Angel

Crows

Noel's POV

I hadn't slept at all last night. My nerves were through the roof thinking about the run. So many 'what if' questions swirled in my head. What if I couldn't help them find the source of the dark aura? What if I got in the way? What if I led them into a trap or danger? On top of all this anxiety, I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss last night. It was a simple quick kiss and it probably meant nothing, but what if it did mean something? Did he have feelings for me? Do I have feelings for him? I was so confused and I couldn't make out the feelings that I was having. This is all new to me. I have never had someone care about me and my wellbeing before. I have never had someone show interest in me like Luke has. I should be ecstatic that I finally have that someone, but I wasn't. This kiss didn't feel right. Maybe because it was such a surprise to me and it happened so quick or maybe because he wasn't my mate.

I sighed and decided to push all these questions and worries out of my mind and focus on preparing myself for the run. Although I didn't know how long we would be out there, I didn't want to bring too much with me. I packed a small bag filled with food and water, and also some back up knives just in case I lost the one that Luke gave me. I put the one that Luke gave me in my boot; that way I can easily access it in an emergency. I braided my hair so that it was out of my face and looked at myself one more time in the mirror. The image in the mirror might be portraying a confident woman, but that woman was experiencing some serious anxiety and nervousness. I finally looked away and decided it was time to meet up with the others.

****

As I approach Xavier and the Warriors, I witness them calmly talking amongst themselves. Most of them didn't have a bag or anything with them other than the clothes off their backs. As werewolves they can very easily hunt for their own food and find their water in the wilderness; they didn't need to bring much with them.

I walked up to Xavier and he immediately turns towards me.

"Ready?" he simply states.

"Yes." I wanted to sound confident, but it was obvious that I was nervous. My nervousness didn't go undetected by Xavier.

"You know I'll keep you safe, right? You have nothing to worry about." He tried to reassure me. Strangely, I believed his words and found comfort in them.

"I know, thank you." I sincerely replied.

"We're going to head out right now. We're all going out in wolf form, so you can ride on top of my wolf." That caught me by surprise.

"What? No... I'll take a horse." There was no way I was going to ride on his back... that was so unnecessary.

He growled at my response and grabbed my arm and whispered to me in a menacing way in effort to not draw attention to us. "You're not taking a horse, I want you near me at all times. Look, I'm letting you go on this run, but I expect you to obey my orders. I don't want to argue with you over stupid shit."

That angered me and I couldn't hold back the next words that came out of my mouth. "Letting me? You're the one that invited me to come. And what if I don't obey to your orders, are you going to punch me like you did to Luke?"

He immediately let go of my arm and took a step back, "I would never do such a thing to you..." He replied surprised that I would even think about such a thing. He reluctantly turns to one of the warriors and orders him to grab me a horse. Without another glance in my direction, he turns away from me and walks away.

I sigh. This is definitely going to be difficult being around each other and not getting on one another's nerves, but I did promise myself that I would try to be civil with him. I glance around and I spot Luke from afar looking in my direction. I want to go up to him and say my goodbyes, perhaps even find some comfort in him. However, my body did the opposite. I don't know why I did, but I turned around and walked towards the horse that was brought for me. I didn't bother to approach him or even wave at him. Things were complicated and I didn't want to make them even more complicated; or that's what I told myself at least.

I climb on the horse and watch all the warriors including Xavier transform into their wolf form. They had tied a pair of shorts around one of their legs for when they transform back to their human selves. Xavier's wolf approaches me and licks my hand. I giggle at his actions and run my fingers through his soft fur.

"It's good to see you again too." I say with a big smile, as he continues to lick me. Maybe this run won't be bad with his wolf form around.

Hours had passed and we still haven't come across anything. I didn't sense any of the dark power from the attack, which was frustrating not only to me, but also to the others. I could tell that some of the warriors were becoming restless and even Xavier's wolf wasn't too happy with the lack of guidance. We decided to take a break by the river stream and plan out our next steps.

I jump off my horse and stretch my aching muscles from sitting on that horse for hours. Xavier in his human form breaks through the tree line with shorts on and yells out his next orders for everyone to hear.

"We will make camp here for tonight and early tomorrow morning we will go back out again." Everyone nods and turns to do their own thing. Some transform back to their human selves, others went out to hunt for food and others decided to cool off in the river. I awkwardly didn't know what I should be doing.

I sense Xavier come up behind me and I slowly turn to face him, expecting him to be angry or upset with my lack of guidance. "I'm sorry that I haven't been much help to you. I just don't sense anything and there's not much I can do about it, unfortunately."

Xavier nods, "Understandable, just stay close to me or the others. It's going to be dark soon and I don't want you to wander off. I'm going out to hunt for food; I'll be back soon, okay?"

I'm surprised at his level of understanding, but I nod at his words.

Probably sensing the awkward tension between us, he clears his throat and turns around to go hunt without another word. I decide to make myself comfortable and eat some of the food I had packed.

********

It didn't take long for Xavier to come back with a large deer that he was able to kill on his hunt. He glances over at me and then continues on to the fire pit. I don't want to get in anyone's way so I sit by a tree and watch the others. The sandwich I ate wasn't enough to fill my stomach; I should have brought more food with me.

I jump when I sense Xavier sit next to me. I was so caught up in my own thoughts of 'what ifs' again that I hadn't noticed him approach me.

"Here, eat." He hands me some pieces of cooked deer. It smells delicious and my stomach growls at the anticipation of receiving more food.

I take it without protesting. "Thank you, I wasn't expecting this." I honestly state.

"Wasn't expecting what? Me feeding you? The Alpha always provides food to his pack members, especially to his Luna." He states without looking at me. I look over at him with shock written all over my face. Did he just say that I'm his Luna? Lately he's been surprising me a lot with his actions and words.

Before I could reply and express my surprise and gratitude, a flock of crows breaks through the treeline and flies above us. There were so many that everyone's attention is brought to the crows. Something uneasy stirs in the pit of my stomach. I don't sense the dark aura, but I sense that something is not right. The crows quickly disperse and everyone returns back to what they were doing without another thought.

Xavier looks over at me while I continue to stare up at the sky trying to comprehend what this feeling I was having.

"Do you sense the dark aura?" He asks eagerly.

I look towards him and reply honestly, "No, but I think we're close."