Kevin’s POV
I didn’t want to act paranoid or like I was overreacting but Ella seemed withdrawn. I didn’t want to press her for information with what she had just been through. Moreover, I didn’t know how bad the battle she had fought had been so I didn’t want to remind her of the terror by asking her how it had been for her.
I just didn’t want her to be silent and have the faraway look she had in her eyes. I wondered what she was thinking of. I slipped my hand into hers, letting her knowing that I was right here with her and she was out of whatever terror was in her head.
She looked at me and smiled back. I nodded at her, refusing to comment on how sad the smile in her eyes was. Ella wasn’t here yet. She was still in her head and I wondered what could bring her back to the present.
I thought of what I knew she liked. I considered telling her a story but she would laugh at me that she wasn’t a kid.
“Kevin,” she whispered.
“What?” I glanced at her.
“You are holding my hand too tight.” She said, glancing at our joined hands.
“Oops!” I said, glancing down at our hands. “I’m sorry.” I said, relaxing my hold on her fingers.
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled at me and her smile this time felt genuine as her eyes sparkled at me.
She was going to be fine, I thought to myself as I saw the light in her eyes.
“Where do we go now, my lord?” Liam asked, breaking into my thoughts.
I broke my hand from Ella’s own to check the map. I looked at the forked road before us and searched for it on the map. I raised my head up and pointed at the left side of the road.
“We go that way.” I said. “We should be home in fifteen minutes. The miles back home isn’t that much.”
“Good.” The men grinned and we continued walking.
“I see the villagers’ houses.” Andre broke into a grin as he pointed at a cluster of houses at a nearby distance.
I nodded, seeing what he was looking at. He was right. We were almost home. We would join the rest of our men, thank the villagers for their hospitality, thank the old man for telling us of the remedy for cleaning off the slave mark and then set out immediately with the rest of the men.
Hopefully, we would all be home in the next four days before the full moon. I couldn’t imagine experiencing the full moon here and having to shift while we were still in the midst of the villagers. It would be a risk for them and even though we could all control our instincts while being under the influence of the full moon, I didn’t want to freak the poor villagers out, not after what they had done for us.
“I am glad this adventure is behind us.” Andre smiled, his pace faster now that we could see where we were going in sight.
“It’s not over until we say it’s over, werewolf.” A gruff voice said behind us.
We looked around, wondering who was talking behind us. We didn’t have to look for too long as the cannibal father walked out of the bushes behind us together with three of his friends.
They walked out in an odd manner and stretched their legs, the bones popping loudly back into place as if the men had been in a cramped up position for too long and had almost gone stiff.
“I knew you would pass through here and had been waiting for you.” The cannibal father said as his eyes ran over all of us.
I sighed. I was right. They had been waiting for us.
“Don’t you ever let go?” I muttered under my breath.
He heard it. “Try to let go of your rage after I’ve killed your mate here. You killed my mate and kid and dare to preach forgiveness to me. What nonsense!” He barked.
“We didn’t kill your family.” Liam said. “We only protected ourselves. You all attacked us first.”
“Do you think I care for your stories?” He growled. “I don’t.”
His three friends didn’t say anything and stood silently by his side but I would be a fool to think that they weren’t ready to fight with their friends. After all, that was what they were there for.
I looked at my men and realized that they were ready for combat too. Their stances had already changed and would be ready to fight any minute from now whether in human form or wolf.
I glanced at Ella and winced. She was ready for war as well even though I didn’t want her in this battle. I could tell that the cannibal was more interested in hurting her to hurt us than fighting a fair battle.
I would have done the same to win a fight I didn’t think I could win just to get back at my enemy if I was in his shoes.
If I could, I wanted to stash Ella somewhere safe or run with her so she wouldn’t be a part of this. I knew there was no way to avoid her being involved so I just had to trust once again that she could hold her fort in a battle as much as I was trying to be overprotective.
I didn’t respond to his words. I waited, standing at alert.
“Let’s see if you will let go when I kill your mate here.” He growled, moving closer to Ella.
I growled back, my men growling with me and making everywhere loud. “Touch her and I will send you on a no return journey to where your family is.” I threatened him. “Maybe that is what you need.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Watch me.” He said, closing the gap between him and Ella.
We all shifted into wolves and jumped at one another as he and his friends moved closer to us.