Chapter 8

"Kiara... Wake up."

Kiara groaned, trying to find a comfortable position.

The gentle shaking continued. “Kiara…”

"Five minutes," she pleaded, nuzzling into the not-so-soft surface.

Why is this so hard? And why does this smell weird?”

“Kiara. Up. Now. We don’t have time. Get up.” The shaking roused her from her sleep, forcefully pulling her out of her vague dream, causing her to sit up and blink her eyes repeatedly.

"We're here," Kian said, and she looked up at him standing hunched over her. "You okay?"

She looked around at her surroundings groggily.

“You slept like a log,” he commented. “Come on. Don’t go back to sleep yet.” He slapped her shoulder.

Kiara rubbed her eyes, letting out a yawn with a curt nod. She was still tired, eyes heavy with remnants of sleep and thoughts haywire. She finally slept peacefully after three days. How long were they traveling? She vaguely remembered Kian waking her up to eat and her refusal before going back to sleep.

The bus was empty except for the two, and the chit-chatters outside drew her attention. There were many buses similar to this one, and the place was a lot more crowded. She eyed the humans lugging their huge bags across several platforms.

“This is Doveport?” Her voice was hoarse with sleep.

Kian hummed, rummaging through his bag to find the perfume. “I’m going to check if the coast is clear. Stay here.” He sprayed it over him and their surroundings before making his way out of the bus.

Still a little bit in a sleepy state, Kiara took the water bottle from their backpack and washed her face to wake herself up. Once she was wide-awake, she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair and used the human scent to mask her natural smell.

The windows were open, letting the fresh air in. She inhaled it, patiently waiting for Kian as she let her gaze scan their surroundings.

Fifteen minutes later, Kian returned with some food and some more human clothes. “Eat this. I found a place where we can freshen up.”

“Is it safe?” She accepted the bread, taking a big bite and chewing immediately.

“So far, yes. I don’t think we were followed, but let’s not rejoice just yet. We need to get out of here.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

***

The place Kian had chosen was a small clearing near the woods. The small stream running between the trees wasn’t big but enough for them to freshen up.

“How did you find this place?” she asked, wandering eyes taking everything in.

“Heard the humans talking about the woods in the bus. Looks like there is a picnic spot closer and they were going camping."

“Oh.”

"You clean up first; I'll stay on watch," he said, walking away from her to the tree line but stopping a few feet with his back turned toward her. This was to keep each other in sight and to engage if the other was in danger.

Kiara quickly stripped, got into the knee-deep water, and began to wash herself to the best of her abilities. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was better than anything. Relief washed over her as she scrubbed her skin clean with the human-scented soap they stole from the motel. She loved the way it smelled.

Soon, she got out and dressed quickly in the new clothes Kian brought. Once done, she took Kian’s spot to keep guard while he took a quick bath.

They didn’t waste much time there. As soon as Kian was done, they took off, traveling through the woods that ran parallel to the roads.

"Why aren't we taking a bus?" she asked, panting as they trekked through the uneven path. The bus was convenient and a fast means of transport.

"It's safer this way. We will take the bus from the next town," he replied, eyes trained ahead and face scrunched in determination.

“Are you sure we are headed in the right direction?” she asked again.

“Yes. I talked to a human who traveled with us. He told me a lot we should know about this city.”

Kiara only nodded and kept walking. The next town, however, didn’t come easily. Before they knew it was nightfall, they chose a clearing to rest for the night. Kian wanted to shift into his wolf. With the full moon just around the corner, his wolf was growing restless, and it was not a good idea to contain the wolf longer.

She waited patiently beside the bonfire they created, munching the last of the dried meat Kian had graciously given her. Kiara heard a rustle and turned her head in time to see the massive gray wolf stepping into the small clearing. Its eyes were as dark as night, but she knew it would look like dark tree bark in sunlight. His fur was thick and beautiful.

Kiara jumped to her feet, greeting her favorite wolf on the planet. It had been a while since she met him in his wolf form. She always stayed home during the full moon, not allowed to be part of pack activities. It wasn’t something she looked forward to. But playtime with Kian was her favorite.

Coming from a dominant wolf’s bloodline, Kian was a big wolf with a dominant nature. He stalked toward her, head low and lips peeled back to reveal his fangs as if he were stalking prey.

She laughed. “You wanna play, big bad wolf?” With a smirk, she turned. The very thing one should never do with a wolf. “Catch me if you can.” Then she took off.

Her eyesight was shit, unlike the werewolves. It was dangerous to run in foreign lands like this with no wolf to guide. Reckless even. But she was feeling relaxed after days. Kiara kept closer to the campsite, knowing the wolf was following closely. He was just giving her a head start and playing along.

She ran in circles, peals of laughter tumbling out of her chest as the wolf closed in on her heels. He occasionally nipped on her clothing or her heel, only for her to squeal and increase her speed.

The fire crackled, illuminating the woods along with the moonlight shining above their heads. Kiara didn’t remember when was the last time she had so much fun. Here, they didn’t have to look over their shoulders and fear someone would catch them playing and tell her father. They weren’t allowed to have fun.

In their pack, the wolves should make themselves useful in one way or another. The unshifted wolves were tasked with collecting firewood, chopping trees, or fishing—menial tasks that didn’t require too much strength or skills like the hunters did. Sometimes they laid out traps for small animals. And at nights, they would sit around the fire with older wolves, learning how to weave or knit. That was all they did.

Kiara always thought their pack wolves traded those baskets and knitted blankets with the other packs. Now that she thought about it, she realized the hunters could have gone to the human town and traded the materials. What if they never lost touch with the human world? But they only kept the pack members in the dark.

She was lost in her thoughts when heavy wolf paws landed on her back. She stumbled on her feet, falling face-first into the dirt and turning her face last minute so her cheek hit the ground.

“Ow!”

The wolf growled above her.

Damn.

She should have seen where she was going. That was literally Kian’s worst move when he got fed up with chasing. Kiara always dodged when the wolf lunged for her. On some unfortunate days, she’d kiss the dirt. It was nothing new.

However, this was unfamiliar terrain, and sharp stones cut into her palm. She hissed as she tried to get up. The wolf removed its paw, and she turned to lie on her back with a huff.

“Not nice,” she grunted and brought her palm forward to inspect the injury.

The wolf's nostrils flared, and the next thing she knew, human hands grabbed her palm with a soft whine. Kian brushed the dirt from her palm and brought it closer to inspect.

“Shit. I’m so sorry, Kiara.” He blew on her wound.

Kiara sighed. “It’s okay. I didn’t see where I was going.”

"Come. Let me apply some salve." He went to get up, but Kiara's eyes widened, and she gasped, turning her head.

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she immediately shut her eyes. "You're…ah…um…" she stuttered. "G-Get dressed."

“Oh.”

There was a rustling sound, and she heard footsteps hurrying away before opening her eyes. She exhaled in relief, rubbing her cheeks to alleviate some of the heat. Nudity was a common thing among the shifting wolves. But she wasn't a shifter, though, so she wasn't used to it. She cleared her throat and stood, dusting her clothes before walking to the campfire.

***

Kian was gone an entire day, leaving her in one of the worn-out motels near the woods. They were on the second floor with the fire exit toward the back. This way, she could just escape into the woods if something went wrong.

Kiara insisted that they should go together, but Kian thought otherwise. It was in the evening he returned just before the sunset.

“Come on. We need to leave.” He grabbed her bag and dragged her out of the room.

“Where are we going? Is something wrong?” she asked as they hurried down the stairs.

Instead of answering her, he gave her the paper where an address was written.

“What’s this?”

“This is where they killed your mom,” he answered in a clipped tone.

Her throat constricted, and an odd feeling tightened her chest. “How did you find it?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get out of here now.”

***

Kian hadn’t slept a wink in the past few weeks. His wolf was always on high alert ever since they left the pack borders. He feared the worst, and it was all for the right reasons.

Growing up, he was always told to follow the rules though he never liked them. But Kian was an independent soul who didn't like to be told what he should or shouldn’t do. He often broke those rules and sneaked out whenever he could, snooping around. Curiosity always got the best of him. Rommik often turned a blind eye because he was a motherless child.

Then he had Kiara, wide-eyed and always curious like him. They were always together, doing things together. She was someone he could trust and also felt responsible for. Now that they were no longer in their pack lands, his wolf felt extremely protective of her.

He couldn’t stomach the thought of her getting hurt. Kian worried too much for her wellbeing that he found himself unable to stay away for too long. He didn’t understand his wolf’s need to always keep her in his sight. For some reason, he never wanted to see her cry.

This was also the reason he risked his life to snoop around Konrad's home when he was out and about. Even Rommik didn’t know about it.

As they continued to their destination, he slipped a hand inside his jacket, calloused fingers tracing the old pencil sketch of her mother. Kian had initially planned it as a surprise for Kiara. He knew how much she missed her mother.

Her mother might have been a traitor, but she loved her regardless. Kiara always believed it was Konrad's cruelty that forced her mother to run away though she never voiced it.

When he found the sketch, he was skittish and feared Konrad might find out. He was supposed to give it to her on the day after her first shift. But things took a turn. However, that came in handy.

Now that they knew this was where her mother last lived, he thought someone should be able to help him. He used the sketch and checked with the shop owners first. His time with the humans had taught him that they talked if he was a customer, wanting to coax you into buying more items.

Soon he was led to an old woman in a corner shop who sold pork cutlets with eggs. It was a small hole in the wall place that wasn’t visible unless one was looking for it. But he found her sitting on a small stool, selling the delicious smelling food.

Unlike the others, it wasn’t easy to get her to talk. She kept asking him several questions until he admitted that the woman on the sketch was his mother. He could tell from her eyes that she recognized the woman and knew things the others didn’t.

“That’s your mother?” she asked skeptically.

He nodded. "Please… I've been looking for her for so long.”

The woman exhaled, beckoning him inside the shop, and directed him to the small wooden stool. "You’re really her son?” She looked at him, gaze scanning from his head to toe. “No one talks about Mr. Ellot in this town after that cursed night,” she said with a distant look in her eyes.

The story that followed sent cold shivers down his spine.

His mind was in turmoil since then, and he kept glancing at Kiara, wondering how to break it to her. He swallowed, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants as they followed the given directions.

Kiara glanced at him and smiled reassuringly. When she squeezed his hand, he took a deep breath and decided to not tell her until he could confirm it for himself. Eighteen years was a long time, and he didn’t know what awaited them.