Mia
We moved through the forest, choosing to send signals to one another instead of being verbal about it. To make the work of carrying the pack of food easier on the two guys carrying it, we decided to split the food and drink items into the survival kits of everyone.
I noticed that the boys put less stuff into my bag than they put in theirs and I frowned, wondering if they wanted me to starve or thought that I wouldn’t be able to eat much since I was a lady. I didn’t want to think too much of it and be petty – after all, we were all going to be together – but I couldn’t help my curiosity.
I was about to open my mouth to speak when I remembered that I couldn’t do so. I searched through my bag and found a pen and a jotter, grateful that I had brought them with me. I had decided to bring them along with me so I could make notes of the books I read or make some sketches when I got bored. It was good to know that it was going to come in handy.
Why are you not putting more food in my bag? It’s big enough for more and there is still much space in it.
I wrote and passed to Quinn who was by my side.
He sighed and collected the jotter and pen from me. His expression was tired like that of a man who wondered why he had to deal with his exasperating wife. I snorted at him. It wasn’t as if I was disturbing him so he should let go of his disinterest in talking with people when he was busy and had a lot on his mind. I already knew that about him so I wasn’t going to get mad at him for it.
We don’t want you with too much load. That is okay for you.
He wrote and passed the book back to me.
I scowled in annoyance. They were doing it again; acting overprotective as if I couldn’t do anything on my own. I had been living just fine before I met them and also doing hard stuff. If only they had known of how hard I had worked during my part-time days, they wouldn’t be here treating me like the disabled or weak daughter of a tycoon.
I can lift loads quite fine. Don’t treat me like a weakling. Don’t give me that bullshit.
Quinn sighed as he took the book from me and scribbled so fast that I wondered if I was going to be able to read his words. I couldn’t imagine someone writing with as much anger and impatience as he was at the moment.
You are not a weakling but you can’t have much loads stacked in your bag. We can’t deal with that even if you want to. We can’t deal with seeing you struggling.
Who told you I was going to struggle under the weight of the load? My bag is big enough for more and I can perfectly lift whatever that is there. You haven’t even given me anything. You don’t even want me to do anything.
I was glad that we were writing or I would be yelling at the moment with how frustrated I was with the boys. I couldn’t even tell what would happen to us if I yelled in a scary forest as this. My voice would echo all the way to the ends of it. I still wanted to yell at them though but I didn’t want to hear my voice being repeated as a nasty growl so I kept my peace. They needed to stop treating me like a baby.
Of course, we don’t because you are our mate.
I rolled my eyes. I should have known that he would play the mate card. That wasn’t fair. That I was their mate didn’t mean that I had to be useless. I smiled as I realized that I had a card to play as well in the mate department. If that was how he wanted to play it, that was okay with me as well. I could play the game as well.
I thought the Luna of the pack was meant to be a strong lady. Why are you trying to turn the one you claim to be the Luna into a weakling?
He sighed, staring at the paper and then chuckled silently. His brothers stopped with stashing items into their bags and looked up at us, wondering what we were doing. We had been exchanging notes between each other for a while now that it was normal for them to be curious.
What is going on?
Jack made a signal. I couldn’t understand his sign at first and sighed. This was going to take a while before I got used to it. Talking would have been easier than all this stress. I hoped that the other parts of the forest wasn’t like this because I couldn’t imagine not opening my mouth all through the journey when I didn’t have a clue on how long it was going to take.
Quinn scribbled so fast that my eyes watered as I tried to follow his hand and read what he was writing. I wanted to ask him if he had been involved in a writing competition because of how fast he could write but I knew he wasn’t going to take lightly to the joke.
He was going to remind me that he was a supernatural being and his hand could write as fast as he wanted. I rolled my eyes. They were predictable at times and not much fun at all.
Jack smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he raised his head from the jotter Quinn had passed to him.
He extended his hand for the pen and Quinn passed it to him. I held my breath as I watched him write, wondering what I was about to read. Jack was naughty with his words and I wondered if he was going to be naughty this time too.
He handed the jotter to me with a wink. I was afraid to read what he had written but I had to know it.
You are our mate. You can be strong as a Luna but you can’t be as strong as we are. We are werewolves and you are a human. Let us bear the burden of the load and let go of these issues.
John got the paper and also wrote on it.
We aren’t trying to underestimate you. We are only trying to watch out for you as wolves for their mates. It will be nice if you stop fighting us on this.
I sighed and nodded. They were right. Quinn exhaled and gave me the thumbs up sign that I had done well and made the right decision by letting go.
Within minutes, we were done packing and stood up, heading forward. The boys’ bags couldn’t contain all the food items and there were still some left in the bag that they were originally in but it wasn’t as heavy as it had been earlier and one of them could carry it now instead of having two carry it. They would only have to rotate carrying it among each other to even out the stress of carrying a heavy bag on the back and pulling that along.
For now, Quinn was the one carrying the bag and John would be next. I didn’t even bother to be included in the roaster for the bag carrying project because I knew that they wouldn’t respond to me. I had to learn to keep my peace.
It was as if the forest knew that we were still around and wondered why we weren’t making any sound. It seemed to burst forth with a life of its own, trying to find out where we were.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed and the winds started to howl in our ears as it troubled and shook the trees and their branches. The birds flew out of the trees, the surge shocking and an eerie sight as they filled up the air and we couldn’t see anything again.
They covered the whole sky and made it pitch black. I was scared and wanted to yelp but Jack hurriedly covered my mouth with his hands. I glanced at him and he smiled, telling me with his eyes to breathe.
I nodded, trying to chase the fear I felt away.
John cursed as he stepped on a patch of dead leaves and the sound echoed throughout the forest. As if the forest had been waiting for us to make a mistake, four huge boars charged at us and without thinking, we all scattered with fear, running into different directions.