Claimed by the Scarred Alpha

Chapter 4- Burning Branch

Rowena listen to the quiet cave. The fire pop loud. She don't want to wait for the beast to come back. She roll onto her side. The broken ribs scream in her chest, but she bite her lip until it bleed. She don't make a sound.

She reach her hand out and grab the rough stone wall. She pull herself up. Her legs shake hard, but she lock her knees to stand. She look at the small fire. She bend down slow and pick up a thick, burning branch. The fire glow hot near her hand, but it is a weapon.

She walk into the dark tunnel. She drag her heavy boot on the stone. It make a scraping noise. She hold her ribs with her left hand and the burning branch in her right.

Outside the cave, the cold rain hit Rhydian bare back. He crouch behind a large wet boulder near the river edge. Garek and Torv run out from the black trees. They stay in their human forms. They hold iron daggers they steal from dead men.

"The knights cross the water," Garek whisper. He wipe rain from his face. "They have crossbows."

Rhydian smell the wet dirt and the rain. He smell the cold iron and sweat from the knights across the roaring river.

"You take three wolves," Rhydian order low. "You run south along the high ridge. Make loud noise. Let them see your tracks in the mud."

"We can fight them here," Torv say. He grip his dagger tight.

"No," Rhydian say hard. He look at Garek missing ear. "You lead them away from these caves. Don't fight them. Just run."

Garek frown but he nod his head. He and Torv turn around and run south into the dark woods.

Rhydian watch them disappear in the rain. He turn around to go back inside the cave. But he stop fast.

He hear a slow scraping noise coming from the dark tunnel behind him. He smell wood smoke and her sweet blood getting closer to the entrance.

Rowena walk out of the dark tunnel. The cold rain hit her face right away. She hold her ribs tight. The burning branch hiss in the heavy rain. The fire start to die fast.

Rhydian stand outside the cave. Rain water run down his thick chest scars. He look mad. He step forward and block the muddy path to the trees.

"Go back inside," Rhydian say hard.

"Get out of my way," Rowena say. She lift the burning branch up like a sword. Her arm shake very bad. The pain in her side make her vision go dark for a second.

Rhydian don't move. He look at the sharp wood. "You can't walk a mile. The woods will kill you before your men find you."

Rowena swing the branch at his face. She don't care if she die in the rain. She just want to fight the beast.

Rhydian move too fast. He don't shift to a wolf. He just catch her right wrist with his big hand. The burning wood stop one inch from his left eye. Hot sparks hit his wet skin. He don't even blink.

"Drop it," he order.

"No," Rowena spit at him. She push forward with her whole body.

Rhydian twist her wrist a little. Not enough to break the bone, but enough to make her fingers open. The branch fall on the wet mud. It smoke black and die.

Rowena punch his stomach with her left hand. It feel exactly like punching a wet tree trunk. She gasp loud. Her broken ribs shift inside her chest. The sharp pain is too much. Her knees hit the mud. The cold rain soak her thin linen shirt right through.

Rhydian look down at her. The weird heat burn hot in his chest again. It make him angry at himself. He reach down and grab her bare shoulders. He lift her back up on her feet easy. She is too weak to hit him again. Her head fall against his chest.

"You are stubborn, knight," Rhydian say low. The rain drip off his chin onto her hair. "But you are not stupid. Look."

He point his thick finger to the south ridge. Through the dark pine trees, Rowena see small orange lights moving. Torches. She hear the loud iron horn blow again, but it is moving far away from the river.

"My wolves lead them away," Rhydian say. "Your commander follow the wrong tracks. They are gone."

Rowena stare at the small orange lights in the dark. Her chest feel empty and cold.

Rowena watch the orange torches disappear in the black trees. Her men was gone. The cold rain hit her face hard. Her knees shake. She don't have strength to stand up anymore.

Rhydian grab her waist before she fall in the mud. His big arm wrap around her broken ribs. He do it careful so he don't squeeze the bone.

"We go inside," Rhydian say. The rain make his dark hair stick to his face.

He lift her up in his arms again. Rowena don't fight him this time. Her head rest against his hot bare chest. She hear his heart beating very slow and heavy. The weird heat inside her flare up, but she is too tired to push it away.

Rhydian walk back into the dark tunnel. The loud rain noise stop. The cave smell like wood smoke again. He carry her to the small fire and put her down on the animal furs.

Rowena shiver hard. Her linen shirt is soaking wet. It stick tight to her skin. Her teeth chatter loud in the quiet cave.

Rhydian look at her wet clothes. He walk to the dark corner and bring back a dry wolf pelt. It is thick and grey.

"Take the wet shirt off," he order. He don't look away from her face.

Rowena cross her arms over her chest. "No."

"You will freeze to death," Rhydian say direct. He sit on his knees next to her. "Your lips are blue. I need to wrap your broken bones. I can't wrap them over wet cloth."

He hold out a long strip of clean linen he tear from an old sack. He also hold the dry grey pelt.

Rowena look at his yellow eyes. They don't look wild right now. They just look serious. She look at the dry pelt in his large hand. Her side stab with sharp pain every time she breathe. She know he is right. If she stay in the wet shirt, she die from the cold before morning.

She reach her shaking hands up to her neck. She pull the wet string on her collar loose. Rhydian stay on his knees. He don't move back.