Chapter 22

"I'll go check it out." Tristan gestured for her to wait there and she nodded. "I'm sure it's nothing serious."

Just as he was about to walk away, he halted and a sour expression settled on his face.

"What do you want?" He sounded pissed and Maris wondered if it was an annoying ex girlfriend that had returned to plea for mercy.

"Where is Maris?" A familiar voice sounded from the hall and it echoed, making Maris' heart to spring up with hope.

Just the mere sound of his voice made her happy, but when she remembered how cowardly he acted the previous night... She folded her arms and backed the door, eyes fixed on the folds as breeze blew them out every once in a while.

"None of your business." Tristan spat, slightly getting angry as he stood in front of the door, not letting him get into the room.

"Out of the way, do you realize she's my lemen?!" He roared and Tristan didn't shake, not even the bushy brows above his almond shaped eyes.

"Lemen you couldn't stand up for?" Tristan fired back. "What a good consort you are. Didn't you take another mate just like your mother instructed?"

"Tristan, do not get me upset." He warned, Maris did nothing other than to listen to them fight over her.

"She doesn't want to talk to you so swerve bro!" Tristan sneered and Logan pushed his way through, reaching for Maris.

Maris felt his touch on her skin, her legs felt like jelly and she was sure it wasn't her stomach that tied itself into knots, but her intestines. She resisted the urge to sink into his arms and cry. She had to be strong this time around.

"Maris," he called softly, his breath coating her neck and her heart sky rocketed into outer space. "I'm sorry."

He bent his head to her shoulder and kissed it lightly, covering her entire skin with goose bumps as she closed her eyes and pulled it open immediately.

Be strong, woman!

Her subconscious scolded and she tightened the bottle cap of her emotions, still ignoring him.

"I should have done something." He stated.

"But you didn't, mother's boy!" Logan pulled him away from Maris' body and tried to shove him out of the room, but Logan wasn't one to go down without a fight.

Maris turned with a pale face, sick of everything that was happening and watched as the light in Logan's eyes faded and was now replaced with darkness and anger. His fangs shot out and he punched Tristan in the face. Blows flew from every corner and Maris froze, ping-ponging her gaze from Logan to Tristan.

"Stop it!" She yelled, tears brimming in her eyes as she rushed in between them without thinking.

She tried to push Logan off Tristan, but it wasn't working. Suddenly, she managed to push Tristan, but scratched his neck with her grown nails. She clawed his neck like a cat, drawing him away from Logan.

She lost her grip on Tristan and fell on her butt, pain shot up her coccyx.

Logan launched at Tristan, shoulder to stomach and sent him to the floor. They changed into their wolves–Logan was a big, black and hairy wolf with a touch of white on his fur, while the wolf of Tristan was brown.

The sight of the childish act got Maris pissed she got to her feet with clenched fists.

"Logan, Tristan!" She yelled, casting a strangled expression at them. "Stop fighting at once!"

Her scream made them to fall with both their palms covering their ears. They whimpered like dogs and changed back to their human forms.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" She questioned breathlessly, feeling a little weak as she breathed heavily, holding her chest for dear life. "Why don't you just kill me so I can rest?"

They stared apologetically at her and she sat on the floor, tears flowing down her cheeks as she sobbed, wetting her gown from yesterday.

Logan crawled over to where she was and hugged her, whispering tons of apologies with light kisses on her head.

"Forgive me." He begged and she hugged him back, not caring that they were both seeing the vulnerable side of her. "But I have to take you away from here. You're gonna put Tristan and Olivia in danger."

"Promise to tell me why your mother hates my kind." She sniffled and he nodded. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." They entangled their pinkies and he picked her up from the floor–bridal like style and turned to look at Tristan.

Logan growled at him and Maris could feel his muscles tensing under her. She rubbed his chest slightly and it calmed him down.

"Thank you for your hospitality." She flashed him an appreciative look and noticed the red marks she had given him on his neck. She felt sorry then smiled apologetically at him.

He got to his feet and wiped his lips with the back of his palm and shook his head saying, "Don't mention. Remember, an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

The sentence echoed in her head and rang a bell. Those words felt familiar, something about Tristan was familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

His sister walked in with a tray of food then did a curtsy bow the moment she set eyes on the alpha.

"Greetings." She raised her head, a blush crawling up her white skin then scanned the now upside down room.

The alpha acknowledged her greetings. She dropped the tray and quickly left the room with a wavering gaze.

Tristan grabbed an apple from the tray and tossed it at Maris, which she caught.

There was this sudden look of disappointed on Tristan's face. They shared an understanding gaze before she buried her face in Logan's chest and enjoyed each step he took. Some parts of her wished she didn't forgive him immediately.

Who said I forgave him immediately?

Her subconscious slurred and she grinned a wicked one.

After they'd gone a little far from Tristan's house, she raised her head to speak.

"Can I be dropped now?" She requested and Logan didn't argue. Carefully, he placed her on the ground and she straightened the rumpled parts of her gown then raised her nose high.

Their eyes met, but she cut the eye contact and walked away with something mischievous under her sleeves.

"Where are you going?" He questioned with his brows, knotting into a frown.

"Far away from you and your kingdom." She replied dryly, hopping over a stone without looking back and bit out of the apple.

"Why?" Logan followed her like a lost puppy, frustration getting the better of him.

"Because my so called consort wasn't there when my heart seized. Someone else saved me and my so called consort badged into his house and threw blows at him for being kind to me." She seethed, pumping anger into her veins. "Wanna know who this toxic consort of a person is?"

She stopped and spun so she could fix a cold gaze on the confused lemen of hers.

"That person is you, Logan Wolfe!" She pointed at him, stressing every syllable of his name. "You have never saved me. I've always saved myself from troubles and now someone else saved me and you come over, acting all Jackass by beating him up."

She threw the Apple at him, but he ducked.

"He should have let me take you back. He knows the danger hovering over you." Logan tried to explain, but it added more fuel to the fire burning in her.

"If I'm nothing, but danger then let me out of this stupid kingdom. I never asked for your help anyways." She snorted then started walking away from him.

Some parts of her wanted him to follow her and beg, but he didn't. He just stood, watching as she retreated away from him.

"And don't follow me!" She yelled over her shoulders.

Instantly, he ran and scoped her off the ground. Like the wind, he ran with her in his arms for about five minutes before arriving at a destination. He placed her down and opened the gate to the other world and into the Ufeli forest. He didn't even give her time to breathe before whisking her away in his arms again.

They arrived at the water fall they had visited the previous day and he placed her softly on the grass, pinning both her hands on each sides of her head. Their faces were a whisper away and they breathed heavily, getting lost in each other's eyes.

"I love you, Maris." He whispered and it sent adrenaline pumping through her system.

She gazed hungrily at his plump lips and said, "Kiss me," before her head could process the words.