Three days! That was how long they had been walking and Casten felt like something else was pushing his body forward—because it definitely wasn't him. He had died from exhaustion on the first day.
He had never walked that much in his life, but there was no way he would be the one to suggest they rest, especially when even Bianca was resiliently keeping up.
The deeper they went into the forest, the thicker and longer the trees became, until some parts were completely impenetrable. For a while, he had even lost track of time due to the dense canopy above. Most importantly, he was starving. They had unconsciously formed hunting groups—with Thalia heading off with him and Bianca. The Alpha usually went alone or with Raphael and the brutes Org and Turag had also paired off.
Casten enjoyed hunting because it brought a thrill and a sense of self-sufficiency that eating elders' leftovers never did. Although Bianca and he did nothing much—just cornered the animal—Thalia always did the hard work, it was still fun.
The first time he had seen her jump at a deer, he had unconsciously taken a few steps back. Her wolf was the total contrast of her well-tempered and reasonable human form. The brown beast was intimidating not only in size but in the eyes that seemed to see everything around her. Casten's own smaller grey wolf always flinched when she sank her sharp fangs into her prey to deliver the killing blow. But all that was in wolf form, in human form, no one dared mention food. It was like an unspoken agreement.
"I cannot go any further," Cassandra, who had gained consciousness on the second day, protested— and that brought everyone to a halt.
Since she had woken up, she had been completely silent and always kept to herself.
Thalia stared at the witch, unsurprised that she was always around Cornelius. They both had that nauseating air of self-importance around them.
"Don't you think a thank you is long overdue?" she said and eyed Kyle meaningfully.
Cassandra muttered something under her breath and then said irritably,
"I would have been very thankful if you had not dragged me along on this cursed journey!"
"I think you mean to say carried," Casten chirped in. The fact that they literally had no pack made him feel more confident speaking his mind. Hierarchy was the least of their concerns at the moment.
"Being carried, walking, or even flying doesn't change the fact that this journey is cursed—the Barrens are cursed," she almost shouted.
An apple materialized in her h and and she added more calmly, "I am only here because I'm tied to this pack. But when you all die off, I will go back to my coven."
As if to emphasize she wasn't walking another step, she closed her eyes and muttered calmly in an unintelligible language. When she opened them, most of the trees surrounding them disappeared, leaving only a smooth carpet of undergrowth.
She slumped down and said to no one in particular, "I can hold this illusion for three days. You'll all thank me later."
True to her words, almost everyone silently felt the urge to thank Cassandra that evening.
"You never know how truly exhausted you are until you lay down," Thalia said with a sigh as she laid beside Bianca.
Casten had earlier shared his concern for Bianca's behaviour with Thalia.
"She could rarely spend an hour without talking to someone, but now she seems to be struggling to hold a conversation," he had said desperately. "I'm really worried about her."
"I'll try talking to her, I promise." and here she was, trying to keep that promise.
Bianca flinched when she heard her voice.
"Luna," she said carefully. Thalia was sure only that title prevented the scared blonde from scurrying away.
They remained silently laying side by side.
"Don't you hate me?" Bianca whispered.
"Why would I?" Thalia asked and turned to face her.
"Because I'm with your mate?" Bianca's voice had become almost inaudible.
Thalia remained silent for a long time and eventually asked with a small smile,
"Would you hate me?"
At this, Bianca smiled sadly—because they both knew the answer to that, especially if your mate was Cornelius.
"You know I saw him. Among the dead bodies," Bianca whispered. A single tear fell from her eye.
Oh goddess, this is bad, Thalia thought but then smiled encouragingly.
"You know, it feels really shitty being affected through the bond by someone you totally hate and despise. But I keep telling myself that it was simply the moon goddess' choice. and when I finally make mine, a mere bond won't matter," she continued and desperately hoped she was right.
They continued laying side by side in silence, but this time, the silence felt lighter and more comfortable.
Casten picked up a fallen twig as he whistled to himself. It was starting to get very dark, but they would need enough firewood to get through the night. For the past few days, the weather had been favourable, but Cassandra had assured them that wouldn't last— and weirdly enough, he believed her. The woman may be too snappy and outspoken for her own good, but her power and cruel honesty had never been questioned.
He intended to continue walking, but what he saw ahead of him stopped him dead in his tracks.
A grey wolf.
If Thalia's wolf was big, this one was enormous. Like him, it was grey, but its eyes were the same colour—making it ghostly even in the dark. Casten hated himself for staring, but he couldn't stop. and although he could never admit it, he would always recognize him in every form.
"Why are you here?" he asked with a nonchalance he didn't feel.
Smoothly, Raphael shifted to his human form and carefully approached Casten.
"Scanning the perimeter," he replied with a shrug. A necessary lie.
Casten looked around nervously. It was getting too dark for his liking and the wood was also getting heavier. Swallowing his fear, he shrugged and said,
"Well, you can proceed."
He walked past him and continued collecting logs.
"The Alpha comm anded that I should be the last to return to camp," Raphael said and started following Casten.
He felt guilty for pulling that card on Casten but he couldn't let the chance to spend time alone with him slip through his fingers. He also started collecting twigs while desperately trying to come up with a conversation. His situation was ironic to the point of being funny—he, the known pack charmer, was struggling for words around his mate, the same person with whom things were supposed to flow naturally.
"I could help—"
"I don't think the Alpha also comm anded you to talk to me," Casten cut him off sharply and increased his pace.
Raphael felt his heart ache. He found it unfair that he felt all the love and strain of the bond while Casten didn't even want to talk to him. He was determined to show Casten how serious he was about their relationship and if Casten wanted them to play the tough game, he would gladly play it- after all no predator didn't enjoy a good chase or the pleasure of devouring its prize. and oh boy, that would in fact be his favourite part. Casten was his mate and he would make sure Casten understood how important that was to him.
"No, he didn't. But I want to," he said firmly and stepped in front of him, making him halt.
"I am your man and I will make sure you underst and that," he added in a firmer tone and pulled the wood from a still-sterned Casten.
Without another word, he started walking back to the campsite.
"Do I need to carry you too?" he asked when he didn't hear Casten behind him.
Obediently, Casten started walking— and Raphael allowed himself a small triumphant smile.
Kyle hadn't returned to camp that night. Thalia had assumed he'd chosen to travel alone for a while, but no one said it out, not yet.