Chapter Ten
Alrick
Before I realized he wasn't sleeping and joined him in the bed, I’d struggled with the decision of when we should leave. Without additional information on who had hired the kidnappers, I had to assume that there was a high likelihood of the customer that they had referred being human, and that meant the most likely time for that person to arrive to collect their merchandise would be daytime. Wolves usually avoid traveling during the day, so anyone hunting us would be less likely to be out at that time but dragons – a significant threat now that we were presumably away from the royal lands – were more likely to be hunting during the day. To that end, I had decided to leave before the dawn and, with a little luck, avoid the risk of dragons for a few hours before the sun was high enough to begin lighting the forest floor. Then, if all went well, we would find a spot to hide until the relative safety of the night was upon us again.
I’d expected to have to explain this to Sebastian, to need to justify my decisions, so I was pleasantly surprised when he prepared to leave without question and then fell in behind me, his muzzle even with my left flank, and followed me as if it never occurred to him to do otherwise. My wolf chuffed his satisfaction as we moved cautiously through the shadows.
While I wasn’t any closer to identifying our exact location, my forays into the forest while Sebastian was unconscious had served a purpose. Now, as I raised my muzzle to scent the air, I confirmed my previous suspicion. The air was colder than it had been in Terena de Dragoni and there was a freshness, almost like fresh snow even though the snow on the ground was several days old, with the crunch crust that came from softening in the day and refreezing the chill of the night. Other than the trees in the forest, vegetation was scarce when I pawed through the snow. I was certain that, wherever we had been taken, we were north of Terena de Dragoni – perhaps even over the Alaskan border. So, when it was time to choose a direction, I checked to be certain that Sebastian was keeping up and I turned my muzzle south.
We trotted on, keeping to the dark shadows as much as possible as the morning sky began to take on the streaks of rose, gold, and amber that told of the rising sun. When it finally peeked over the mountain, I started paying more attention to my surroundings, coming to a full stop when my eyes lit on a crevice in the rock face, nearly hidden by a scraggly Mountain Laurel bush. Pushing through carefully, I found a small cave, just the right size for two wolves to curl up out of sight, and no smells to indicate that we were trespassing. I whined softly, calling to Sebastian to join me from where I had left him secreted in the shadows. Once we were inside, I nudged him behind me, placing him between my body and the rock at the back of our temporary home. Sebastian sniffed the small area curiously and, apparently satisfied, curled up into a ball, his tail wrapping around his nose, and closed his eyes. I managed to untangle myself from the pack I had carried. The frigid air made me hesitant to shift unless I had no other option - and I shoved it against the wall next to Sebastian before I followed suit and curled into a ball next to him to catch up on the rest I had missed earlier.
I came awake to the sounds of the forest’s evening dwellers. I yawned and stretched, turning to wake Sebastian but his blue eyes were already following my every move. I rubbed my cheek against his, an affectionate greeting between wolves, and I stood, whuffling for him to follow me. The light was dim enough that the shadows were once again thickening. We were able to find a secluded spot to relieve ourselves that was far enough from the cave that it shouldn’t attract undue attention if we ended up staying another night.
"Hungry?" I asked.
Sebastian hesitated and then slowly nodded his head, a grimace twisting his face. "Yes."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I was about to insist on an answer when it occurred to me that I probably already knew. I gritted my teeth and threw myself into my shift, unzipping the bag and wrapping in the wool blanket as soon as my fingers began to form. It wasn't much protection against the cold, but it would work long enough for me to get the food and water out. Sebastian's face moved from disgruntled to confused as he watched me, his head cocked.
"No, don't shift," I answered his unspoken question. "It's too cold. I'm switching back in just a minute."
I tossed a large plastic container on the ground and then sifted through the pack, looking for the water. I'd packed it on the bottom, hoping that the contact with my body would keep it from freezing, and I was relieved to see that it had worked. Working quickly I popped open the plastic container and placed it in front of Sebastian before pouring water into the lid.
"Eat," I coaxed when Sebastian looked over at me. He hesitated, his innate submission not allowing him to eat before an Alpha, and I shook my head. "C'mere."
The Omega crawled toward me on his belly, his ears flat, apparently concerned that he had upset me. I drank from the dish and then slid the water closer to his nose. "I've already had some, Sebastian. Please, drink."
The tip of his tongue darted out, dipping into the water and back hummingbird fast, like he was afraid that I would change my mind. I laughed to myself but pretended not to notice, reaching for the cold hash instead. I scooped out some with my fingers and popped it into my mouth, relieved when Sebastian returned to drinking from the water.
"Not bad," I said, scooping a handful of hash up and offering it to my Omega. Sebastian hesitated and I brought my hand closer, bumping the hash against his nose. He huffed but his tongue peeked out again, licking the spot clean. "This would go a lot faster if you just ate," I teased him. "It's gonna take all until tomorrow one lick at a time."
Sebastian snorted but relaxed, his ears popped back up and his tail rose as he cautiously took a bite from the hash in my hand. His tail wagged a little, and he leaned in for another bite with a satisfied groan.
"Not bad, right?" I helped myself to another bite. "It travels better than I'd hoped."
Amused that he preferred to eat from my hand instead of from the bowl, I continued to alternate bites with Sebastian until we were both sated.
"You done?" I asked when he laid his head on my thigh with a sigh. A slight nod of the head. "Good. Have a little more water and then I'll pack everything up."
By the time we had eaten and were ready to leave, the moon was just beginning to rise. Sebastian surprised me by licking my face as soon as I'd shifted.
"Thank you for the food," he whispered in my mind.
I started to huff it off – he knew it was an Alpha's job to provide – but I stopped myself, turning instead to nuzzle my cheek to his, marking him with my scent.
"You're welcome," I said, scenting the night air. It was crisp and clean, nothing to indicate any predators larger than us in the area. Sebastian's scent seemed a little stronger than usual but it smelled amazing, so I was perfectly fine with that. "Are you okay to start?" Sebastian nodded, but I pushed. "What about the pain?"
"Just a little stiff," Sebastian assured me. "It doesn't actually hurt anymore."
I chuffed my satisfaction and started off down the trail, setting a pace that was a little faster than when we'd set out. Wolves can travel up to fifty miles in a day, but if we made it twenty without stressing Sebastian's still-healing body, I'd count it as a success.