sounds. Limbs stretched and elongated, reaching far beyond what seemed possible. The cloaks ripped apart as if they were mere paper against the force pushing its way out.

I felt fear without even realizing it.