Chapter 34 – Caden

My mind is racing as my paws carry me closer to the Lodge, it won’t be long till Grace wins the bet and I can claim what is mine. I know she will demand answers from me as soon as we are safe and I am terrified that Grace will come to resent me once she knows the truth. But she also deserves the truth if she is going to decide whether she is still willing to date me or not. I sigh, still conscious of her clinging to me as I refuse to let her run while still injured and slow my pace. We have been running for hours now and will need to rest soon.

Suddenly, I feel the weight of Grace's body shift on top of me and come to a stop afraid she will fall off and hurt herself further. Her even breathing settles what little panic has risen inside me and I smile. She has fallen asleep on top of me and I couldn’t be any happier. She still trusts me enough to let down her guard and fall asleep. Amelia comes to a stop beside me, letting out a yawn as she stretches her body. I can tell that she too is tired and to be honest, so am I. With the Lodge only being a few hours away, I decide that resting for a bit will be best. We don’t know how many desperate wolves will be blocking the final path to freedom as they fight to claim a mate and with Amelia and Grace both being unmated, they will need their strength to fight these wolves head on.

Pressing my head against Amelia’s shoulder, I nod towards the left where I scented fresh water. I know there is a pond with a creek nearby with a cave. She nods, understanding my meaning, and the two of us take off at a slow trot. Conscious of the now sleeping Grace, I am careful not to make any sudden movements in case she slips off. Within moments we come face to face with the pond, Amelia quickly rushing into the water and splashing around like a pup. I shake my head, wanting to laugh at her playfulness, before following the small creek to the cave nearby. Taking a deep breath near the entrance, I try to scent any wolves or fledgling that could be resting inside and after scenting nothing out of the ordinary, I walk inside and take in the surroundings. Inside is the usual mattress, this time instead of a bag full of survival items, a small metal chest is place to the side. Carefully, I maneuver Grace off of my back and shift, taking the bag off of her back slowly as to not wake her before scooping her into my arms and helping her lay in a more comfortable position and covering her with the thin blanket left at the foot of the mattress. Moving my attention to the bag, I quickly grab the pair of shorts and slide them on before walking out of the cave and scan the pond for Amelia. I spot her quickly, the she-wolf laying by the edge of the water basking in the moon light, and chuckle. She is carefree like a pup and it really balances out Grace’s serious attitude.

“Amelia!” I call out, watching her head pop up from her paws as she looks in my direction puzzled. Waving my arm, I disappear into the cave once more knowing she will be coming in shortly. I take this time to check the contents of the metal chest, the lid opening with ease and not making much sound. I hear the soft tap, tap, tap of nails on stone and turn my head towards the entrance just as Amelia walks in, her fur still damp from playing in the water. Turning my focus back to the chest, I rummage inside to find some long baggy shirts and canned food. Smiling triumphantly, I throw a shirt at Amelia, watching her catch the fabric between her teeth before taking out two cans of mixed fruit for the two of us to eat.

“Something other than jerky?” Amelia asks, taking a spot on the mattress as I walk towards the blonde. Handing her a can of the fruit, I carefully sit beside Grace and watch the rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps.

“No, there is a bag of that inside the chest but I thought we could use something different.” I answer, cracking open the can of fruit and tipping the contents into my mouth. Amelia shrugs before digging into the can.

“Should we wake Grace up?”

“No. She needs her sleep.” Amelia answers with a sigh, looking at the sleeping wolf between us. I nod in agreement, finishing my food quickly and placing the can off to the side. I feel the exhaustion from running hours on end creeping in and the though of curling up beside Grace seems like a good idea. Pulling the sleeping wolf gently to my side, I wrap my arms around her protectively as Amelia stretches out and in an instant falls asleep. Holding in a chuckle, I burry my nose in Grace’s hair and breath in her scent as sleep takes hold of me.