Lycans Of The Woods

Chapter 10

I left Yanneek's patio soon after, walking purposefully towards the trees, keeping my gloved fingers in the pockets of the coat Hannes had provided to keep them warm.

I could feel Yanneek's eyes on me, just before I slipped out of his view, curiosity of what laid ahead getting the best of me.

Large footprints from the lycans of Hannes' pack could be seen in the snow, and I hesitated to follow them, but after a moment of thinking, I decided to. I would not go very far however, I just sought to admire some more of nature.

I carried on walking further into the woods, eyes dancing to the footprints every now and then, and back to the trees, the small animals that would flee at my approach, particularly rabbits, which would kick up snow with their hindlegs as they darted past, always startling, but more so, amusing me.

I paused, watched as at least a handful hopped by, taking in the array of colors, the furs which looked so soft if I were to touch.

An almost childlike, giddy laugh crept up my throat, fell past my lips as I crouched low, head cocking as the energetic rabbits ran under a fallen branch, crowding against themselves, as if hoping that I could not see them as a result of their huddling.

I decided to leave them alone, not wanting to cause any more fear and carried on trekking through the snow, taking notice of the different types of trees, the various barks and branches bare of leaves.

When I was a child, I had despised winter, but I was quickly changing my opinion on that. Throughout my time of being imprisoned, I had yearned for freedom, had longed for being able to take a breath of fresh clean air instead of the horrible scent of feces.

My fingers lifted to grasp a handful of snow, squeezing it into my palm and allowing it to drift...right into my face. I sputtered, wiping at my lips and cheeks, stumbling as I did so.

I kept my head low as the strength of the wind increased, only stopping once I realized that I was by the edge of a cliff.

My breath caught in my throat immediately, eyes widening in complete awe at the beautiful scenery before me; large frozen lakes could be seen in the distance, with hills covered with snow and trees.

The evening sky, pink and bright, decorated with hazy clouds, was breathtaking and my eyes stung at the glorious sky. The silence was calming, and I was unable to drag my attention away from the view.

Until I heard a voice.

I hesitated, shaking my head; surely I had heard wrong. But then that voice, husky yet feminine sounded again.
An uncontrollable, severe feeling of the lust for blood to formulate.

My hackles rose, body swaying violently as I faced the men and women walking my way, all of them lycans.

Red blinded my vision, head throbbing in both shock and that venomous wrath as my eyes landed on the source of the voice strengthened tenfold.

I dismissed the presence of the others, keeping my gaze fixated solely on one particular female lycan, whose lips lifted when I strode forward, the wind pounding my face, opened coat flapping and fingers curling and uncurling in preparation.

"Olivia."

Anabelle's next words were garbled when I leapt at her, gripping her neck, feeling her warmth and the rapid beating of her pulse as I held and squeezed it. Her own arms immediately reached forward, her dark eyes becoming pitched black and lips lifting further at my fury.

But before she could touch me, I found myself jerked backwards, lifted clean off my feet, a strong hand gripping the collar of my coat and drawing me away from Anabelle.