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19 - Darker

Torryn

"Will you be alright?"

It surprised him, the gentleness in his voice. Clara shuddered as the night wind passed them beyond the woods. Torryn took his coat and placed the heavy fur on her shoulders.

"Please," Clara waved her hand towards him, "It will weigh me down. I already have a lot on my hands."

Torryn retreated his hands. He swung the coat back on his shoulders. He saw her smile against the darkness, where only the moon provided so little light. She was calm and composed, though there was a hint of distraught in her eyes, Torryn could not put a hand on it. The woods were still, as the other alphas walked ahead him.

Theodore, Aragon and Magnus were eager to witness such creature. He stayed behind as the alpha of the territory surveying what the their eyes failed to see. Torryn carefully followed their positions, as dictated by their ranks. If it meant that this was the only thing he did right as an alpha.

So far, they walked without a sign of threat. His position brought him closer to Clara.

"Did you tell her?" She asked, with a voice so soft, the sound of his feet on snapping twigs was louder. Worry was evident in her tone.

"No," He replied.

Torryn swallowed hard. He did not want to keep such secret from Snow. He would have told her, if only Clara would have let him.

She'll come for me if she knew. You know that, right?. He remembered Clara say.

"Thank you," Clara smiled.

Torryn found himself with a lack of words to say. He nodded his head towards her, as guilt slowly began to creep in his chest.

Guilt. The damn feeling pulsed through his body, his heart beat and pushed the feeling away. But every time he closed his eyes, just to ease the dryness of his lids, he saw Snow.

Green eyes, angry and furious, just like the first time he saw her.

The Selection. He allowed himself to indulge in the memory. The very first time he met her, Snow's energy burst like flames, putting the room in utter hostage. It almost made it hard to breathe. Those green eyes spelled hatred and contempt,  a lifelong sentence.

What would she do when she found out? Will she ever forgive him?

It did not matter. He could live through her anger, just as long as she would be there to live through it all.

Torryn watched the three men stop before them. Aragon knelt on the packed soil, picking something from his fingers. He rubbed his find between his thumb and pointer finger before he pulled it up his nose for a sniff.

The three looked at Torryn and from his periphery, he saw Clara nod her head. It was a silent command. The Grimlake she-wolf lowered the hood, pulling the wool as it rested on her back.

She walked with every grace and dignity she could muster. And if these men could not see it, they certainly felt it.

"Gentlemen," Clara nodded her head and pulled on the knot on her neck. Her hood fell down her back, her belly a prominent feat casting dark shadows down her legs.

She looked pale and spent. But as soon as she raised each hand, flames like the rays of sunset emerged from her palms. The tongues of flame licked her hands, down to the tips of her elbows.