TESSA’S POV
“We’ve been walking for more than an hour now. Where exactly are we going?” I asked Atlas as I followed him walking down the trail inside the woods.
I didn’t know why he wasn’t saying anything. He was just walking and letting me follow him to wherever he wanted to go. I started to feel that coming with him was a mistake.
As I looked at the sky, I could see that it was getting really dark. The trees were still, and the wind ran slowly, making the atmosphere in the woods become colder. It appeared that a storm was about to come soon, and yet here we were, still walking in the middle of the dark woods.
“Atlas,” I called to him again.
That was the only time he stopped and turned to me.
“We’re getting near,” he stated, perhaps for me to stop nagging him.
We walked for another fifteen minutes until we arrived at what seemed to be the borders. My mouth parted as I looked at the tall gates, and I wondered what the area on the other side of them was.
“Where exactly are we?” I asked him.
“This is the border of our pack and human territory.”
“Seriously?” I was surprised to hear that, taking another look at the area behind the metallic gates. “You mean the White Bridge?”
He nodded as he looked at me intently. “If you want to cross, that’s fine. Maybe you already miss human land. No one will know.”
No, I thought to myself sternly and then glanced at Atlas, who was now wearing a devilish smirk.
“Is that the reason why you made me walk for almost two hours in the woods? You want me to cross the borders?” My forehead creased. He grinned wider. “You’re not funny. I’m leaving.”
I didn’t know why my chest tightened, thinking that he was seemingly pushing me to go back to White Bridge. He made me feel like I did not belong here.
I was about to go despite not knowing the exact way home, but I felt a hand grabbing my arm.
“I’m just kidding. I’m sorry,” he said, trying his best not to laugh.
With my gritted teeth, I turned to him, giving him a deadly glare.
“I didn’t know that the joke was on me. Should I laugh with you now?”
“Feisty.” He smirked.
“I want to go home. The rain will pour any moment. I don’t have time to play with you-”
“Meow…”
My eyes widened as I heard it. I looked around trying to find where the sound was coming from, and figured out that it was coming from the foot of the gate. There I saw a cute little white cat that was hiding in a little pet house made of wood.
It furred as I tried to touch it, and my heart immediately jumped in joy, as it was the first time I’d seen a cat in the pack.
“And that’s what I want you to see…” Atlas said behind me.
I looked up at him, and noticed a smile on his lips. His gaze dropped to the cat, making his expression turn softer. He crouched down to pet the cat, and it seemed to be close to him.
“Is this your pet?” I asked.
“Maybe.” He shrugged and then carried the cat in his hand. “I saw it wondering in the woods a few days ago. He was famished, and so I brought him food. Since then, he has become clingy.” He chuckled.
“Is it you who created his house?” I pointed to the little pet house.
“I just picked a few branches of trees and then made it seem like a little house, so he has a place to sleep in at night,” he explained.
I admitted that I was touched by his kindness towards the cat. Who would have thought that a ruthless werewolf like him would pet a lone cat?
For the record, I wasn’t sure if werewolves dislike cats or not!
“I brought you here to see him.” He licked his lower lip and gazed at me with such hope in his eyes. “… a-and maybe you may want to take him home.”
My brow arched up. Was he… asking me for a favour?
He cleared his throat. “You see, a heavy storm is about to come,” he continued as he looked at the dark sky. “If he stays here, he’ll die.”
“Why not take him into your mansion then?” My eyes narrowed.
He breathed hard, as if he was being cornered. “My father will only kill him. Anything that’s not a werewolf, he kills.”
My heart sank at the possible fate of the cat if he brought him into his house. I looked at the cat, and I could see myself in him when the Steinfields kicked me out of their home. The feeling of being soaked by the heavy storm was not that appealing. How much more in the cat’s shoe?
“So, do you think you can take him home?”
I sighed, took the cat from his hand, and hugged it. “Sure, I can take him home.”
His lips pursed, and I wasn’t sure if it was a ghost of a smile that I’d seen in it. The cat settled on my chest, and I could not help but chuckle. Atlas was right to say that it was clingy.
The roar of the thunder made me startle. We both looked at the dark clouds drifting through the sky.
“The weather is making me so uneasy,” I stated softly.
“Come on, we have to go,” he said urgently.
We both hurried on our way back home. However, we were just still in the middle of the woods, running, when the rain poured heavily. Atlas removed his shirt and hung it on my head. He also covered me with his arms, making me stunned for a bit.
“We have to get going. This storm can create a landslide,” he said.
We ran… and ran… but the heavy rain made it impossible for us to move further as the trail was filled with rapid water falling from the higher hills. Luckily, we found a barn alongside the nearby river. We went there completely soaking wet.
I could feel the cold going through me. My body continued to shiver as we stood in the porch area of the barn. The cat kept crying as it was soaked too, and all I could do was hug it.
Atlas kicked the door of the barn. I was shocked when he did that, considering that someone might have owned the place, but he didn’t give a damn. We entered inside and figured out that it was horse barn, where there were cages inside and a mountain of hay.
My teeth were gritting as I walked into it, watching Atlas as he looked for some stuff.
“W-What are you doing?” I asked.
“Trying to find something I can use to create a fire.”
My eyes roamed around and I saw a little old charcoal stove near the hay.
“I-I think we can use it.” I pointed my finger at it, which Atlas immediately followed.
“Yeah, that should work.”
Luckily, Atlas was able to find a lighter and was able to create a fire to warm us for the brief time while we were waiting for the rain to stop. We were both seated in front of the fire. While Atlas was warming his hands, I was still shivering in my direction. The cat had fallen asleep right next to me, and that was the only time I could embrace myself to get warmed.
“Do you still feel cold?” he asked.
I swallowed hard, and nodded.
“Fuck…” he mumbled. Seconds later, he moved closer to me.
My heart rate picked up when I felt his hands rubbing my arms, and then he pulled me and gave me a hug.
“W-What are you-”
“Don’t over think. I just want to warm you up,” he said, tightening his embrace around me.
I began struggling to breathe, but eventually, my body stopped shivering and I found comfort in his body’s warmth. At that moment, the wind turned, making me smell his entrancing scent, then a flash of a smile crossed my lips.