Chapter 45 Chapter Forty -Five
ASHER
The curtains fell shut behind Crystal’s window with a soft whisper of fabric.
And somehow, despite the distance between us, I felt it like a door closing directly in my face and I exhaled softly.
The thought was ridiculous, but still, my gaze lingered on the darkened window for a second longer before I finally pulled the reins of my horse and turned away from the estate and chased after the others who'd left me behind.
Beyond the gates, down the winding path that led away from the estate the world was still clinging to the last threads of night, that grey-blue limbo where nothing was fully awake yet.
My horse--a grey mare named Sable who'd carried me through worse--snorted at the damp air, her ears swiveling forward and I pressed my heel to her flank, causing her to surge into a canter. She was perhaps the fastest horse I've ever had the privilege of riding. Even faster than Midnight, Aquilla's cherished stallion.
Sable's hooves struck wet stone, then dirt, then the soft mulch of the forest path and not once did I look back in the direction we'd come from.
After last night, I was exhausted. Worn down to my bones, and my chest ached with an empty feeling, but I pushed them aside. Even as I lay down to rest after that episode, I couldn't find respite because even in that pitiable condition, all I could think about was Crystal and the fact that she'd tried to fight Aquila just so she could come see me.
Foolish human. That's all I could think of as I heard her voice over my own pained wails. What could she have possibly done? Nothing. Still...
My wandering thoughts went back to the time I met her. It wasn't at the auction though. No. The first time I met Crystal Noir was when...
"Asher!" A familiar voice calling out my name pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned to my right to find the Shewolf, Elder Omira running at Sable's side. She let out a low grunt before running ahead of me, as if she was reminding me to keep up and I kicked Sable's flank, urging her to move faster to catch up with the others.
There will be plenty of time to reminisce about the past later.
The forest swallowed us within minutes. Oaks and black pines closed overhead, their branches interlocking like fingers, filtering what little light remained into scattered coins of grey. Mist clung to the undergrowth, rising in wispy tendrils as Sable's passage disturbed it.
Hooves thundered across the forest trail while wolves spread through the trees in massive grey streaks of fur and teeth. Some had remained in human form riding alongside us on horses while others preferred the efficiency of their beast forms, darting through undergrowth with frightening speed.
The air rang with sharp barks and low howls that echoed as we moved further away from the main territory.
As Alpha, I pushed through the formation near the front, leading them with Aquila slightly ahead of me guiding the path while Elder Omira and Calhoun, and the others spread the pack wider along the eastern flank.
Once an obvious path was made, Aquila’s black horse slowed slightly until we rode side by side again.
"If you're trying to change my mind --" I started, but he cut me off.
"I already know there's no point arguing with you about going back." Aquila huffed, his tail swiping back and forth. "I just...this is going to be unlike anything we've dealt with before." His eyes glanced back at the others then back at me again.
"If we don't deal with this now, things will only escalate," I responded. My voice was calm despite the storm raging within me. I'd hate to admit it, but doubt was slowly creeping into my heart.
What if this was a bad idea? What if I got them killed? Everyone would blame me.
"Well, if you're confident, then so am I." Aquilla's words hit me like a bullet
I inhaled deeply.
“Thanks.”
"What's the hold up boys! Getting cold feet?" Omira's voice, sharp and suspiciously full of excitement, pulled us out of the moment.
She matched our pace on horseback and I chuckled softly. " Omira, when I asked for wolves, I didn't expect you to volunteer for the party."
Her copper-brown coat streaked liberally with grey looked like it was being gently caressed by the wind. Despite how age had marked her, it was matched by her energy. If anything, it had made her more formidable in her own right.
She let out a howl that came out as a laugh of pure ecstasy through her lips. While most choose to ride horses to conserve their energy for the real fight, she stayed in her beast form.
"What? You expected me to stay home and let you have all the fun? Pa!" She laughed. "I've hunted rogue beasts since before you were born, Alpha," she said in that gravelly voice of hers that was carried on the wind.
"I assure you, Omira, there's nothing fun about diving headfirst into the mouth of a tiger. " Aquila shook his head with a frown.
"Don't tell me you're having cold feet, Demon. You seemed so bold when you were going at it with Hector earlier." She teased. "What happened to that Moxy?"
"Hector might be an infuriatingly stubborn coot, but compared to a weretiger, I'd gladly take ten of him on any day." He retorted. And honestly, I couldn't argue with him and neither could Omira as she laughed.
"I've always liked you, Aquila. If we survive this, I'll treat you to something nice." She said before bolting ahead with a howl just in time for Elder Wolf Calhoun to burst through the foliage.
"Omira! Slow down!" Elder Calhoun called out to her, but she was long gone. " Damn that she Wolf. She was meant to cover the flank of the formation." He growled.
"It's fine, Calhoun."" I reassured. "Thank you for even coming with me. The others--"
", are fools. I'm sorry I couldn't gather more willing wolves to come along. I'm afraid years of no war have dulled their fangs."
Elder Calhoun used to be the old Alpha's right hand, and other than Omira, who has been supportive of my role as the head, he never gave me any trouble and has been a great deal of help when it came to running this pack.
Werewolf politics ran deeper than just protecting and expanding territories. Threats could come from anywhere. Even within your own court.