Venus ran toward the edge of the forest. The air stabbed needles into her lungs, chilling them as she ran. The cold suffocated her, but despite the numbing pain, she ran to meet Serena.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm so late!" She mumbled to herself, desperate for time to reverse momentarily. "She's gonna kill me."
"Babe! Wait up!" Eli panted behind her. He faltered and plunged face-first into a small snowbank.
Venus halted, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She slouched her shoulders and scowled at him. Eli smiled awkwardly in between his gasps for not freezing air. He wiped his face and jogged after her. As he caught up, she raised an arm and slapped his shoulder. He fell slightly forward but recovered before he met the snow in another uncomfortable situation.
"I thought you were faster than me? What was all the shit talk about before we left if you can't even keep up?"
Eli waved a hand nonchalantly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, Babe. I just need to make you feel good about yourself every now and then. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"
She raised an eyebrow and glared at him.
He swallowed the frozen lump in his throat and rose to his full height. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed his cold and wet cheek over hers. She immediately shot away from him and shoved him into a tree.
"No!" She laughed. "Not today. We are late. Let's hurry up. I promised Serena we would meet her at the clearing at 8."
Eli rolled his eyes and followed his wife.
"I better get something great outta this." He muttered to himself, his eyes scanning over his wife's familiar body, his eyes lustful.
A shiver ran down her spine, and the hairs on her neck stood on end.
"You know you will, Eli." She smirked, her voice drawled. She swayed her hips playfully before she sprinted toward the clearing, leaving Eli alone, his mouth hanging open.
The two approached the clearing from the north. Their crunching footsteps were the only thing to be heard in the still forest. The light illuminated only small portions of the path as they sprinted through the powdery snow. Venus shoved branches out of the way only for Eli to meet them face first. By the time they stepped into the safe haven, Eli's face was red from the cold and the branches hitting it.
"Serena?" Venus cupped her mouth with her mittened hands and called for her friend. "You can come out now."
Eli and Venus wandered the circle, shaking the boughs and looking underneath the canopies for Serena. They regrouped in the middle, empty-handed.
"Maybe she's late too." Eli shrugged as he collapsed into the snow. "Then we didn't have to have run here."
Venus shook her head. Something wasn't right. The hairs on her neck hadn't relaxed since this morning. Serena was never late. Ever. Unless it was by Venus' doing.
She wandered the circle one more time, looking for anything out of place. Nothing came to fruition. She plopped into the snow next to Eli and sighed. He rubbed her back with his gloved hands and pulled her close. She leaned against him, and the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.
No matter how many years passed, her heart always fluttered and beat loudly in her chest when he touched her. Any touch from him was enough to fill her heart and soul. She smiled at the snow as she thought of the man beside her. He leaned against her and rest his head on hers.
"I'm sure she'll come. Let's give her time before we think of the worst." He consoled her, his hand rubbed circled on her back, soothing her wolf and her nerves simultaneously.
The two waited, huddled in the snow for about an hour, but Serena never showed. With every passing minute, the hole in Venus' chest grew deeper and darker.
"Something's wrong. I'm going to the cabin." She shot up and ran toward the lakeside cabin.
As the two approached that cabin, the usual pillar of light, grey smoke that signaled Serena was home was vacant. A lump caught in Venus' throat as she ran up the heavily snow-laden steps.
She pounded on the door. But only deep and foreboding thuds replied.
Eli threw his body into the door, and it crashed open. It vibrated as it hit the wall. Eli shook and stumbled forward. Venus pushed past him toward the living room.
The fire was dead, cold as the dead. And the blankets were folded neatly. She rushed to Serena's bedroom to find that equally vacant.
"She's gone," Venus said breathlessly, her hand planted firmly against the doorframe.
"Where do you think she went?" Eli pulled her from the house, closing the door behind them.
"I don't know. She was supposed to meet me there, at the clearing. And that bastard-" Her face paled. "Lucian."
Eli whipped his head up and clamped Venus' shoulders tight.
"Lucian? Like THE Lucian?" His voice was tense and worried.
Venus nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I promised them I wouldn't say anything. I figured it would be good company for her, and he would help her stay alive. You know how she is-"
"Venus. You should have said something! Do you know why he was kicked from the pack?"
"He challenged Atlas, didn't he? And he lost."
"Yes, but no. That's not the only reason. He killed an Elder, and he killed his mom."
Venus froze.
"W-What?" She croaked. "That's impossible. They said he-he died. They said the Elder died of natural causes."
"No, Baby. That's not what happened." Eli pulled her into a tight embrace. "Let's go find Serena before it's too late."
The two ran into the woods, leaving the cold cabin behind them.
They snaked through the tall trees, following their path from before. The wind filled most of the holes, but the slumps were clearly visible in the morning light.
They approached the clearing once more, and Eli spoke.
"I'll go get Atlas and some of the other members. I'll tell him everything. You go find Serena. Use your nose. She can't have gone too far."
Venus nodded. Her voice refused to work. The guilt and the pressure welled up deep in her heart and body, preventing her from thinking properly. Her mind muddled, and the world spun in a daze. Eli's words were accepted in her brain but never fully registered.
Eli shook her shoulders and shouted her name a few times. He pulled her close and whispered into her ear,
"Venus, Baby. It's not your fault."
A high-pitched squeal rang in her ears. It was as though a radio station finally tuned in. The world was back to color, and sound registered in her brain again. She blinked and looked up at Eli's comforting gaze. She nodded and ran into the woods. Eli shot north, back to the pack and back to the Alpha.