Red Ribbons (Forgotten Series #1)

Chapter Four: Part Two

I forced my frozen body towards the forest. Each step brought me closer to the darkness that it contained and I could barely hear anything over the chattering of my teeth. I felt like they would shatter in my mouth as they chattered loudly in my head. I swallowed against the burning air and focused on the edge of the forest. The sun was rising behind the trees and I was hidden in their shadow as I walked closer and closer.

I blinked slowly and when I opened my eyes I was at the edge of the forest. My entire body shook violently and a loud howl broke through the noise in my head and my heart thumped against my chest violently before I took another step forward. The wind couldn't reach me through the trees and there was an eerie silence as I moved further and further into the forest. My legs suddenly gave out and I crumpled to the snowy ground. I felt numb as I looked at the whiteness on the ground. My cheeks burned and my body felt numb but the shaking wouldn't stop.

The sound of snow crunching had me huddling further onto the ground. "Fuck, he sends you out in that? Trying to kill you is he?" The voice was gruff, much more so than Alpha Lawrence's. The footsteps crunching against snow drew closer and I found my gaze on a pair of boot surrounded by what looked to be a cloak. "And look at you. Nothing but bones. This could very well kill you. Foolish bastard." Despite the harshness of the words there was a faint thread of affection in his voice.

The male crouched in front of me and I leaned back with wide eyes. The man looked so similar to Alpha Lawrence it was almost eerie. He shared the same face shape and the same black hair but his eyes were green instead of brown and he had a scar slashing down his forehead and across his nose and cheek. He shook out another black cloak and to my surprise he wrapped it around me. The fabric did very little to take away the cold but I appreciated the gesture, no matter how surprising it might have been.

"Well? Are you going to sit there looking like a freshly dug up corpse or are you going to say hello to your Uncle Jace?" He smirked slightly as I blinked at him before I swallowed, trying to find my voice.

I wasn't quite sure what he meant but he wanted me to say hello. "Hello?" It came out as a slight cracking squeak and he gave a small chuckle.

"Good enough!" He quickly scooped me into his arm and wrapped his cloak around me as he did so. "Fuck, you are like a block of ice. Let's get you into the jeep where it is warm." He started moving and he frowned, I caught the look as I glanced up at him as quickly as I could. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, I am sure there is at least one pack member willing to curl up with you to keep you warm. You are an awaited guest after all." His voice was still gruff but his held a note of amusement that Alpha Lawrence's never did.

"I know you are confused but trust me. Trust him." He shifted me slightly and I could hear twigs snapping around us. Several different coloured wolves appeared from the trees as if there were ghosts. I closed my eyes, I felt so cold. My teeth were chattering but I could feel the body heat from the male who called himself my Uncle Jace.

I leaned closer, trying to get closer to the heat as my eyes opened. A different hand reached towards me in my peripheral vision and I jerked my head to stare at it with wide eyes. The male who was reaching for me raised an eyebrow before he tugged up the hood of the cloak and covered my head, blocking my vision. I felt a warmth at the gesture as my face was no longer nipped by the small breeze blowing around us.

I was tired, I wanted to sleep but my mind was racing quickly. I did not know who the men around me were. I did not know who Uncle Jace was and I did not know why he labelled himself as such. My parents had died before I had the chance to remember them and as far as I knew, they did not look like Alpha Lawrence.

"Are the jeeps running?" His voice rumbled through his chest and into me and I tried to move closer to him, despite how my nerves screamed at me in pain. They were waking up and I knew it would not be pretty once they were all awake.