The forest was veiled by a silvery mist, and Polly's eyes followed the dots of rain that painted the leaves with a glistening sheen.
Blake led the way while most hunters fanned out in different directions. They had discussed which route to take in order to catch more goodies, since it would be faster and easier if they split up. Everyone had to choose a specific location where they'd meet to drop whatever it is they've achieved on the way, and they would round it up before returning to the pack.
Polly wasn't sure how, but she ended up being paired up with the beta himself– if she remembered correctly, Serra told them he was the beta of the pack. After witnessing his transformation, she was torn between wanting to see that as a mere illusion, or accepting the fact that someone literally shifted into a wolf on all fours.
A freaking wolf! Not a costume, but an actual wolf who could walk on all fours.
"Are you okay?" Blake turned around to see she was still a couple of meters behind, and the startled look on her face made him chuckle softly. He approached where she stood, and Polly mindfully took a single step back to distance herself from him.
"I won't hurt you." He assured her calmly, "Incase you haven't noticed, you're someone really special to the pack. No one knows who you really are just yet, but once the announcements are made, don't be surprised when you two start getting the treatment you both deserve, and I'm speaking from a beta's point of view. The responsibility of a beta is nothing compared to an Alpha, and hopefully your brother is ready to take on that responsibility."
Polly eyed him suspiciously. "You said something earlier, that I'm gifted?"
Blake looked up at the sky and clicked his tongue, "just know you're a very special woman, Miss Polly. I don't normally hunt in this form, but I can see you're terrified of wolves, so for your sake, I'll remain like this till the end of our hunt. We are searching for herbal ingredients first, right?"
"Yeah." Polly nodded, shifting a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. A spark of interest resonated in Blake's eyes, and he watched her brush past him in a hurry.
A strange feeling tugged in his chest, and his eyebrows creased in puzzlement.
Polly's task was to find herbs in the damp earth, but since she wasn't familiar with herbs, Blake decided she tagged along with him instead, which led to them being partners. He showed her what type of herbal ingredients she could get from the forest, however, that doesn't stop them from shooting down a prey if they end up spotting one.
"This is what we call the Angelica flower." Blake crouched down to carefully cut the flower from the stem. "Most Angelica flowers are specifically for the growing pups. It repels nightmares, and it's useful to those who are new to shifting. You and your brother can take some for yourselves, it'll help you a lot during your first shift—"
Blake's remaining words were left unsaid when he fixed his blue eyes on the red-haired.
Apparently she wasn't paying attention to anything he had been saying, but she had her eyes and arrow targeted on a deer that happened to pop out from behind one of the tall trees. The majestic deer had antlers that reached for the sky. It was indeed their luck that they had spotted one so big, and to top it off, Blake was amazed when he noticed Polly aiming her arrow at it.
Completely focused. It didn't look like she was a newbie to archery.
The drizzling had ceased an hour ago, but the sounds of water droplets could still be heard within the background. The deer suddenly froze, sensing danger, but Polly released her arrow with the right amount of precision, and it flew, striking the deer's flank before it had the chance to get away.
"Yes!" Polly didn't hide her jubilation. She would have done a little victory dance if Blake wasn't watching her so steadily, unblinkingly.
"That was a perfect hit." He said, sounding impressed as he approached the unmoved deer. "Not your first time using a bow and arrow?"
"I took a few lessons in the city." Polly explained, suddenly grateful for all those archery classes she went to during her time in high school.
She sat on a log and quietly watched as Blake handled the deer by himself, and he lifted the huge animal on his shoulder afterwards. She understood his role as a beta, and she wondered if hunting was just part of his curriculum, or if he just wanted to assist, cause If a beta comes before an Alpha and a Luna, doesn't that make them more important in some way?
Also, how is carrying that all by himself? His muscles seemed to stretch in ways that would leave many women impressed, drooling even, and she could easily tell that he was an eye candy for the rest of his pack.
Polly's phone buzzed twice in her pocket, and she reached for it in her jeans. The service here was not so strong, but she was able to receive one or two messages.
She already emailed Emily last night, and the first person that came to mind was her assistant who was probably responding to the email she sent, but how wrong she was. The name on her screen made Polly sit straight, and her pulse quickened when she saw it was a message from her stalker.
What does he want?
Stalker: Enjoying the view?
Polly gazed at her phone unblinkingly as she noticed he was still typing, and the next message dropped.
Stalker: I don't like the way he stares at you.
Polly immediately gave her vicinity a quick glance, her heart thrumming when she understood what he meant.
He was here? How is that even possible??
Polly: Where are you?
There was no further response. Polly's frustration was starting to heighten, she was literally squeezing her own phone in her hands when it buzzed again.
Stalker: Come find me.