I held him close, whispering his name, "Shh, please, Marcus. Mama's here. We have to go."
His whimper turned into a small sob. My heart dropped. I reached into my pouch, pulled out a dried firepetal leaf and quickly rubbed it between my fingers, releasing the calming scent.
I waved it under his nose praying to the Moon Goddess that it would work. He sniffled once, twice, then slowly his breathing became calm. His eyes closed again. I let out a shaky breath and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Without another second to waste, I left the oil lamp and slipped through the back door, the cold night air hitting my face. I passed through my cottage to grab my bag and glanced back one last time and disappeared into the trees.
I'd memorized this road from the old map, each turn stuck in my mind as I walked as fast as I could under the moonlight.
A couple of hours later, the sun was high, and I tightly held my son. My heart kept beating fast, knowing I couldn't slow down.
"We're almost there, somewhere safe. I promise." I murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
The forest seemed too quiet, the trees looming overhead. I could hear the rustling of leaves and the small animals darting away.
But something felt… off.
My wolf senses told me I was being watched, but I pushed forward. No turning back now.
A jasmine scent hit me, strong and unfamiliar. I froze mid-step. This was not the road I thought I was on. Panic began to creep in.
Did I take a wrong turn? No, I couldn't have.
But this… this scent, it was different. There was something unusual about this place because my wolf kept pacing up and down restlessly..
After walking a couple of yards, the scent got stronger, I stumbled upon a man on the ground, clutching his ankle in pain. Two other men, identical in appearance, stood nearby.
Both of them were strikingly handsome but they seemed a bit different in their personalities.
The first one looked sharply calculative and the way he looked at me, like I was something beneath him, made my skin crawl.
The other one looked at me with a hint of fascination as if he found my dwarf stature entertaining as he knelt down to check the injured man.
"His ankle," I muttered without thinking, drawn by the pain. My body moved before I could stop myself, heading straight towards the injured man.
"Who are you?" one of the twins asked. His low and commanding voice, sent shivers right down my spine. "You're clearly not from around here!"
I hesitated for a moment. My wolf kept shouting the word 'Mate!'. But the truth wasn't something that I could just share, not with them. Not after what I had been through.
"Far away," I replied too quickly. "I… I've traveled a lot."
His eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't buying it.
The other twin closest to me stepped forward, with a softened expression. He slightly held the arm of his twin.
"She could be useful, Ryker," he said softly before he turned towards me, "Can you help him?"
Ryker. So that was his name.
I nodded and gave my child to the friendly twin before I knelt beside the man. I took some herbal ointment in my bag.
My hands worked quickly, fingers pressing around the sprained ankle. "Just... hold still."
Ryker crossed his arms and watched me with narrowed eyes. "Who said you could touch him?"
I glanced up, startled by the harshness in his voice. "I'm trying to help!" I snapped back before I could stop myself.
"You're trespassing. Don't think that just because you're helping, we won't deal with you properly." Ryker continued.
I stiffened, trying not to be disturbed with his intense look and mouth watering scent.
"Maybe if you didn't stand around growling at me, I'd get this done faster!"
He snarled, stepping even closer. His twin quickly intervened, placing a hand on his brother's chest.
"She's just trying to help, bro," he said, trying to calm the situation. "Let her finish."
Just as I thought I'd overstepped, my son giggled from the arms of the friendly twin. His small hands reached out towards Ryker, and for some reason, he paused.
"Why is he…?" I started, confused, as my son leaned towards Ryker with his arms wide open.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at his brother who now looked more amused than ever.
"He never reacts like that to strangers." I muttered, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
I could feel my heart pounding as I finished attending to the man's ankle. My hands started shaking. I shouldn't have been here. I shouldn't have stopped, but… but I couldn't just walk away when someone was in pain.
I stood up once again and took my child as I started thinking about continuing my journey. I looked for another big tree close by with a huge shade where I quickly fed my baby, changed him and returned close to the three men.
"Thank you for your holding my baby," I muttered looking at one of the twins who helped me with the baby while attending to the other man.
"I didn't offer any help!" he responded coldly.
I blinked, looking up. I'd addressed Ryker.
His brother chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying my mistake. I bit my lip, silently cursing myself, "Wait, no, I meant—"
Ryker just glared at me before turning away. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks.
"Now get off our land, dwarf!" he said coldly, but there was something unreadable in his eyes as he moved away.
His brother shook his head and drews close to me with a smile. "You've a very kind heart."
"Tell that to your charming brother," I muttered, casting a glance at the retreating figure. But inside, I couldn't help the strange flutter in my stomach each time I looked at him walking away from me.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. Men are trouble, and I've had enough of them for one lifetime.
As I turned to leave, the friendly twin stepped in front of me, his expression was gentle but determined.
"Listen," he started, "you helped our Beta. The least we can do is offer you a place to rest for a couple of days."
I shook my head quickly, clutching my son tighter. "No, I have to keep moving. We're not... we're not looking to stay anywhere."
He gave me a knowing look, glancing at the road ahead. "You don't even know where you're going, do you?"
His words stroke a nerve, but I stayed silent.
He sighed. "You're on dangerous land. It's not safe for a lone mother and her child to travel through here without protection. My pack will offer you safety, food, and a bed for a few days. That's all."
I hesitated, glancing down at my son. His eyes were heavy with sleep. We'd been running for so long. But trusting another pack, especially Alphas, felt like a risk I couldn't afford.
Sensing my reluctance, the friendly twin lowered his voice. "It's not forever. Just enough time for you to regain your strength. We won't force you to stay."
I bit my lip, still torn, but the exhaustion was catching up with me. "Just a couple of days," I said slowly, more to myself than to him.
He nodded, smiling softly. "Just a couple of days."
As I reluctantly agreed to stay, the friendly twin's smile widened. He gestured for me to follow him, and I took a step forward, still feeling uneasy.
But just as we entered the packhouse area as I followed their lead, a fight broke out between two pack members. I didn't pay much attention at first because wolves fight all the time.
But then Ryker stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the fight.
Without a word, he strode over and broke them apart, tossing one man to the ground as if he weighed nothing. The sheer force of it took my breath away.
The man scrambled to his feet, avoiding Ryker's eyes as he muttered an apology. I suddenly felt tense as he turned back to me, his eyes cold and unreadable.
I swallowed hard. This was the kind of Alpha that I f
eared. The one who ruled with strength and intimidation.
And I was supposed to trust him and stay in his pack for a while?