Willow's Tree

33

As the sun set, the color of the sky reminded me of Trey's eyes. The warming embrace of orange made me miss him—even though I could see him down below. He was training and only took breaks to drink blood or water to hydrate himself. Then he was back in the woods with younger werewolves. Occasionally, he'd talk to me during his breaks, but I knew his mind was focused on training so I didn't bother to keep our conversations alive.

From watching, I could tell that the werewolves were getting restless. Constantly, they moved their bodies, whether from fighting, running, or just pacing. Trey told me they didn't know when exactly the BMP would attack, but from their contemplation, it should be tonight.

And the sun was only setting lower and lower.

There was nothing I could do but watch from the windowsill. As a human, I'd just get in their way, especially since I was pregnant. The best thing I could do was not become heavy baggage.

At the moment, many of the werewolves had stopped training. Instead, they were speaking to each other. Exactly about what, I didn't know. But I had a pretty good idea from the sight of so many couples standing side by side, whispering and speaking to each other.

Drew and Karen had placed their foreheads together while Helen and Dominic stood together as well. The GMP alpha had an arm wrapped around Helen's waist as he spoke to her in a grim face. Helen's usual cheery expression was replaced by one filled with worry and sadness.

As I continued to scan the werewolves, I spotted Gunther Walter. He stood beside the woman who I presumed to be his mate, but they weren't behaving like the rest. They just stood next to each other—the female werewolf observing everyone while Gunther stared into the forest.

How strange. Were they actually not mates? That didn't explain their aloofness towards each other. The news that the war might possibly start tonight had to have reached their ears by now. But they continued to keep a distance with each other. The two weren't even holding hands.

My eyes narrowed on Gunther. He stretched his arms over his head in a casual manner, but I could've sworn I saw his lips moving. With my normal human eyes though, I wasn't too sure. Even if he was talking though, he was he speaking to? The woman beside him didn't act as if she was listening to him either.

The door behind me quietly clicked open and shut and I turned my head to see Trey. I blinked, surprised at his appearance, but I walked towards him anyway. He immediately rushed forward to close the gap as soon as possible with a half-smile on his lips.

"Trey," I sighed his name, glad to see him. He wrapped his arms around me. "You're sweaty and gross."

He chuckled. "Thanks for the obvious."

"You're not tired?" I asked. "Maybe you should rest a bit."

I gave him an encouraging nudge and he obeyed before laying us down on his bed. Even though he really was sweaty and stank of the outdoors, I remained by his side. He had spoken in a gentle tone, but the lines on his face were hard and dark.

So I kissed him. And he responded.

I couldn't really say anything to him. I couldn't joke around with him either. The situation was too serious. I wasn't a werewolf either, so I didn't truly understand what it meant to go to war with another pack. All I knew was that it wasn't to be taken lightly.

After all, everyone was saying their farewells outside. It was possible that many would die on the battlefield, especially since we were outnumbered.

"Trey..." I whispered his name.

"Hush," he whispered back. "I'm never letting you go ever again."

Before I could respond, a roar boomed from outside. I felt it shake me to the core and I trembled against Trey. He swore under his breath and sat us up on his bed.