The Lost Elixir

Chapter Eleven

Rayne didn't like the way Jarrah loomed against the tree trunk with his arms crossed over his broad chest. His eyebrows were drawn, his jaw clenched tight enough for a muscle to tick in the back corner. The thunder brewing in his gaze darkened the brown depths of his eyes and in the distance, she knew a storm was coming somewhere.

She swallowed thickly, and for five minutes, they both stared at each other silently. There was no breathing and talking. No moving or fidgeting. There was just intense staring as they both waited for the other person to say something. Rayne wasn't sure if she should start it or if she should wait for him to voice his grievances.

Thankfully—and unfortunately—she didn't have to wait for long to find out.

"So," he drawled, narrowing his gaze. "Wolves don't know how to trust anyone but themselves. That pack dog mentality, right?"

Rayne snapped her teeth shut. She curled her fingers into tight fists at the venom lacing through his insult. "That's not true. And for the last time, we aren't dogs," she seethed out.

"Right," he scoffed. "That's why your little guard dog was sent after you. Because your people don't know how to trust the woman who's meant to lead them one day."

"It's not my people who don't trust me," she snapped. "My father sent him."

He raised his dark eyebrows high on his forehead. He pushed his upper body off of the tree and took a step in her direction. "And that's supposed to be any better?"

Rayne hated the amusement lingering in his voice and she took a threatening step forward as well. "And what of your parents, since you're so fine talking about mine?" she demanded.

The amusement dissipated immediately. A dark, protective shadow moved over his face like an eclipse. "What about my parents?" he hissed.

"Well, where the hell are they? Because I haven't seen yours come for you once. At least mine are worried enough to send for me."

"My parents know how to trust my judgment. As king, which you know nothing about seeing as how you're still waiting for your dad to supposedly give you the pack of dogs, I don't need them to rescue me," he sneered. "Unlike you."

An uncomfortable blast of heat unfurled across Rayne's cheeks. The shameful rise of embarrassment settled in the pit of her stomach and she pushed herself towards him. "I don't need anyone to rescue me," she growled, hotly, stabbing his chest with her forefinger. "And fuck you, Jarrah. You walk around here like you're the king of the damn forest when you're a fairy king with a future wife who won't commit to him for a reason. And if your parents really knew what was good for you, then they would have given you more than five years to grow up. Because from what I've seen, you're no more impressive than Ambrosius."

Jarrah's face reddened significantly. "And what about you? You've never ruled over a group of people a day in your life. Your parents do all of it, and yet you think you're special because you volunteered yourself to go on a suicide mission? Some alpha you're turning out to be."

That one . . . stung. She hated to admit it, but everything he said stung and made her wonder if it was all true. She'd never say so out loud, but he outlined all her fears in less than five minutes and wondered if other people thought the same thing. Never being enough was something that constantly lingered in the back of her mind.

"How . . . dare . . . you," she seethed, blinking back the frustrating moisture pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"Hit a nerve?" he mocked, taking a step closer to her. She moved back immediately. "Maybe now you'll think before you talk next time if you can't handle it. Never, compare me to that fucking killer again, Rayne. I mean it."

"I wouldn't have compared you if you weren't acting like him!"

Something flashed behind his eyes. "Glad to know I'm just like the vampire who killed my best friend. Thank you for that reminder."

Rayne swallowed her next retort. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch, before she reminded herself of all the things he said to her—about her. She shouldn't have to feel bad for defending herself and voicing her frustration aloud. Sure, he wasn't exactly like Ambosius, but it was the only thing she could think of at the time.

"Then maybe you should think about what you say before you say it next time. Especially when it comes to my family and myself. I am alpha, whether you choose to recognize it or not, and I'm tired of having to defend that to someone who won't even matter after we return."

Before he could open his mouth for an unnecessary retort, Rayne spun on her heel and walked over to where she had dropped her backpack without another word. She swung the strap over her shoulder and continued to march in the direction they had been walking in before she caught Ronan, hearing his scoff somewhere from Jarrah's direction. She briefly considered if she should shift to avoid speaking to him even further, but she didn't want to disrespect the goddess by using her ability for something so trivial. So, instead, she kept forward without knowing if Jarrah was behind her or not. Frankly, she didn't care anymore. She was tired of dealing with his childish antics.

What was he so mad about anyway? It's not like she knew her father was going to send Ronan after her! Did he really think she would have allowed something like that to happen? Sure, she didn't completely trust him in the beginning, but she'd never do anything like that. Even if Ezra or Ronan were on a mission, she'd never agree to check up on them. She'd trust them enough to know what to do without her interference.

Whatever. Jarrah could sulk for all she cared. It was his fault for overreacting in the first place, and she refused to feel sorry for his silence. In fact, it was more than welcomed at the moment, and for the following few hours. She didn't want to apologize first and feel even more guilty for comparing him to the person who killed so many people; including his best friend. Had he been nicer to her, she would have asked about it. He didn't talk about his life as king, or before being king, very much, so she wasn't aware he had a best friend who was murdered.

Rayne knew about Terryn, his possible future wife if she committed to him. But another best friend? She had no idea. But if she thought about it for too long, she'd wrack herself up with even more guilt. So for a little while, she'd have to push it away and focus on herself.

When it was time to set up camp for the night, Rayne made it a point to sleep behind a tree so they couldn't see each other. Dinner was scarce that night, seeing as how they were too frustrated to hunt earlier, so they ended up picking up whatever fruits or berries they found along the way. The nymphs were known to keep the trees healthy and full of nutritious options for those who used the forest's resources for survival, so luckily, Rayne was able to gather a handful of berries and an apple she picked from a nearby tree.

She picked at the handful of sweet berries in her palm and gobbled them down to satisfy her growling stomach. Though she craved meat, the food she collected for herself would just have to do. If Jarrah could do it, so could she.

Once she finished eating, she decided she could use some bonding time with her wolf form to battle whatever annoyance still lingered in her body. She wasn't so angry with Jarrah anymore, but she still wasn't in the mood to talk to him. So she carefully took off her clothes and folded them in a nice pile, before angling her body towards the moon in her usual ritual.

"Hʋshi Ninak Aya, I call to you," she spoke, and the familiar energy of the moon goddess shot through her veins. It didn't take long for her to shift fully and shake out her fur.

Rayne stretched out her legs for a few minutes and trotted along the perimeter of their camp. She made sure to steer clear of Jarrah, and kept her gaze focused on the trees, on the moon, on the nocturnal animals preparing for their long night, and listened to the soothing sound of paws meeting dirt. The moon's gleam soothed her, and allowed her nerves to calm themselves.

Rayne decided that night that she'd stay in wolf form for a little while longer the following day. She knew she'd have to talk to Jarrah eventually and apologize for what she said, but she wasn't ready to face him yet. Maybe at some point the next day she would.

She wasn't prepared for, however, the sight that greeted her the next morning when she woke up.