Warriors

Chapter Twenty-Three: Love and War

I woke up once we got to the cave and laid down with Fergus, but I couldn't sleep. Now, I'm just wandering in the woods, enjoying the silence. Fergus will come looking for me if he wakes up, and I don't want to make him worry. He'll be doing enough of that later. I yawn and head back to the cave. Fergus is sitting on the side of the bed when I get there. He smiles when I walk in, and I shift back.

"Hey. I'm surprised you didn't come looking for me."

"I wasn't sleeping when you left. I figured you needed some time. Are you ok?"

"Better than I thought I would be. Maybe I'm in shock. Slap me."

He smiles and shakes his head.

"You're not in shock. It just hasn't hit you yet."

"You're probably right."

I sit on his lap, and he holds me tight.

"I know why I listened earlier."

"When?"

"When you told me to stop."

"Yeah?"

"You gave me an order."

He scoffs and laughs.

"I didn't give you an order."

"Yes, you did. It was probably in a moment of rage, but you did."

"I can't. I'm not your Alpha. I can't be your Alpha."

"Well, somehow, you are. I don't know how, but you gave me an order, and I obeyed."

"Do you think it has anything to do with my blood?"

"Maybe since you're full-blooded and I'm not, you have dominance over me."

"I don't like this."

"Why? You didn't want to take orders and never have to."

"No, but I don't want to order you around."

"You don't have to."

"I didn't mean to earlier, but I did."

"Hey, stop it. I'm not upset about it, and you shouldn't be either."

"I guess."

He presses his forehead against mine, and I close my eyes. Nothing is better than this, being so close to him. I open my eyes, and he's already looking at me. His eyes are glowing brightly.

"You ok?"

"No."

"What's wrong."

"I'm angry."

"At me?"

"At Onyx."

"There's no point in being angry. It's done."

He pulls his face back suddenly, his eyes even more intense.

"You're not angry?"

"I was. I was fucking livid, but being angry doesn't change anything. Why bother?"

"I'm scared, Mal. I'm so fucking scared, and I hate it. I haven't been scared since I was a child."

"That's the downside of love. It gives you something to lose."

Tears fall from his eyes, and he hugs me.

"Don't cry. Can I do anything?"

"You can run with me. Right now. We'll just keep running. We'll never stop."

"We can't."

"Yes, we can. The only thing I am afraid of is losing you. Let's run, Mal, and we won't look back."