Thirty Four

Thirty Four
~Amber.

After a moment of silence, Carmen broke the silence and looked at me eagerly.

"What do you want to do?" She asked, like I was the determinant of our run tonight.

"What do I want to do or what do you want us to do?" I asked laughingly, my face scrunched up in a playful look.

She smiled and turned her gaze towards an opening path in the forest, the smell of pinewood still haunted me and the cold air refreshed me. 

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" 

"The sound of moving water, a lake." She informed.

I frowned. "Don't tell me you want to go for a swim right now?"

She shrugged. "There's really nothing else to do, and it is not a bad idea."  

"We could have stayed indoors." I muttered.

True, I was just putting up a stubborn front. I actually enjoyed and relished every moment I spent here, there were no distractions or intrusion or some taunting presence of the two jerks. We walked towards the stream, it glimmered in moonlight and looked inviting. We pulled off our robes and kept them close to our sight. 

The water was damn cold and chilling, but it was refreshing. I did a routine of dipping myself into the watee an after a count pulling myself back up, while struggling for breath.

"What's that?" Carmen asked, panicked. Floating and turning around in fear.

My heart race picked. "What's that Carmen?"

Growls of male wolves filled the air, the scent and the familiar growlings made me recognize who they were instantly..

"We are doomed." 

Carmen swan towards me and we both stared at the direction the growls came from. "We would be doomed if we stay here any longer than this minute. We are drenched, our scent would be covered by the water but not for long." 

I nodded stiffly and swam out hurriedly, putting my clothes on and packing my hair in a ponytail. Carmen cane out as well, her hands fixing her bun as she sashayed her way back to where her clothes were kept.

"I think we should return back to the pack." I said 

This time she didn't argue, she turned to me with a smile and went on putting on her clothes. 

We walked up the small hill and made our way through the thick darkness. We made small talks but we were bothe exhausted until ..

"Stop." She stretched her hands, blocking my movement.

I gave a side her and remained still. "Why?"Can this night get any better? 

"We are being followed… watch out…" she pushed me back with her stretched hands, we both fell on the ground with a thud but dogded the arrow attack.

My heart beat raced and I looked at her in panic. "What's going on?"

Her shiny brown eyes glimmered with anger. "The rogues." 

My heart dropped, this would surely be my last on the face of this earth. At least this was better than being brutally killed by Sebastian and his gangs. Suddenly, she jumped up from my side and with her two fist forcefully pushing two leapimg wolves back.

She growled, her dangerous canon slipped out of he rmouth and her eye blazed withe fury.

"What do you want and why have you attacked us?" Her voice had dropped lower and it sent shivers through my spine. A wolf growled is response and I watched her eyes flicker in anger. She leaped forward, her hands held out to grip the neck of a wolf who growled. My heart punded ferociously against my chest and suppressed a sob a she struggled to fight back.

My hands were shaky and sweaty, she had ordered me not go step out for now reason that if I found a way I should escape but that was not happening. Suddenly out of no where a wolf leaped on her neck, she screamed at the impact. 

No! Sorry Carmen but I have to disobey you the second time.

I picked up a hard piece of wood that lay on ske dry leaves and hit it on the head, it let out a small whine nefkfe crumpling on the ground. The others saw this and sped away immediately, but their aura was familiar.

Pusing the thought aside I rushed to Carmen's side in concern. "Hey are you okay?" I asked with genuine concern.

"I am fine Amber you don't have to worry " she flashed me a glare afterwards. "I remember ordering you not to come out of hiding? What if something happened to you?" She cried in distress and I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't just sit an watch them kill her right under my watch? Not happening.

"Why? Do you expect me to watch you get killed for my sake?" I asked placing my right index on my chest and leaned forward.

"Your life is of more priority than mine." She sighed and shook her head. "You should be happy, you have someone who is genuinely attracted to you and willing to change his ways just because of your appearance in his life. It a blessing." There was a forlorn look in her eyes as she talked.

"Does this have to do with what's going on between you and Matthew?" I asked, tears welled up in her eyes but she was quick to blink it away.

She froze and turned to me, with every moment that passed it felt like her facade was slowly dropping. Her eyes were dim with sadness and her lips quaked out a sob. "I have tried but he… he doesn't love me. He doesn't value me! Why am I so unfortunate!!"

My heart warmed in concern and I placed my hands confidently on her shoulders. "Then you should take a step back, talk to more men publicly. Then you would know if he has a tiny ounce of love for you." I wasn't advising her to cheat on her mate, but sometimes jealously and anger can spark up emotions that we didn't know we had hidden in ghe unspoken depths of our heart.

She smiled and pulled me in for a warn hug