Chapitre 13

MONDAY OF THE 9TH MOON COUNT:

Dana,

where are you? What happened? Please come home. we need you here The forest needs you.

Why didn't you tell us anything? Dad isn't mad at you. He is disappointed and he is very worried. We can hardly sleep thinking about where you are...

Please come home!

My wolf howled internally.

I'd skimmed those words hundreds of times in the last few weeks. I could almost hear my mother's desperate voice. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Even here in the north, summer had hit in full force. My wolf paced restlessly up and down. I put the scroll on the bunk and grabbed my backpack.

I fished out the bottle of green potion that I'd grown accustomed to using. There wasn't much left. I took a sip when the tent door suddenly swung open.

"What are you doing there?"

Mal came in. I hastily dropped the bottle into my backpack. His uniform hung from his hips while sour sweat clung to his torso. Even the orange hair was soaked.

"Aren't you supposed to be at wolf training?" I replied. Over the past few weeks, the fear in his presence had slowly dissipated. Even though we hated each other, we were a team at training and we behaved like one. My wolf was different Opinion I have to stop her hissing The more time passed the more tense she became.

Mael ignored my question and went to his bunk. When he squatted, my mouth dropped open. His back was covered with whiplashes. Countless scars stood out against his pale skin. For the first time in days, my wolf fell silent, giving me some rest.

"Who did this to you?" I asked, standing up. It must have been a silver whip, one of the harshest punishments; and forbidden since the Great Reversal. Mael jerked around and stood up.

"It's none of your business," he growled, pulling his uniform over his shoulders and marching out of the tent. I stared after him. Was that his family?

My wolf growled irritably. Lately she's been having more and more fun trampling on my nerves. Nevertheless, she had one point: the individual training with Astor.

As far as that goes, the last few weeks have been pure agony. Ever since we decided to stay apart, my wolf has done everything to convince me otherwise. Maybe that's why she never shut up.

I left the tent and the hot afternoon sun immediately set its sights on me. And for the first time, I was grateful for the short hair that wasn't clinging to the back of my neck. I made my way to the place where we practiced.

In the group the training was still okay with Ulf at my side. But every time we were alone on the pitch, this feeling grew in my stomach. Astor had shown me the basic techniques of the fight and to my inner anger he had not skimped on physical contact.

My cheeks flushed as I remembered him standing behind me and straightening my arms. I closed my eyes for a moment before coming to my senses. He must have noticed that I was about to explode because he didn't try it a second time, much to the chagrin of my wolf. She longed for it.

An inner wailing confirmed my thoughts.

"Do you want to shut up?!" I yelled, dropping my head in my hands. It was driving me insane and the heat wasn't helping either.

"You're too late."

I raised my head. Anger boiled in my chest, but I bit back a scathing comment.

"Sorry," I ground out from behind clenched teeth. My wolf snarled and I narrowed my eyes.

Shut your mouth.

"Today we're going to simulate a real fight," Astor said, catching my attention.

"What?"

He walked up to me and stood opposite me. We hadn't even started and my uniform was already soaked with sweat.

"You heard me. Raise your fists."

I stared at him in amazement. We had practiced for weeks, but I've never really had to fight him. Astor was over a head taller than me. If he wanted to, he could put me on the floor in a second.

Instead of raising my fists like he said, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. My wolf seized the moment of my weakness and pressed against the barrier with full energy. I widened my eyes, which were no longer my own.

I blinked frantically and pushed her back into the corner. She didn't like that at all. Suddenly, arms wrapped around my shoulders and, surprised, I pushed against the firm chest with all my strength. Astor barely moved, but he voluntarily took a step away from me.

I raised my fists.

"Dana, stop it. "You're not yourself," he said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Hot anger made my heart pound. I was so sick of his orders. He bossed me around and for so many weeks I had kept my mouth shut and endured everything. That was over now. My wolf growled in agreement.

"What, I thought we were going to fight," I replied, raising my fists. It was barely my voice. I felt my eyes flicker. A small part of me loathed my words, but I couldn't help the anger that emanated in waves from my she-wolf.

Astor was not my enemy, quite the opposite.

"RUN," I growled, feeling myself slowly but surely losing control. My own thoughts took a back seat as the beast within me took over my movements.

I was trapped in my own body and could only watch what my wolf was doing. Her gaze was fixed on Astor.

"You want to run?" he asked. "You finally want to feel free again, don't you?"

My wolf howled through my body and I felt my fingernails slowly turn into claws. She hadn't walked in over two months and had accumulated energy. Now I couldn't stop her.

"It's unsafe here. Come along. We're going to the mountains," Astor commanded. He started running into the woods and my wolf followed, still half human. We sprinted between the trees along the lake, which had shrunk quite a bit from the sun. "Pull these uniform off."

Inwardly, I protested at Astor's words, but now I was the voice in my head that couldn't do anything. My wolf followed his command without hesitation. Luckily he turned around in time, as if realizing that he shouldn't be watching. She threw the fabric aside and a chill ran down my spine. The cracking of bones followed.

The pressure that had been on my chest for so many weeks eased. Finally we could breathe freely again. The forest floor beneath our paws was bone dry. My wolf dug her claws into the ground and without hesitation she thundered through the rocks into the mountains of the north, away from camp.

"Dana!"

Astor's voice trailed off in the distance as we entered the realm of nature. My wolf was completely fixated on the path in front of her. It was driving the legs beneath her to the max, burning off the energy she had suppressed for so long.

The wind brushed against us along with various smells of rabbits, deer and mice. The trees here in the north were a rich color. Finally we were free again.

Suddenly, a strange smell filled the air. We slowed a bit as I tried to remember the trail. wolves.

"Dana!"

Unknown wolves.

Before I could slow down, a force threw me to the ground. My wolf growled and squirmed around. She calmed down when the familiar smell of Astor hit her nostrils.

He pinned us to the ground, but his eyes first took in our surroundings before turning to us.

"Are you insane?!" he snarled. The anger in his eyes was palpable. He held us in a tight grip so we couldn't easily get out. "This is Nomad territory, Alpha Eros' territory."

His eyes searched the trees before he got up. A rustling sounded not far from us.

"Run," he growled, and my wolf couldn't ignore his command. Without hesitation, she ran in the direction we had come from. She looked around. Astor was right behind us in his human form.

Suddenly wolves burst out of the trees behind him. The wolf at the front was the biggest. Its fur was orange-brown, like that of autumn leaves. His teeth were bared.

The leader of the nomads.

Fear swept over me as he leapt towards us. Suddenly Astor stopped and spun around. My heart froze when he faced the wolves. I slid to a stop, unable to just keep going.

What had I done...

***

"Stop!" Astor commanded. He stood firmly in place, like an indestructible fortress. At the force of his words, the wolves slowed, even the leader of the nomads. They growled, but dared not come any closer. My ears were laid out and my posture stooped.

"Ilya, forgive us. We didn't want to trespass on your territory. But this is neutral ground."

Astor's voice was calm, as if he hadn't lost any strength in the sprint. His heart was pounding in his chest like he was ready for a fight. The leader, Ilja, eyed him in wolf form before turning away. The nomads followed their leader and left us alone. My wolf let out a relieved breath.

Astor turned to me.

"Are you suicidal?!" he yelled, coming toward me. My wolf was still in control and she whined at the sharp tone of her mate. Without hesitation, she lay down on the forest floor and rolled onto her back. She Ignoring my inner protests, it was her turn and instincts took precedence over reason and shame.

Astor sighed and squatted down next to her. He ran his fingers through the soft fur on her stomach. My wolf closed her eyes and purred. Using her distraction, I pushed against the barrier she had set up with all my might.

Before she could even growl, I was back.

I rolled back onto all four legs and shook the dirt out of my fur. Astor's shadow still loomed over me. He looked around and pulled something out from behind a tree.

my uniform

He left me alone and immediately my bones began to move back into their human form. For the first time in weeks, my wolf was calm and relaxed. That had felt good, despite the incident. I got up quickly and put on my uniform.

Breathe.

I put my head in my hands. That just hadn't really happened. Could the ground please swallow me?

"I see you're yourself again," Astor said, but I didn't turn to him.

Yes, I was myself again with all the unpleasant feelings that could plague me now. Should I apologize or should I yell at him? My brain wasn't sure yet. Instead I just kept quiet.

The image of the nomads flew by before my eyes.

"Who is Ilya?"

I turned around. If Astor noticed I was trying to distract him, he didn't say a word about it. For the first time, I was grateful that he remained professional.

"The leader of the nomads and a very good friend of Alpha Eros. He's not to be trifled with. The wolves of the north are used to harsh conditions..."

I nodded.

"Has your wolf calmed down?" he asked as we slowly made our way into familiar territory. I coughed oddly at the question.

"Uh yeah, she did."

"Next time you should let me know earlier so that it won't be so close again. The last thing we need is you turning into a wolf in the middle of camp, no matter how pretty she is."

"Now is that a criticism or a compliment?" I asked, looking sideways at him. A soft laugh escaped his lips. The golden strands were a mess from the sprint we'd put on.

"Both."

"You're an only child, aren't you?" I replied and Astor bowed his head towards me. The gleam in his eyes made my stomach clench. They studied my whole face.

"As are you," he replied confidently.

"What makes you think that?"

"Instinct."

"Other family?" I asked.

"Too many to list."

"Aha, so it's an extended family!"

"You could say that," Astor replied, little shadows forming around his laughing eyes. He enjoyed it. "Now it's my turn. Well, you're an only child. Your father is the keeper of the western forest."

"It's not fair," I replied, crossing my arms.

"Oh, don't be mad at me. That's the burden of coming from a well-known family," Astor replied, putting his arm around my shoulder. Immediately, the tingling began to take over my senses and I snuggled up against him.

As quickly as the moment came, it faded away as quickly as he must have remembered what we had agreed.

We burst out from between the rocks back into the familiar forest. I looked at the bone-dry path ahead, searching for something to fill the stillness with.

"What's your father's job?" I asked. A laugh escaped his lips. We passed the river and made our way through the forest to camp.

"If you're right, I'll tell you."

I narrowed my eyes and gave Astor a sharp look.

"I'd guess he's of pretty high status. Not everyone goes from alpha to general. Is he a warrior too?" I asked. I tried to look for signs in his face, but Astor didn't make a face. Did you learn that as a general?

"You could put it that way," he replied. Between the forest and the verbena field, the camp came into view. A light breeze blew from the east and made my strands dance.

"Is he a border guard?"

"No."

"Is he a tracker?"

Astor opened his mouth, but a shadowy shape came running toward us.

"Every time..." he began. "Edgar, what's going on now?"

The soldier's gaze darted back and forth between us.

"I'm very sorry, General Astor. Everyone is waiting for you at dinner. I told them not to start without you, but they're starting to get angry."

I chuckled at the image of Roan tapping the table with his fork.

"Why do you order something like that? You should never command anything to demonstrate your authority. Obedience comes only through trust. Without trust, the war is already lost in training."

Dumbfounded Edgar stared at him. It wasn't the praise or help he expected.

"Yes, General Astor," he said, frantically jotting down something on his scroll. "Are we going to eat now?"

"I'll just change my clothes," I said, pointing to the tent. The whole uniform was soaked with sweat from the midday sun. Too much sweat could reveal my identity.

Nobody would wait for me to eat anyway, not even Luke and the rest of the Wild Werewolves and who could blame them.

I scurried across the pitch to the puppies' tent and slipped inside. I sprinted to my seat and rummaged in my backpack. Even though it was dark, my wolf felt the presence stepping out of the shadows behind us. My hand stayed in my pocket.

"Dana, where are you? What happened? Please come home. we need you here The forest needs you."

Mael's voice played a concern he couldn't really feel. I felt around in my backpack.

The letter wasn't there. He had taken it. Instead, I felt the cool metal of the dagger I'd brought with me.

I closed my eyes and curled my fingers around the hilt.

My heart raced faster than a rabbit on the run.

"Why didn't you tell us anything? Dad isn't mad at you. He is disappointed and he is very worried. We can hardly sleep thinking about where you are... Please come home!"

His footsteps came closer and very slowly I turned around. I held the dagger tightly behind my back. Mael's green eyes left the stolen letter in his hand and fixed on me.

The hatred that had waned over the past few weeks was back in full force. Loud shouts came from outside and footsteps thundered across the floor. what happened there? Mael ignored it skillfully and kept walking towards me.

"Dana..."