Chapter 44 44
CHAPTER 44
\[Rhea’s POV\]
I soon fell to the ground, my vision blurry from the pain. I was sure that Mark was going to grab me. I could hear his boots hitting the dirt, coming closer and closer. But before his hand could reach me, a massive weight slammed into him.
Lucien, in his silver wolf form, didn't hesitate and leaned down, gripping the back of my shirt with his powerful jaws and lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing. He was careful not to let his teeth touch my skin, but his strength was terrifying.
"Damian! Forget them! We have to run!"
The voice didn't come from a human mouth. It was a telepathic growl that echoed inside my mind. It was Lucien.
The black wolf, Damian, let out a final, bone-chilling roar at the hunters. He turned away from the man he was pinning down and jumped over a fallen log to join us. We needed to move. Mark wasn't going to let us walk away.
"Fire! Set the perimeter! Burn them out!" Mark’s voice screamed through the trees.
I heard the sound of glass breaking, molotov cocktails or incendiary grenades. Within seconds, the dry pine needles and dead leaves caught fire. The orange flames licked up the trunks of the trees, spreading faster than I thought possible. The forest was turning into a furnace. The red moonlight made the smoke look like thick, bloody clouds.
I was terrified, clutching at the silver fur on Lucien’s neck as he sprinted through the burning woods. The heat was intense. I could smell my own hair singeing and the scent of burning fur.
"I’ve got you, Rhea," Lucien’s voice rumbled in my head. "I am getting you out of here alive. I promise."
Arrows whizzed past us. I heard them thudding into the trees we had just passed. One flew so close it clipped a lock of my hair, but Lucien moved with a speed that defied physics. He weaved through the falling branches and the walls of fire. Damian ran right beside us, his black fur scorched but his eyes focused on the path ahead.
We were getting near the edge of the burning section wen through the thick, grey smoke and the flickering orange light, I saw a man standing near a large oak tree. He wasn't dressed like a hunter or wearing a mask or gear.
"Huh? Isn't that..."
Before I could get a better look or call out, Lucien leaped over a bush, and the figure disappeared behind a curtain of smoke.
We broke through the line of fire and hit a dark, hidden trail. To avoid being noticed by any more of Mark’s team, the wolves took routes that were hidden deep in the hills. They stayed away from the roads and the lights of the city.
By the time we were deep into the shadows of the mountains, the adrenaline began to fade. The silver arrow was still in my back, though the shaft had snapped off during the run. The poison of the silver was making me feel weak. My body had transformed back into its human form, so Nyra couldn't help. I was just a tired.
Lucien shifted back to his human form once he felt it was safe enough. He carried me in his arms, holding me tight against his bare chest. I drifted in and out of sleep. Every time I opened my eyes, I saw the stars above or the dark silhouettes of the trees. Every time I closed them, I saw Mark's angry face.
"Sleep, Rhea," Lucien whispered. "You’re safe now."
I finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in the forest but was lying on a soft, oversized bed in a room I didn't recognize. The walls were made of dark, polished wood, and there was a fireplace in the corner with a small flame crackling inside. It was a house, but it was different from the mansion near the university. This place felt older.
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in my back made me hiss.
"Take it easy," a voice said.
Damian walked toward me. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, holding a steaming cup of tea in his hands. He looked tired, but his eyes were clear.
I blinked at him, my mind still a bit fuzzy. "Damian? Is this a dream?"
"No dream," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He handed me the tea. "You’re in our safe house. We’re far enough away that Mark and his hunters won’t find us for a long time."
I took a sip of the tea. It was warm and tasted like honey and herbs. I remembered the forest and the masked man. I looked at Damian’s arm, searching for the wound from the poisoned knife.
"Your arm," I whispered. "The healer... did it work?"
Damian pulled up his sleeve, showing me a faint, jagged scar where the poison had been. "I'm fine, Rhea. The healer did his job. I’m back to full strength."
I let out a breath of relief. I looked toward the door as Lucien walked in. He had showered and changed into fresh clothes. He looked at me with an intensity that made my heart skip.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting on the other side of the bed, boxing me in between them.
"My back hurts," I admitted.
"The arrow had a silver tip. It was a nasty wound, but we managed to get the silver out and bandage it up. You’ll have a scar, but you’ll heal."
I reached back and felt the thick bandages between my shoulder blades. I remembered the sensation of the shift. I remembered the fur on my arms and the strength in my legs.
"I shifted," I said, my voice quiet. "Well, half-shifted."
Lucien reached out and brushed a thumb across my cheek. "We saw. Your wolf is beautiful, Rhea. Strong and fierce. You saved our lives back there."
I blushed at the compliment. Being called beautiful by Lucien felt different than it ever did with Mark. With Mark, it felt like he was admiring a trophy. With Lucien, it felt like he was admiring my very being.
But then, the image of the man in the forest came back to me.
"I saw Lucas," I said suddenly.