Willow sat by the fire while Luke slept in the shade of a tall cedar, where he had been for hours. The afternoon sky was still quite bright. Willow checked him over and over again, probably for the twentieth time. No more blood oozed from his wounded calf. Yet she could imagine how horrible the scar would be when it finally healed completely.
This morning she returned to the same river they had crossed that day just before Luke collapsed. She didn't want to leave Luke, but they were almost out of water, and the river was the nearest source of running water.
She moved down the gentle slope to the river below, nesting in a small gully and meandering through a dense patch of thorny bushes. She was careful not to walk too fast with the soft, muddy ground so slippery. Slipping was the last thing she wanted.
When she reached the water's edge, she crouched down and unscrewed the lids of the two flasks she was carrying. Then began to fill them with clear running water. It was probably safe to drink, but she was already planning on boiling it to make sure there were no bacteria or anything in the water that could make them sick. That was something she had learned from Luke. He had taught her a lot since their meeting, which felt like a long time ago, even though it had only been less than a week. She never thought that she would end up trusting Luke. Let alone develop feelings for him.
Willow tried not to think about that. Everything she felt was still too new for her to think about. Besides, even if she decided what she was feeling was real, that didn't mean Luke felt the same way.
Returning to sit by the campfire and eat some of the rations Luke packed in her backpack, she watched the fire crackle and flare as the last light in the sky disappeared. They had made little progress today, but Willow wasn't thinking about that, she was thinking about Luke filled with conflicting emotions.
Her feelings were muddled every time she looked at him. At first it was just some sort of vague idea, but now it was almost always at the forefront of her mind. She knew she shouldn't think about it, and she was afraid of the feeling. The longer she kept it in, the more it would bother her. Because there was a possibility that Luke just thought of her as a stupid girl, nothing more. After all, he was much older than her, at least chronologically. Luke had even grown up when she was a baby.
"Willow..."
She turned over as she heard the weak voice say her name.
Luke stirred in his sleep. His body was covered in cold sweat. Willow moved closer, unsure if she should wake him or not.
"Willow...." he said again, this time a little louder than before. His breathing went up and down like she was panicking, then suddenly he sat up with a start, shouting her name for the third time as he opened his eyes.
"I'm here," Demi said softly. Her arm touched Luke's shoulder.
He watched her for the first time, a wave of relief sweeping across his face. The fear in her eyes disappeared and she leaned against the tree trunk again, letting out a long sigh.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He nodded. His breathing returned to normal. "I'm fine . . ."
"You had a bad dream."
He nodded.
"What was it about if I may know?"
"It was nothing. Just a nightmare. That's all."
"But you mentioned my name."
"Really?" Luke was stunned.
"Yes. You were delirious. You said my name three times."
He knitted his eyebrows together. "Oh, I didn't realize that." Then he looked away. Didn't say a word.
"So, what was the dream about?" Willow asked again, hoping Luke would tell her.
Luke was silent for a moment, as if reluctant to tell. He avoided Willow's gaze, but eventually he spoke. "I saw you. In a dark forest, but there was a full moon that night. You were standing in a clearing, wearing a white dress."
"What happened?"
"It was okay at first. You were staring at the moon, and then he appeared."
"Who?"
"Lowell."
Just hearing the name gave Willow goosebumps. "Then what happened?"
"He attacked you. Threw you to the ground and...." He paused, his eyes glazed over as if
He was reliving a terrible memory. Willow had never seen him shaken before.
"And what did he do next?" urged Willow, feeling compelled to know.
"He...." Luke finally looked at her. "He killed you."
Those three words were like knives twisting in her stomach. But Willow quickly replaced her fear with rational thought. "That doesn't mean anything," she said. "It was just a dream. I mean, it wasn't real."
Luke nodded. "Yes, of course." But somehow his tone didn't match the words coming out of his mouth. He still sounded worried.
"Didn't Lowell want me as his mate? He couldn't have killed me."
"He only needs to take you as a mate to reunite the group. Once you produce offspring for him, you will be banished. He won't need you anymore."
The thought of having a baby with Lowell literally made her stomach turn. Willow had never thought of having a baby, let alone with a despicable monster like Lowell.
"I wouldn't have to worry about that," Willow said with the confidence she had at the time. "Lowell can't hurt me as long as you're my protector."
Luke looked down. "I can't protect you properly right now, Willow. I can't even walk."
"But you'll get better. Then I'll be safe from him."
"I hope you're right."
Silence followed. Willow didn't want to talk about Luke's injury or about Lowell. It made her uneasy. So she changed the subject.
"How did you get to meet my father?"
He looked up at her, a little excited. Apparently he also wanted to change the subject. "Well, it was a long time ago."
"And you don't remember?"
"I always remember."
Willow smiled. "Then tell me."
"Alright, but it's a bit of a long story."
"That's okay. We have time."
He nodded, "Well, I lived in the wild, so consumed by my wolf side that I was almost nothing but an animal. I was always hungry. Starving actually. That day I found some venison hanging from a branch. I was so naive that I didn't even realize it was a trap. The trap pinched my leg. The pain was excruciating. I couldn't move, and had no one to turn to for help. I thought I was definitely going to die."
Willow leaned forward, eyes wide and chin resting in her palms as she listened attentively. "What happened then?"
"I passed out. And when I woke up, I was in a cabin I didn't recognize. That's when I met your father. He rescued me and took me to his home to treat my wounds. He taught me everything I needed to know about werewolves and when I was ready, he let me join the pack. For the first time in my life, I had a place and people who accepted me."
"But how can you live alone? Where are your parents?"
"I don't have any. My parents were in my life, but not for long. They weren't part of a pack. They lived in a remote house far from anywhere. My father left me and my mother not long after I was born. I don't even remember what he looked like. Then my mother was forced to hunt to feed the two of us, and one day she didn't come back. I never knew what happened to her. But I was all alone after that."
"How old were you back then?"
"I was five."
Willow was dumbfounded. "You were five?"
He nodded. "And after my mom disappeared, as if some greater power knew I needed to hunt to survive, I was suddenly able to change. I was the youngest werewolf at the time. Well, at least the youngest your father ever heard of."
Willow shook her head in disbelief. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been to grow up alone like that."
She tried to imagine herself in the same position and didn't know how she would have survived. Even if her grandparents hadn't raised her well, living with them was much better than living alone.
"To be honest, I never thought of it that way," Luke says. "I was just doing what needed to be done."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I know how it feels to be abandoned."
"Your father had his reasons."
"Then maybe your mom had her reasons, too."
He shrugged. "Maybe. I don't think about her anymore. Your father saved me. To me he's the closest thing to family I have left. I would give my life for him. And since he asked me to protect you, I'd give my life for you too."
Willow frowned. "Is that the only reason?"
She hesitated before answering. "Should there be another reason?"
She put on her best fake smile and shook her head. "No, of course not. I'm just.... Never mind, forget it. I'll set up the tent. It's late, and I don't want to sleep on the ground tonight."
Now Willow knew how Luke felt about her. It was both sad and a relief. She got up and went to get the tent from her backpack. Then she got to work setting up the tent. She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice Luke coming up behind her until she felt Luke's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw him standing awkwardly with his injured leg.
"You don't need to help me," Willow said. "I can already do it myself. You should rest-"
Her words were cut off when Luke's arms pulled her close and hugged her tightly. Dumbfounded, Willow stood stiff as wood.
"I'm sorry," Luke whispered. "I didn't mean to say that I didn't care about you."
"So, you care?"
"Yes. Of course I do."
His words were like music to Willow's ears. A smile spread across her face and her heart blossomed after feeling broken just moments ago.
"Do you feel something-"
"Yeah," Luke cut in again, not even hearing the rest of her question.
Willow hugged him back, her head pressed against his chest. She closed her eyes and just savored the moment. For the first time since the werewolf had come into her life and changing everything, she truly believed that somehow everything would be okay.
***