Chapter 92 92. Doctor
Tabitha’s POV
It takes me almost an hour to reach Kolra River by bicycle. But Mom was right. As soon as I get close to the clear waters, I spot Reed, Evren, Luca, and Jace’s whole setup by the riverbank. And, as if to confirm my horror, aside from the seven other guys there, Isabel, Elsie, Melanie, and four other girls are there too.
And damn does that look like an ominous sight.
“Uh, dude. Unless I’m hallucinating, but I think that’s your stepsister right there,” Ian says and nods in my direction as I park the bike beside a tree.
“What?” Frowning, Jace turns around and his eyes widen in shock when he realizes that his friend is not messing with him. “What the… Tabi—what are you doing here?”
I lift my hand in an enthusiastic little wave as everyone stares at me like I crawled out of the river.
“It looks like you can spare one more spot,” I say, grinning. “So I am here to join your camping.”
A ripple of disbelief spreads across the group. Ian’s mouth hangs open. Wyatt squints at me like I am a patient who just escaped from an asylum. Even Elsie looks torn between shock and secondhand embarrassment as she slowly lowers the marshmallow she is holding.
Reed rises from the log beside Elsie. He brushes off his shorts and walks toward me with that stern look that has haunted me for days.
“Stop messing around and go back to the estate,” he says, frowning. “I will call Gerald to pick you up.”
He grabs my shoulder and tries to usher me away but I lightly brush his hand away and shake my head.
“No, I am not going back,” I say, slipping past him and planting myself on the empty space between Rye and Wilson without hesitation. “I will be staying here with you.”
Everyone watches me as if I just announced I am moving into the woods permanently. Rye slowly shifts away from me, confused. Wilson looks at Reed and then at me like he is unsure what to do.
Jace runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Tabi, we are staying here for five days. And you didn’t even bring spare clothes or supplies with you. At this rate, you won’t even last here for two days,” he chides.
Crap, I didn’t think about that. I was so deadset on tracking them that I have completely forgot about supplies and stuff.
“I can share my spare clothes with her!” Isabel says and raises her hand gently. “And I have extra toiletries too. We also brought enough food that can last us a month, Jace. She’s welcome to join if she wants.”
I beam at her. She’s definitely kinder than her cousin.
“See? Brilliant! I will be joining then,” I announce and casually grab some grapes from a basket of fruits.
The brothers exchange a look that screams disbelief. Reed rubs his temple as if trying to calm himself while Jace gives Luca a helpless stare. Luca mutters something under his breath. Evren quietly shakes his head, giving up.
“Suit yourself. But don’t complain if the bugs crawl to your legs and bite later tonight,” Reed warns.
“I don’t mind!” I assure him with a grin.
“Well, I don’t blame the bugs for taking their shots and landing on something so soft and tempting,” one of the guys, Mark, chimes in with a smirk. A few of the other guys burst out laughing.
I immediately squeeze my legs together, conscious of his comment.
Reed’s eyes narrow and his jaw tightens. “Shut the fuck up, Mark, if you don’t want me to come over and teach you some manners,” he growls.
Evren, Luca, and Jace all glare at Mark and the others who had been laughing, making it clear they were not amused.
Mark holds up his hands quickly. “Alright, alright! Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
The group quiets down, and the rest of the guys stay silent, muttering under their breaths as Reed huffs and rubs his temple again.
Reed turns to me again, frown still etched from his face. “We have five tents, y
I ignore the palpable tension in the air and stretch my legs like I belong here.
For the next few hours, Reed and Jace take turns trying to convince me to go home. Reed crouches beside me with a stiff jaw, telling me this is not a good idea. Jace sits by the cooler, telling me the lack of hygiene will kill me. I pretend to ponder their words, but inside, I feel a small bubble of satisfaction. They are finally talking to me again. Not exactly the way I want, but this is better than that cold silence from the past week.
By the time the sun dips toward the treeline, Rye stands up and claps his hands.
“We need firewood before it gets dark. The bonfire will not light itself.”
“We’ll get it,” Luca says, rising. Evren nods and follows.
Melanie jumps up beside them. “I want to come too,” she announces and smiles.
“Me too!” Isabel volunteers.
My brain short-circuits for a moment, then kicks into survival mode.
“I will come too,” I say and stand.
Reed turns to me immediately. “No, you stay put.” His tone is sharp.
“No,” I insist. “I am coming with them.”
And though I hate leaving Reed with Elsie and her perfect smile, I also cannot split myself into ten copies. If Isabel and Melanie are going with Luca and Evren, then I am going too. I might be insane, but I am not stupid enough to leave them alone together. Not today.
In the end, the brothers reluctantly allow it.
We head into the woods, kicking twigs and dry leaves as we go. The river disappears behind us as the trees grow taller. Evren leads the way while Luca carries a large sack. Melanie talks about the best fishing spots on the island while Luca hums in agreement. Evren adds something about trail locations and the three of them quickly fall into easy conversation.
“It’s nice that you joined us today,” Isabel says as she walks beside me and glances at me with a small smile.
“Yeah. Thanks for lending me your clothes, by the way. I appreciate it.”
“No worries!” She picks up a dried branch and collects it in her arms. “By the way, I heard you’re transferring in Kaelara University this school year. Is that true?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Awesome! What major are you taking?” she asks as she picks another twig.
“I am an entrepreneurship major,” I reply and adjust the pile of sticks I have in my arms.
“Oh, that is cool,” she says. “I am always fascinated by business.”
I hum and clear my throat. “What is yours?”
“I graduated from my premed last year. So, I will be starting my first year in med school this coming school year. I’ve always wanted to become a doctor, you know. My goal is to be one of the pack doctors in the future.”
“That’s great,” I say, nodding in approval.
What a noble dream. Truly impressive, you ask me.
But inside, I shrink a little. She is kind to me. She is smart. She is everything a sensible werewolf family would love. And here I am acting like the world’s most shameless cockblocker whose only mission is to keep her stepbrothers away from women. The guilt sits in my stomach like a stone.
Evren glances over his shoulder. “We need more firewood. Enough to last us for three days, so we won’t have to do a time-consuming chore every day.”
“Sounds good to me,” Melanie seconds.
So, our group walk deeper into the woods, but not dangerously deep, just far enough that the air grows cooler and we get to gather more fallen dried branches scattered all over the damp forest floor.
The sky shifts to a muted dark. Shadows stretch across the forest floor and we still haven’t fill the entirety of the sack.
“We still don’t have enough,” Luca says, shaking his head. “We need to hurry up and get some more before the sun sets. It’s dangerous in the forest at night.” He glances at me.
I look around. Then I spot something near a wide tree trunk. A pile of good sized branches.
“Oh, look!” I say. “There are more out there.”
“Tabi, wait. No!” Luca exclaims.
I ignore him and quickly saunters towards the fallen tree trunk to get my hands on the branches nearby. Just as I crouch to gather the pile, a huge shadow rises beside me. A deep rumbling noise shakes the air.
“Tabi… don’t move,” I hear Evren’s strangled voice behind me, but my eyes instinctively trail the hulking figure on my side.
I turn and my breath locks in my throat when I realize the creature
A bear towers over me. It looks at least thrice my size! And it looks very hungry.
“A-AHH!” I scream before I can think which only angers the bear. It flashes its scary set of razor-sharp claws while baring its teeth. Fear chokes the life out of me and I trip over one of the branches on the floor, causing me to stumble and fall back. Soil presses against my palms. My heart launches into my ears. The bear roars and lunges forward.
Evren and Luca sprint toward me. They position themselves protectively at my sides. Evren bares his canine teeth and his growl vibrates from their chest, raw and sharp. Luca’s eyes flicker into molten gold as he lets out an aura that only a powerful aura can possess.
The bear stiffens at the sound and the feel of their immense and almost suffocating aura. It doesn’t take another minute before the beast steps back, then turns and bolts into the trees.
Oh my god.
Evren kneels beside me. “Are you okay?” he asks, his palm on my cheek.
“Yes,” I croak, pushing myself up, but wince when I feel a sting on my knee. I glance down and see a thin scratch bleeding lightly.
Luca lets out a long sigh. “That’s it. I’ve had enough. Let’s go back,” he declares. He leans down and scoops me into his arms before I can protest.
“Go… back?” Melanie asks in confusion.
“We are going back home. Me and my brothers—and Tabitha. The rest of you can continue with the camping as planned,” Evren explains.
“G-Go back home—what? Hang on… why?” Isabel asks, even more confused than Isabel.
Luca just shakes his head and refuses to elaborate. “Evren can bring back the firewood at the camp before we go. You can also get the rest of our supplies and our tent.”
Before the two girls can object, Luca walks away, still carrying me in his arms while Evren grabs the sack of firewood and ushers Melanie and Isabel back to the campsite.
“Where are we going exactly?” I ask as Luca strides through the forest.
“Out of here,” he says.
I press my lips together. Normally, I would complain, yell, push at his chest, demand to be put down. But right now I feel satisfied just to be in his arms right now. That he is finally giving me a bit of attention that they have denied me for a week. Although he’s far from pleased, just basing from the way his thick brows are burrowed and his jaw tenses. The man is obviously pissed. But I don’t care.
After a few minutes, we reach a clearing where a white jeep wrangler waits. Luca opens the back door and places me in the backseat. A few minutes later, Evren, Jace, and Reed emerge from between the trees and climb in. Jace sits on my left and Reed sits on my right. Evren takes the passenger seat.
Jace leans closer and inspects my knee, stroking my skin lightly. “What the hell happened exactly?” he demands.
Luca explains what happened.
Jace lets out a sharp breath. “Motherfu… This is why we told you to go back to the estate, Tabi.”
“I just wanted to help,” I say quietly, staring at my fingers like they’re the most interesting thing in the world. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”
Jace closes his eyes and shakes his head. He lets out a breath of frustration and looks at Luca. “Drive. If we stay another minute here, she might bang her head on a tree or something.”
Reed almost smiles, but the frustration in his eyes wins. He just shakes his head. Luca starts the car and drives away.
Just like that, the camping trip ends before it even started. And I’m still unsure if that’s a win on my part.