Chapter 209
- NYSSA
Rowan remained unusually quiet right until the moment we got into bed together. He lay next to me, his arms wrapped around my waist but he had never felt further away.
It was a long time before the exhaustion took over me but soon enough I awoke, my eyes flying open.
I frowned when I realized that it was still dark outside, and that the space behind me was empty. The clock read half past two and outside, the night was completely silent. There were no birds chirping, or crickets in the distance and that worried me.
I dragged myself out of bed, following Rowan’s scent out the house and towards the back door. It was left ajar and footsteps led out into the trees at the back of the house. Judging by the folded clothes left neatly by the door, he had shifted.
With a sigh, I pulled off my clothes, letting my wolf take over as I trotted slowly into the darkness after him.
His wall was still firmly in place, and no matter how hard I tried to budge, he would not lower it for me. I opted for following his scent instead.
"It’s dangerous to be out this late," my wolf said to me. "We should go back to the house and wait."
"We’re in our own backyard. What’s the worst that can happen?"
"A lot."
I ignored her and kept moving, weaving through trees as I followed my mate’s scent. It led me into a clearing and from there, it disappeared. I looked around, at the trees all around me and the night sky up ahead. I peered through the darkness, trying to find any signs that my mate had even passed by here, but there were none.
The wind groaned overhead, trees rustling in the dead of night. The only sound I could make out was my heavy breathing and the sound of my heart hammering wildly in my chest.
Against my better judgment, I howled; a low, sound that echoed into the night, reverberating through the trees.
I listened out for a howl back but got nothing.
With a sigh, I turned to go back the way I came only to be stopped short by the sound of movement behind me. It was barely there, just the sound of rustling through the trees.
I turned sharply, wondering if it was Rowan but to my surprise, I was met with pitch darkness.
I howled again, voice softer and more inquisitive.
What I heard back was not a howl. I could not describe the sound even if I wanted to. It was a low, animalistic sound, like a mix between a snarl and a growl. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before and it sent shivers down my spine.
As a wolf, I was arguably the biggest predator in the woods, but something told me that what waited for me on the other side was a far bigger predator than I was.
Without another thought, I took off into the woods, not caring where I was going.
Branches hit my face but I ignored them and kept moving, trying to ignore the heavy footsteps that echoed behind me or the loud snarls that followed me. The sound was so close that a part of me itched to turn around and see but I knew it would only slow me down.
Blood rushed in my ears as my heartbeat violently. I spurred my limbs to move faster, hoping that I could outrun whatever that thing was. The scariest part of being chased was that I couldn’t smell a thing. It had no scent.
A figure came out of the woods to my side. It happened too fast that I didn’t have time to brace myself before I went flying into a tree. My back slammed hard into it and a pained whine broke free from me.
"Fuck!" Rowan’s voice echoed in my head. "I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you alright?"
I peeled my eyes open to find Rowan towering over me in his lycan form. His eyes were dark, teeth bared non-menacingly as he stared down at me. Fur covered his skin and dark veins crawled around his eyes.
I pulled myself up, snarling into the darkness behind him, but I was met with silence.
"What’s going on?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion. "Are you hurt?"
"Something was chasing me," I said firmly. "I didn’t see it but... it was there."
"Was it another wolf? A lycan?"
"I..." I trailed off with a sigh. "It didn’t have a scent. I just heard it growl and I heard it following behind me when I ran. Where the hell were you? I went looking for you... I howled."
"I heard your howl, that’s why I came running here." His eyes scanned the trees around us. ’Go back to the house, I’ll see if whatever followed you left tracks."
"No."
He sighed. "Nys—"
"I’m not going on my own, Rowan. We either check together or neither of us does."
He sighed, but he let me stick around.
With shaky limbs, we retraced my steps. It wasn’t hard considering the carnage I left behind, but as we walked, I couldn’t help but notice that there was only one set of foot—or rather, paw prints in the ground.
It seemed impossible, but whoever ran behind me did not leave a trace of their presence.
We walked all the way back to the clearing but there was nothing. It was like I’d imagined the whole thing.
"There was someone," I told Rowan. "I swear it to you. I heard them—"
"I believe you."
"I’m not crazy!"
He sighed, stepping closer to me, his body shielding mine protectively as he nuzzled my fur. "I believe you, Nyssa, but they’re gone now. Let’s get you into bed, okay?"
I nodded.
We walked back in silence and by the time we shifted back in front of the house, the crickets had resumed their chirping.
"You shouldn’t have come out so late," he scolded me.
"I went looking for you; what’s your excuse?"
For a long minute, he was silent. "You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."