Silverblood

Dam

TW: VERY SENSITIVE TOPICS ABOUT MENTAL HEALT AHEAD THAT COULD BE TRIGGERING TO SOMEONE.

"Are you ready?"

I tightened the straps of the backpack and stood, pulling the strands of hair escaped from the ponytail behind my ear.

"I am."

Hercules nodded and extended an hand, waiting for me to pass him the bag, and then hauled it in the backseats of the jeep. Nora, Cameron and Sean were the only ones in front of the house, the rest of the Silverblood pack still fast asleep. I couldn't bear the worry in Nora's eyes, so with a last wave in their direction, I hopped in the passenger seat. I watched from the rear-view mirror as the Silverblood Inner pack exchanged a few last words, but I tuned their voices out. My body was stiff, my mind a raging pit of confused emotions. The driver's door opened, Hercules' familiar scent entering the car. My muscles instantly relaxed, but my mind didn't follow. Even my wolf was restless, her anxiety mirroring my own. When the car's ignition didn't turn on, I glanced at Hercules, finding him already staring at me.

He noticed. Of course he noticed. He always did.

He knew me well enough to stay silent, but I could see the question in his eyes.

Are you sure?

I am, mine conveyed back.

With that, he started the car. To Alaska it was.

————

It was late at night when we finally stopped. We were deep in the Canadian territory, half the journey already behind us. My eyes felt droopy, and the stiffness in my lower back and legs was excruciating. If I was this tired, I couldn't imagine how exhausted Hercules must have felt. Werewolf stamina or not, he had driven all day long, with only a brief stop to refuel and eat. He shouldn't have been here in the first place - seen as the Silverblood pack would host the mating event in a couple of days - but he had insisted on accompanying me, at least until we reached the Alaskan borders. Then, I would be on my own. I was grateful for his company though. It kept me sane, anchored to the present, when my mind wanted nothing more than to wander back into the past.

Hercules cut the engine off while I scrutinized our accommodation for the night. From the outside, the motel wasn't much, but at least we'd have the opportunity to rest properly for a couple of hours. He could have asked the Canadian pack living in the Coastal Mountains to host us, but we mutually agreed on keeping this trip a secret. Until we had some answers, we couldn't trust anyone. Getting off from the car, I groaned, my knees popping in discomfort. Bending at the waist, I stretched my back and legs, welcoming the tingling sensation crawling up my stiff body.
I hauled our bags off the backseats and waited for Hercules to finish a little stretching of his own. He tried to pry them off my fingers, but I swatted his arm away.

"You've been driving all day long, leave them to me."

I opened the motel's doors to silence his retort. The man at the reception startled from his slumber, eyeing us from head to toe with sleepy eyes. I approached him with what I hoped was a charming smile.