Profound Devotion

Chapter 12

July 24th
Cassius

Raian had been burning a stare into the side of my face for some time now, but I could not bring myself to care. The only thought on my mind at that moment was the image of Naia's sheer terror as we barged into her bedroom that morning.

She clawed desperately at her brother, breaking his skin deeper than he let on once he grabbed her shoulder. It was as if it hurt her to be touched, and whatever dream she was sucked into was too vivid to be distinguished from what was right in front of her.

Judging by the wide-eyed, frantic stare Atticus was giving, he had never seen it so inconsolable. If Raian had not suggested we refrained her before she hurt herself or someone else again, I was not sure there would be a way to help tether her back to reality.

"I cannot help but wonder what this morning's happenings was all about." My brother mumbled, folding his arms over his chest and settling into a worrisome frown as we continued through the compacted trees.

I knew the moment the ear-piercing scream left her lips at the touch of her shoulder that it had been about her mate. However, it was not my place to share her private information that she entrusted on me.

I only hummed a response and continued on in silence.

"Your actions surprised me, as well."

I managed to lift my head and catch the suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. My eyes narrowed, heeding a warning as I brushed off his immaturity.

"You seem to be softening to the idea of these wolves. You have never touched another person so willingly, and in such a situation."

"Just drop it." I growled, my fists clenching as my jaw tightened. I was not in the mood for the interrogation.

Instead of listening to my demand, he chuckled and elbowed me in my side. "I think you may be fond of her."

My footfalls stopped abruptly. "How old are you?" Every second this continued made me regret agreeing to this walk. If I knew this was how it would be, I would have gone alone.

"I am serious. The way you looked at her yesterday, and now this morning? It seems my suspicions were correct." He backpedaled and purposefully avoided my glare, even as his confidence grew as if he fully believed what he was saying was correct. "What was even said to you yesterday to make you suddenly so..." He gestured to all of me as if that were explanation enough. "I mean, think about it brother.  You carried the she-wolf home. You comforted her when her own brother was willing to step in. You even made sure she was fed. None of that sounds like something you would do."

He may have had a point, but my mood was souring the longer this continued. I did not have the energy to break things down for him, and I disagreed against the premise that it was something I even had to do. I was exhausted, and I had not actually eaten anything in days. My body was weakening, and the need for a place to sit only grew as my head swirled and became almost too heavy to support.

Raian flinched and put a wide birth between us as a fierce growl poured from my lips. "I am giving you one last chance to let this go. What she told me was in confidence, so it is best if you stop trying to pry into things you do not understand."

His confusion with my seemingly high irritation level shifted to concern once I rested my hand on a tree, supporting my weight through the sudden dizzy spell and squeezing my eyes closed. I was light-headed now more-so than before, and every muscle within my body protested as I forced myself to remain upright.

"Are you alright?" He was at my side in an instant, supporting my other arm in case I took a turn for the worst. All thoughts of Monaia and this morning had vanished from his current thoughts. "When have you last slept?" I gave him a pointed look and shoved off the trunk once I was sure it was okay for me to walk on again. "Seriously, this is unhealthy. You are pushing yourself too hard."

"Someone needs to make sure we are safe." I insisted, reminding him of our current situation as we continued down the flattened path with a much slower pace.

"Cass—" He tried again, only to give in once I ignored him and trudged on toward the steep cliff I found myself gravitating toward the past few days.

I did not need sleep as badly as he thought. My only focus now was making sure we were not hunted down by the same wolves that had wiped out the rest of our family.

******

—Monaia

I settled into the warm, prickly grass and sucked in a deep breath of clean air. Syrene cozied up near my side with two of her friends as we watched my mother and father position two homemade nets.

Warriors and Rogues—a game my brother made up as a young wolf and turned into a wide-spread event through our village.

  Atticus assigned teams to the teens and young adults who signed up to play, passing out hand-sewn jerseys to each that some of the mothers came together to make.

  "Monaia!" He called from the center of the crowd, beckoning me over. The players' heads turned in synchronicity to stare me down as if I'd missed whatever it was my brother just said.

  "What?" I grumbled, knowing by the sickeningly sweet smile that I was about to be roped into something I didn't want to do.

  "We need another warrior."

  I nearly choked on my sip of lemonade. Styrene smacked me hard against the back, giggling as I struggled to regain my breath.

  "Are you crazy?" I choked, relieved once the cool liquid finally made it to my stomach and allowed me to suck in a clear stream of air.

  Atticus smirked and tossed a bright purple jersey in my direction. "Oh, come on. You'll be fine."

  He motioned his head toward one of the nets, and dread settled within the pit of my gut.

  It had been years since I'd played anything with them, yet I knew with one final look that there was no way he would let this go easily.

  I made a point to show how little I wanted to do this by groaning loudly and slipping the jersey over my head, wincing at the stale smell of sweat that stained the material. Had these ever been washed?

  The other players whooped and hollered, some patting me on the back as they swarmed me at the center of the field. They insisted I would do great to encourage me into my position.

  At least someone had faith in me, because as the game began and I watched a male much larger than myself charge forward, I was sure I could see my life flash before my eyes.

  "Yeah, Naia!" Raian shouted from the sideline, stealing my secure spot I had once been sitting in. I shot it a longing glance as I wished I would have said no, but it was too late now.

The male, Cory, was tripped by his friend Kara who took possession of the ball and passed it to her teammate Taylor. He scored against the other warrior, and I watched Atticus jog to his side and congratulate him with a squeeze of his shoulder.

  He sported a dull red jersey, and my eyes narrowed to a chilly glare as I realized he'd purposely placed me on the opposing team.

  Their goalie, Nathaniel, lobbed the ball back into the field, and my focus struggled to keep up with it as it raced to my end of the grass. It was passed to Atticus who weaved it through Kara's legs and caused her to stumble and curse as she collided with the ground.

  He grew closer, winding up his dominant leg and sending the ball soaring through the air. I dove for it, nicking the woven surface with the tips of my fingers, only for it to roll off and land perfectly within the net behind me.

  "Yeah!" Atticus shouted, wagging his finger in my face as I climbed up off the ground and dusted my shorts clean.

  Kara shrugged her shoulders and shoved Taylor back into position, determined to win now more than ever as her Alpha gloated like a child.

  "Too slow!"

  My face morphed into an annoyed glare while I returned to my own spot in front of the net, tipping the ball out to the center and watching the game start back up.

  The competitive fire I'd always mustered somewhere deep within came alive, and I was now ready to make sure he never scored again.