I nodded my head and gave him a half-smile. “I know what you mean; I miss you too, you big lug.” I chuckled, and Gunnar snorted, “How’s Erik doing?” I knew I shouldn’t be asking about another man that I had previous relations with, but at one point, he was my friend and meant a lot to me.
Gunnar raised a questioning brow. “Honestly, I haven’t seen him since you left. I asked some of the other pack members if they had seen him or knew if he was doing ok, but they hadn’t seen him either or heard from him, not even his parents.”
My shoulders slumped at the realization that my family and good friend were all falling apart, and it was all my fault. It saddened me that I couldn’t be there to comfort them and just be with them again.
Gunnar stopped and turned to me; he lifted my chin with his fingers so that I was looking up at him. “Hey, everything will be fine and don’t you dare think that any of this is your fault. Do you understand me?” He said firmly, but that was so much easier said than done.
I just nodded my head. “Yes, I understand; it just hurts Gunnar, knowing that things are falling apart at home and there is nothing I can do to fix it.” Tears were now brimming my eyes.
He exhaled heavily. “I know.” Gunnar then pulled me into him and hugged me tightly; it was that giant bear hug that I had missed so much.
After giving ourselves a moment, he finally released me and glanced around the yard. “So, do you like it here?” He asked while gesturing around us.
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not home; I’ll say that much.” I scoffed. “But I’m adjusting.” I peered behind us and noticed the guards were only a few feet from us, I didn’t want them to hear anything, so I closed the distance between Gunnar and me. “I need to ask you something,” I said quietly.
He looked at from the corner of his eye and arched a brow. “What would that be?”
I glanced back at the guards again before saying another word, “Someone is trying to kill Cain and me.” I whispered.
Gunnar stopped dead in his tracks. “What!” He said rather loudly and grabbed the guard’s attention. I waved the guards off and smiled, reassuring them that everything was fine.
I glared at Gunnar. “Shh, be quiet big mouth. I don’t want anyone else to find out right now, not until I have figured a few things out first.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before narrowing his dark gaze on me. “Does Cain know about the situation?” Gunnar asked in a clipped tone.
I avoided his gaze like it was the plague and ran my hand through my hair. “No,” I said quietly and quickly.
His nostrils flared, and his eyes widened, anger clear as day on his face. “Are you fucking kidding me? You need to tell him Freja, he has a right to know, and Cain will protect you.”
I huffed. “Yes, I know, and I will tell Cain after I find out who they are working with and what their plan is.” I needed to know these things before proceeding or telling anyone else, as that information may help us.
Gunnar groaned loudly. “Freja, this is your life we are talking about, not something small and insignificant. So why do you always have to do things the hard way? Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble or put your life at risk?” He was whisper yelling at me now, frustration and worry lacing his tone.
But my dumbass just had to stir the pot, and so, I smiled. “Because it’s more fun that way. Now, have you heard of anything? Like about Cain’s pack? Or about another pack possibly planning an attack? Also, what course of action would you take in this situation?” Gunnar had always been good at sniffing out the threat, pun intended, and his advice was something I needed for this.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, remaining silent for a beat. “No.” He finally answered me, “I haven’t heard of any rumours or anything of interest. Except, one of the guards in our pack had told me something that I thought was a bit odd.”
My brows pulled together in confusion. “Our pack? What do you mean?”
“Well, apparently, when one of our guards was making his rounds, he had overheard Adela and Erik talking. He said they were talking about you and Cain, that Erik said he would get you back, no matter what.” So he told me, a curious expression on his features.
I pondered this information for a minute; it couldn’t be Erik working with Calyx because it was a female in the woods. I was sure of it, and my sister is too soft to do something so cruel.
Gunnar put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, bringing me out of my thoughts. “I wouldn’t think too much of it, and I would talk with the other members within this pack about the person of interest. Find out their motive, their reasoning for wanting you both dead, where they are going and for how long. But Freja, you can’t do this on your own; what if something happens?” The concern was etched on his face, I didn’t want him to worry him, but I knew he still would. I just hoped he wouldn’t tell Cain, not yet, at least.
I smiled at him. “I’m not alone, and I have someone that I trust helping me, so please don’t worry.”
He narrowed his eyes and cocked a brow. “Who?”
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you that, but listen, I’ll be fine.” I tried to reassure him.
Gunnar closed his eyes, inhaled deeply through his nose and shook his head at me. Suddenly, the guards that had been following us were now approaching us. “Apologies, Luna, but the Alpha says that your time is up, and he is requesting to see you in his office.” The tall and burly man informed me.