Elena’s POV.
The intense silence that hovered around us as we walked through the thick bush could be cut effortlessly with a butter knife.
Everyone stayed to themselves and said no single word to the other.
Killian made sure I walked side by side with him, though it felt more like punishment as he didn’t turn to spare me a glance since we embarked on the journey.
Somehow, I hoped that things could go back to the way they were when I had initially returned. I missed his admiration and the endless shower of love and attention. I wanted to have the loving Killian that I used to know back to himself and not this cold Killian who had almost become unrecognizable.
I was tired of the feud already, how much I wanted to reach out and kiss him so hard. But I was scared of the outcome, would he push me away, yell at me, or actually reciprocate the kiss?
My thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a rustling sound behind me. I swiftly turned around only to see Darius advancing towards me with a warm smile on his face.
“Hey Elena, do you want some water?” He offered.
Before I could mutter a reply, I heard Killian snort loudly beside me.
“Piss off, we have enough water,” he spat angrily.
“I was only looking out for her,” Darius muttered.
“Well, take it somewhere else,” Killian replied curtly.
I felt extremely bad watching Darius through the corner of my eyes as he took a few steps back from us.
“Thanks for looking out for me Darius, but I’m really not thirsty yet,” I managed to mutter and flashed him a small smile hoping to appease him at least.
He returned my smile and we focused back on the road, our rustling footsteps sounded through the narrow bushy lane as we walked through.
It felt like I was stuck in between them, totally confused about who to channel my attention to.
Killian would not say a word to me, neither would he spare me a second glance, he was so focused on the journey and acted like I totally didn’t exist.
And Darius on the other hand badly wanted to walk side by side with me, I could tell he was itching to hold my hands and strike a conversation that would take my mind off the situation of things until we got to our destination, but that would be a death wish.
Despite how ignorant of my presence Killian acted, I could tell he had his instincts hovering over Darius and I, and any slightest eye contact could lead to a furious feud between the two.
I was glad that Darius understood the situation and acted accordingly.
Hours flew by and slowly, the sun began to fade off, and the cold evening breeze began to blow swiftly at us but we surged forward regardless.
Aside Killian who kept marching forward like a furious warrior, the rest of us were tired, Green had stumbled on invisible stones severally while Darius breathed hard behind us, I was also trying so hard to catch my breath. But then nobody dared to speak up and get roasted by Killian.
The usual Killian would have long noticed my mood and sought for a solution but right now, he was so consumed by anger and jealousy that he was completely blinded to it.
We all pushed forward, trying to keep our miserable situations in check.
“I think we should stop over and rest a bit, it’s been quite a long journey,” Darius suddenly spoke up.
Oh no! Why did he have to be the one to say this? Killian would definitely take it the other way around.
“Is that how weak you are huh? Why do you need to rest? It hasn’t even been up to a full day,” Killian rattled just like I had presumed.
“How dare you call me weak? I’m only looking out for everyone,” Darius snapped.
“Well it sure doesn’t look like it, what use will it be if we abandoned our mission just to catch some rest? We will only rest when the journey is a success and that’s final,” Killian snapped back at him.
“I really don’t know what you are trying to prove, but this isn’t about being brave, but smart, we are walking through a dangerous lane at a dangerous hour, this is the perfect time for rogue wolves to come out and hunt,” Darius was trying so hard to caution Killian about the dangers lurking around us but Killian was far from ready to hearken.
“Keep your sermon to yourself, we should keep moving. The faster we get through this dangerous lane, the better.”
“Are you insane? It’s called ‘dangerous’ for a reason! We should camp here until the day is bright again.” Darius was beginning to yell now. Killian’s stubbornness seemed to be getting on his last nerve.
“We don’t have time for all that, you coward. I am capable of handling whatever comes my way.”
“With all due respect, I’m not a coward; I’m being cautious! There’s a difference between bravery and recklessness,”
Green and I stood silently, watching them growl at each other with so much anger and hatred. At this point, there was nothing we could do to break them off each other’s backs.
“Oh, save the lecture. You’re just holding us back because you’re scared.”
“And you’re being arrogant and reckless for no good reason, even if you can keep up with these rogues, how about Elena? We need to think this through.”
“That is not for you to worry about, she’s not your responsibility,” Killian barked at him. His eyes had swiftly changed to crimson red and his palms tightly curled in a fist at the mention of my name.
“And my decision stands, we are going to keep moving until we arrive at our destination, rogues or no rogues,” he spat, staring at him dead in the eyes.
“If you’re too scared to continue the journey, you can back off now, I don’t need your dead weight slowing me down anyway.”
And with that, he turned around and stormed off, not sparing me a glance to see if the rest of us had followed him behind.
Not having any choice left, Green and I ran after him.