Page 63 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

“You’re trying to make me feel better. I’m not an idiot.”

I sit up and kiss him on the mouth. “That’s my job.”

Grinning at him, I hook my arms around his neck. “So, we’ll be hungry for another two days. It’s fine. I doubt we’ll die from a few days of starvation. We’ll just make sure to eat a lot when we get to the human villages.”

His lips curve lovingly. “How considerate. And here just a few hours ago, you were ready to bite my head off because I wouldn’t let you bathe.”

I shrug. “That was then, this is now. I’ve decided to play nice with you.”

He laughs before leaning in and kissing me tenderly. “What would I do without you here to drive me crazy?”

“I want to take that as a compliment.” I get to my feet and look into the distance. “That’s the forest, right? What is it called again?”

Alex follows my gaze to where the tree line begins. “The Forest of Poison.”

“Creative.”

“I thought so. Come on. The longer we drag this out, the longer we starve.”

We make the hike to the forest. I wish we could just take some time to rest for a while. But that’s not going to be possible. Wedon’t know how much longer this journey through the forest will be. We have to keep moving.

Shifting into our wolf forms, we begin running. When we enter the forest, it seems pretty normal. I hear the sounds of birds chirping and insect activity providing the standard background music of wooded areas. It’s not very cold, but that’s probably because the South is warmer in the winter months.

As we keep running though, I feel a strange lethargy take over my limbs. Maybe it’s because we’ve been moving nonstop for hours now.

I find myself gasping for air and come to a stop. When I look to my right, Alex is faring no better.

We can take a break or we can keep going. He tilts his head to look at me, and I can see that he’s thinking the same thing. We should probably keep going.

He nudges me, licking me lightly on the nose in encouragement and I huff. We keep a steady pace this time, so as not to overexert ourselves. The air is quite pleasant here, almost sweet. The leaves are a fresh vibrant green, and thick, luscious fruit is hanging from the branches. As I run past a babbling brook, I see a plump-looking deer drinking water. My mouth moves, salivating, as my wolf daydreams of chomping down on its neck.

Trying to curb my hunger, I keep running, but everything in this forest looks so fresh and delicious it’s hard to stay focused. Is this really a poisonous forest?

I had assumed it would be a dark, grim place with monstrous creatures roaming around. Instead, it’s one of the loveliest forests I have ever seen. If I had the time, I would have likednothing better than to walk through it. One could practically live here with the food supply at hand.

Alex is also getting distracted, and I bump into him, trying to keep us both on course. The sun is beginning to set now and we’re both slowing down considerably. We had agreed not to rest in the forest, but it looks more and more comfortable as we travel.

Finally, I come to a stop, the lethargy consuming me. Alex walks over, rubbing against me as if checking to see what’s wrong.

I let out a tired whine and he grooms my neck.

The idea of sleep is irresistible now. We don’t even bother shifting back. Alex drops to the ground and I curl up next to him. It’s already dark. What will a couple of hours of rest hurt us?

Sleep hits us like a ton of bricks and we pass out almost instantly.

***

I don’t know what wakes me, but a delicious and meaty smell greets me when I do. I open my eyes to a drowsy half-mast. I see the deer from the brook approaching me. It sniffs me, its wet nose touching mine. My stomach rumbles, and my jaw opens.

Something this healthy cannot be toxic to us. Wouldn’t it have died due to eating poisonous plants and drinking toxic water? My thoughts are not making sense, and I am about to bite down on its neck, when something slams into the deer, knocking it across the clearing.

My eyes fly open and I see a brown wolf attacking the deer. A howl of dismay and anger leaves my mouth. That was my prey! How dare that wolf take it from me!

The wolf shifts back into a familiar face and confusion fills me.

What is that mercenary doing here? Why is he strangling the deer instead of just killing it with his teeth?

I hear a snapping sound, and then the mercenary turns to me. I try to get to my feet, but it’s almost as if my legs have no energy in them. He’s approaching me now and I try to wake Alex, up but he’s passed out cold.

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