*FREYA*
While Hazel waited for me outside the stables, I went back inside the castle to get a torch light in case it get dark before we find jello, it took me a while to get a big security torch from one of the maids who wouldn’t stop giving me a puzzled look. I hurried to the dinner table to take a few apples from the fruit bowl and then started to slice it into two since I might need them to trick the horse back home.
“Do I wish to understand what you are doing?” Someone said behind me, startled I jerked around to see Jet standing a few feet away from me, my heart raced in fear, out of all everyone who could have bumped into me it has to be the least person I want.
I quickly gathered all the sliced apples into a small sack I was carrying. “You don’t need to worry, I’m fine” I brush it off as I made to walk past him, he held my arm stopping me from moving further. Taking a deep breath, I stared at him, in that moment I hated the way he was staring at me like he was trying to see deep inside my soul, realizing I might arouse his suspension I tried to relax.
“Were you able to find anything from Darren?” I asked changing the subject.
That piqued his interest. “Not yet, the man is surprisingly stubborn and loyal and that makes my job so much easier” He answered with a cruel smile playing on his lips, I was pretty sure I didn’t know whatever that was going on in his head. I was about to say something else but Morgana decided to grace us with her presence interrupting what I was going to say. Grabbing the opportunity I slip past Jet and out of the castle.
Hazel was sitting at the front of the stable chewing on her fingernails nervously, she stood up as she sights me approaching her. “I was so frightened, the stable men are done having their dinner, we need to bring back jello before they start checking in on the horses for the night” She informed me.
“Don’t worry, we will find the horse. I got a torchlight and an apple. I hope it isn’t hard to find” I mumbled the last statement under my breath as we took the route Hazel believed the horse had gone through.
After a few minutes of walking in silence with no sight of jello I decided the best thing to do was to keep Hazel’s mind off it, I felt so guilty plus I was afraid she would burst into tears any second from now. “Do you have any idea where it could be?” I questioned for the sake of distraction, the last thing on my mind was talking.
“No milady, but I’m trying to trace the scent” She glanced over at me. “I am not furious at you and I do not want you to think so, I am merely terrified of what Alpha might do if he finds out we let his horse getaway. He had that horse way before he became an Alpha” She explained, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. *At least she wasn’t mad at me even though I deserve it*
Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours with no sight of jello, the places Hazel lead us to always ended up being a dead end and it was already dark, wolves were howling in the distance. I almost passed out in shock when a lion roared in the distance, Hazel giggled and told me not to worry that we were still far away from the jungle. That didn’t ease my fear one bit.
Since I didn’t have much for dinner thanks to Morgana, at this point I was starving. At the back of my mind, I prayed no one noticed our absence. We stopped to seat under a big tree. “We might as well eat the apples to have enough strength to walk back home,” I told her giving her some.
She took it from me. “I also did not have dinner before leaving, do you think Alpha will be very displeased with us” her face suddenly lit up in the darkness. “You are his mate, you should convince him not to get angry at you” She suggested.
“And leave you to bare the cross? No, I think we should start going home and face the consequences of our actions! How much I hate Morgana” I muttered. Deep down I knew, I couldn’t blame her for the decisions I made but somehow it felt better to blame someone else, especially her.
No more words were spoken as we started to trek back home, Hazel keep me accompanied by telling me the tales of things she believed happened between the councils and Jet. They were so filled with maybes and uncertain topics I had a hard time trying to keep up with her story until something jumped in front of us startling us.
I dropped the flashlight in shock, Hazel reached down to pick it up and then handed it back to me. I pointed the light at the glowing eye thing in front of us, I froze for a second, staring at the huge tiger in front of me. I recalled when Hazel had told me earlier we were far from the jungle but then why the heck is a tiger roaring at us?
“Do not move” Hazel ordered stepping in front of me. It was the first time I’d ever seen her exhibit the qualities of being a werewolf, although she couldn’t shift yet, she braced herself and growled at the animal into backing away from us.
The tiger only took a step forward, steeling itself up for an attack, without thinking I grabbed her by the arm and started to run, I flung the torchlight somewhere making it hard for me to see in the dark. I couldn’t even count how many times I bumped into trees or something else. The heavy breathing of the tiger followed us closely behind, I possibly couldn’t remember the last time I had been this terrified, maybe the day Jet abducted me.
“Milady, please let me lead the way now, I can see through the dark thanks to my supernatural abilities,” She said probably tired of bumping into trees now and then, she pushed me to the other side in one quick move, this time she was the one holding onto me as we dodge trees, branches and logs. My dress catch into something making me scream, judging by the sound coming from behind me, the animal had no doubt caught the hem of my dress. Hazel growled as the animal yanked at my dress so hard I fell to the ground.
“Freya!” Hazel screamed in panic, it was the first time she ever called me by my name and it was due to fear.
“Run!” I scream back at her as the tiger dragged me around just as Hazel was trying to pull me away from it. She growled and the animal left me alone seeing Hazel as the bigger threat, I saw the shadow of the animal leap for her knocking her to the ground.
“Hazel!” I shouted trying to catch my breath, the tiger made a noise that sounded more like pain before it came flying into the air. “Hazel run” I yelled as she struggle to get up, without having to see, I knew she was injured, and I prayed it wasn’t serious. I only managed to help her straighten up before I was yanked away by the tiger again.
I recalled reading it once that a tiger enjoys toying with its prey before killing it, realizing once the animal decided he was done with the foreplay, it was going to tear me apart. I kicked yelled and tried to fight the animal off me but I was powerless especially now that it had enough foreplay, it towered over me and just as it was about to sink its fangs into me, it was suddenly flying into the air again. I jolted on my feet crashing into Hazel that lay a few feet away from me.
I freeze when I notice the person who had flung the tiger off me wasn’t Hazel, I couldn’t tell who it was. I tried waking her up but she had passed out cold, I started to panic, I couldn’t control the sobs that wrecked my body. I felt so stupid and I felt ashamed of myself for letting my silly jealousy drive me to this point.
The sound of bone cracking made me turn around, I couldn’t make out what it was in I the darkness but after witnessing Hunter shift once before even though I has mistaken him for Jet, I knew someone was shifting. No doubt my rescuer.
Whoever it was suddenly happened to grow taller, and bigger, his body was shaped like a human with furs here and there, his feet were large and his head was shaped like a wolf. Now I was torn on who I should be afraid of, the tiger or the beast.
Growls and snarls filled the hair as the two monsters battle each other until the tiger was tone apart and dropped on the ground. The monster veered towards me and I broke into a sob, I can’t leave Hazel and run, then I couldn’t run without her, I felt stuck. The monster turned back and faded into the distance.
“Freya” A familiar voice shouted behind me, I jerked around at the sound of Hunter. I particularly ran into his arms crying as my whole body shook. He held me still while cursing under his breath. “Jet is going to be in a full-blooded rage” I heard him mutter. From the corner of my eyes, I sight Kale picking up Hazel from the floor.
How could I possibly face Jet now? And why wasn’t he here? I darted a look over my shoulder in the direction the monster had disappeared into yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something so familiar about the beast.
.
.
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TBC