Chapter Four
1163 Words
Elena's POV
The rain wouldn’t stop. It followed us the entire night like the sky itself wanted to watch me suffer.
I sat inside the dark carriage with my arms crossed tightly while the wheels rolled over rough roads and muddy ground. Every few seconds the carriage shook hard enough to make the lantern above us swing violently.
I hated everything and most of all I hated Alpha Kael.
He sat across from me silently like some kind of cold statue carved from ice. Rainwater still darkened parts of his coat, but he didn’t seem bothered by it at all.
He sat there calmly with one arm resting against the window while thunder flashed outside behind him. Outside, I could hear wolves running beside the carriage.
Every now and then glowing eyes appeared through the darkness beside the windows before disappearing again.I tried very hard not to look at them.
One wolf suddenly appeared right beside my window, keeping pace easily with the moving carriage. Its golden eyes locked onto mine. The wolf lowered its head slightly.
Confusion twisted inside me immediately. The wolf suddenly disappeared back into the storm before I could understand what just happened.
Finally, I looked back toward Kael.
“Why did it do that?”
His eyes lifted slowly toward me.
“The wolf?”
“Yes, the wolf.”
“It recognized you.”
Cold fear slid into my stomach again.
“Recognized me how?”
He paused for a while and sighed.
“You ask too many questions.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Kael looked out the window again.
Like the conversation was over.
“You drag me away from my home in the middle of the night, wolves try to attack me, people keep talking about me like I’m dangerous, and now you suddenly don’t want questions?”
His face remained calm.
“Yes.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You are the most frustrating person I’ve ever met.”
Honestly, talking to a wall would probably be easier. I crossed my arms tighter and leaned back against the seat angrily. Fine, if he wanted silence, he could keep it.
Thunder rumbled loudly outside. The carriage kept moving deeper into the dark forest. The farther we traveled, the stranger the woods became. Fog spread across the ground while the moon disappeared completely behind heavy clouds. It felt like we had left the normal world behind hours ago.
I suddenly remembered Father’s last words.
“You cannot trust anyone in the North…not even him.”
I looked down at my hands quietly. But the wolves kept staring at me like they knew something I didn’t.
“Are you good?”
Kael’s deep voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts.
“Yes I am.”
“You’re shaking.”
I quickly hid my hands beneath the coat.
“I’m cold.”
Surprisingly, Kael removed the thick fur cloak from his shoulders and held it toward me.
I blinked in shock.
“What?”
“Take it.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re freezing.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Something almost looked like amusement crossed his face for half a second.
“Stubborn.”
I glared at him. “ You've done enough, I don't need anything from you. “
He tossed the cloak beside me despite my refusal. The thick dark material landed heavily against my lap.
“Do you really think throwing it at me changes anything?”
I didn't trust Kael but I hated how safe I felt sitting beside him.
But after several more freezing minutes passed, I slowly pulled the cloak around myself anyway. Only because I was cold. Definitely not because of him. The warmth spread quickly through my body. Unfortunately, it also smelled like him somehow.
Outside, the wolves suddenly began growling loudly. Kael immediately became alert.
The entire carriage seemed to tense around him.
“What now?” I muttered nervously.
He didn’t answer. Instead he looked sharply through the window into the darkness.
The wolves outside moved faster suddenly, their growls becoming deeper and more aggressive.
Fear curled inside me again.
“Kael?”
The name slipped out before I could stop it. His eyes snapped toward me immediately. Something strange flashed across his face.
“What?”
For some reason, the air inside the carriage suddenly felt different. Kael looked away.
“You shouldn’t call me that.”
“Why?”
“You should call me Alpha.”
I almost laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Everyone in the North addresses me properly.”
“I’m not from the North.”
Thunder cracked loudly overhead. Kael studied me carefully for a long moment. Then he leaned back slightly against the seat again.
“You will be.”
The words made anger flare instantly inside me.
“No, I won’t.”
“You don’t understand your situation.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snapped.
The carriage suddenly jerked violently. I gasped as the wheels slammed against something hard beneath us. Outside, wolves snarled loudly and the carriage stopped completely.
Fear shot through me instantly.
Kael already stood up immediately.
“Stay inside.”
My eyes widened.
“What?”
Before I could say anything else, he opened the carriage door and stepped outside into the storm. Cold wind rushed inside. The deeper we traveled into the North, the quieter the world became.
I quickly moved toward the doorway despite his order. The forest outside looked terrifying. Dark trees surrounded us completely while several wolves circled the carriage protectively.
Kael stood a few feet away speaking to one of the men traveling with us.
“We found tracks near the river,” the man whispered. “They’re still following us.”
Kael’s expression darkened instantly.
“How many?”
“We don’t know.”
Thunder rumbled loudly above the forest. The wolves began pacing restlessly now. One suddenly looked directly toward me inside the carriage. Fear crawled painfully into my chest. Why were they staring at me like that again?
One wolf slowly stepped closer toward the carriage.
Kael turned sharply. The wolf immediately lowered itself to the ground, submitting to me. Every wolf around the carriage lowered their heads toward me at the exact same time.
The man beside Kael looked horrified.
“What the hell…”
Kael stared directly at me now and before I could ask what was happening
The wolves suddenly whimpered painfully. Their bodies began shaking violently.
A sharp pain exploded through my chest without warning. I gasped loudly and grabbed the edge of the carriage door. The wolves cried out together.
Kael moved instantly toward me.
“Elena.”
The pain inside my chest grew stronger.
“What’s happening to me?” I said shakily.
Then suddenly a strange silver glow flashed beneath my skin and every wolf in the forest dropped to the ground at once.
- Writer
