The Middle Child

Chapter 26

The group was quiet until they reached the hills Alyson mentioned earlier.

"I think we should take a break here and wait until nightfall," Alyson said looking up at the rolling hills that slowly turned into a mountain.

"No, we don't have time to waste pussy-footing around," Dustin barked.

"Listen I honestly don't want to fight you right now, but we need to rest or else when we attack we won't be at the peak of being and that slims the success rate. Plus there's no way you lot can go up against these hills in your human forms," Alyson said keeping her voice neutral and free of the anger that boiled inside her every time Dustin spoke.

"But-" Dustin started but Alyson cut him off by raising a hand palm out to show she didn't mean to start a fight.

"Please, Dustin for once trust my judgement, I know this is your pack and I respect that, but right now I need you to follow me," Alyson said letting some of the bone-tiredness leaks through while still trying to be civil with the angry Were. Instantly Dustin's chest deflated because there wasn't anywhere to object.

Alyson said nothing more as she turned to search the area, "There's a clearing about 10 feet behind those trees, we'll set up camp there," Alyson said strolling towards the trees and pushing branches out of her face while keeping a firm hold on Kai's sleeping form.

"Alyson is there an inch of this forest you don't know?" Hayden said brushing past her.

"Nope, I've been exploring this forest since I was five or six. I used to miss days at school because I would be lost in the forest for days on end," Alyson said setting Kai down gently he gave a yawn of displeasure at being released.

"And your parents didn't say anything about missing school?" Hayden asked.

"Nope, my teachers always marked me present even though I wasn't there," Alyson said off-handly as she laid out her blanket and a few other necessary things, but froze as she felt Hayden's arms wrap around her.

"Hayden?" she asked nervously turning towards him.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. It's in the past there's nothing we can do to change that. My life wasn't all lonely I had this forest, these animals, to keep me going. That's why this means so much to me," Alyson snuggling into Hayden's chest. His warmth made Alyson feel at ease like for once she didn't have to fight all her battles alone anymore.

"It's not about if I did anything, it's more about feeling sorry I wasn't there to help you through it," He says running a hand through Alyson's long wild hair. It ran smoothly all the way through as if his hand knew exactly the course to chart to manage the harsh waves of her hair.

"I appreciate the thought but I don't want to sound like some victim who has only been cursed, all this pain has made me who I am. It also brought me to you guys. If my family didn't forget me, I would've never explored the forest and met you and your family. I would've met you when we got introduced the day you moved in and I would've been another blonde with blue eyes," Alyson says chuckling at the mere thought.

"Yeah, but I would've found you way more beautiful than your family, your wild curls shades darker than your family's platinum hair, and your fiery blue eyes with more than a few green patches in them," He says pulling away from her and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Honestly! You two need to get a room!" Mason called Luca let out a wolf howl.

"You two need to stop insinuating something that's not happening," Hayden said. Alyson nodded and gave the two of them a glare that told them to drop the topic.