Wolf at Heart

Chapter Twenty Six: Paranoid

Early Update ;)

Ash, Dakota, and I traveled in silence through the bleak snowy forest.

We'd come to a swift decision after Alpha Micha had hesitantly come up to our mismatched group.

Brooke and Jerry would stay behind to help sort out the camp and its now terrified residents. Alpha Micha would have to finally step up to his role as leader and guide the Lupine into hiding. Though it was unlikely the Predators would strike again, no one was willing to take any chances. After a few goodbyes to my remaining friends and a hug from Carter, we had left.

Dakota had insisted on coming with Ash and me, saying that he'd be more useful with us. Plus the Predators were still hunting us so added protection would help.

Truthfully, I thought that Dakota just didn't want Ash and I out of his sight. But neither of them needed to know that I knew.

And I'd like to keep it that way.

Dakota and I loped under the trees, relying on Ash's distant form to guide us. Ash flew above the frozen forest, cawing every once and a while so we didn't lose him in the clouds.

The farther down we went on the mountainside, the heavier the rain poured. Eventually, everyone was soaked and irritable.

Well, at least Dakota and I were.

Ash had waterproof feathers. Lucky.

We set up our bedrolls under a rock outcrop and Dakota went off to hunt. I still had the herbs from the journey before so I lay them out to dry. Ash got a crackling fire going with some flint and stone.

Rustling in the bushes caught my attention. Still jumpy after the attack, I slowly unsheathed my knives. Ash caught my drift and narrowed his eyes, still appearing relaxed.

The sound soon faded away and I let the tension ease slightly from my shoulders.

"Someone's a little paranoid," Ash spoke lightly.

We both knew that I had a good reason to be.

I shrugged, putting away my knives. "Can't blame me for being."

Ash glanced thoughtfully behind me after a few moments. "There's something over there."

I looked behind my shoulder quickly before turning back, about to say that nothing was there when I saw how close Ash had gotten.

He reached out a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

Suddenly I couldn't breathe and my thoughts turned sluggish. All of my attention was focused on his hand, how it cupped my cheek.

"There we go," he said and withdrew with an insufferable smirk that told me he had tricked me on purpose.

Refusing to let myself be flustered, I waved dismissively at him. "How you manage to be endearing and infuriating at the same time I have no idea."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "All part of the charm."

I was about to respond when Dakota appeared out of the gloom of the night, dragging behind him four pheasants. He looked at both of us suspiciously then settled down. After plucking the feathers off and cleaning them, I took the birds from Dakota and set them above the fire.

Ash took a bite of his pheasant and made a face. "Now I know why you didn't choose to be a cook. If food could kill I'd be dead by now."

Apparently, Dakota shared similar thoughts, but he stayed unusually quiet. Something like disgust flickered over his face before it became neutral again.