Fangs and Roses

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Guilty Nightmare

Alexander Lykos

I clenched my jaw in frustration as we walked to the forest. We were not covering as much ground as I had hoped, having to stop at every sound and hide... hoping that it was not a scout team from Blackwater sent by Damien to do the same mission as we were. The inability to track them by scent was extremely nerve-racking as it left us vulnerable and forced us to advance at a snail's pace.

"Do you have a plan to scout out Blackwater? Or were you just going to charge in like a raging bull?"

"Angel has got a point, Xander. Breaking into the pack undetected is going to be hard enough, but moving around undetected? That might be almost impossible with all of Damien's forces crawling around the place."

I gave a small chuckle and reached down to grab a fistful of mud, Amelia huffing in amusement as she caught my train of thought.

"Wolves have masking their scents long before Damien concocted his little miracle. My plan is that we cover ourselves in mid the moment we cross the Blackwater border, and only then. Our kind are to tell the difference between the earth where their pack stands and anywhere else, that is why we are able to differentiate our own. The mud from Blackwater land should be a good cover... and it is the best we got."

We stared at each other for a moment before I threw the mud back to the ground and pushed forward, Amelia padding to my side.

*"We will find Sapphire and the rest of our family, Xander. Don't lose hope."*

"Sapphire has the highest chance, out of all of them, of being left alive... but what state will he leave her in, Amelia? He might leave some of our own alive, but his mark will remain for the rest of their lives. Sapphire screamed and cried almost every night since she had escaped, her physical body might have healed but her mind... he scarred it and she has to carry it forever."

Blood dripped from my hands as I thought of that monster and everything he had put Sapphire through, my claws digging deeper into the palm of my hand. However, before any blood could hit the ground, Amelia licked at the wound, her eyes closing in disgust. Angel must have seen the look on her face as she was at my side with a small cloth at the ready.

"Thank you."

I nodded apologetically at Amelia as I tied the cloth around the wound to prevent the blood from flowing freely. Amelia's lips curled back to bare her fangs as her tongue hung out of her mouth.

*"Control yourself, Xander! We might still be in your territory, but once we are out of it... we become sitting ducks in unfamiliar territory, and the scent of your blood is not going to help!"*

With that she shuddered as she drew her tongue back into her mouth before turning on me to venture forward, crawling under the foliage to camouflage herself as a Werecat would immediately raise suspicions. Angel gave me a small smile before following Amelia and Jared clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"I think we really need a change of pace."