Werewolf Forest

Werewolf Forest::Chapter 30

My head gently rose and fell with his chest as he took shallow breaths. My hand rested on his bare chest. I looked up at his sleeping face, his lips slightly parted in peaceful bliss. I nuzzled my head on his shoulder and pulled myself closer to him, wrapping one leg over his. Life mates were connected in ways that only they could understand. I felt his soft heartbeat under my ear, but also in my own chest. His breathing, his senses, I could feel them all as if they were my own. He was like an extension of me, an extension of touch, smell, sound, and mind. I could see the colors of his dream swirl in my head, twisting and turning in harmony. We were a single person, split into two entities.

I felt bad that I had to wake him up, but we had to get ready.  “Andrew…” I whispered, rubbing my hand across his chest and shoulders. In his sleep, he wrapped his arm tighter around my waist.

“Maggie…” he sighed.

“Andrew, we have to get up,” I sat up, hugging the blanket to my bare chest. I swung my leg over him and straddled his waist. “Come on now, it’s time to get up,” I kissed him, his lips still as stone against mine. I pulled back just a little so my face hovered over his and watched as his eyes fluttered open. A sleepy smile spread across his lips.

“Well…” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

I smiled a little at that. “As much as I hate to ruin this moment, we have to get up.” Both of our smiles faded.

“Yeah…” he said. “I know.” We got up in silence and found our clothes. I left Andrew to get dressed and went to my room. Elli’s bed was perfectly made and her belongings packed. If we were to lose today, we would have to run. Staying around here would be risky, so having her things ready to go was smart.

I turned to my bed and picked up the pieces of black fabric that were laying there. There was a note on top.

‘These clothes will be easier to fight in. Please wear them everyone. They will make it easier to move, and they will be easier to shift in. I want us all to have every advantage we can. ~ Connor’

The black fabric was stretchy and clung to my body. But he was right; they were easier to move in than the normal blue jean cut-offs. The shorts came to my mid thigh, and the top was a tight-fitting camisole with no sleeves. I rubbed my hands over my bear arms, feeling a slight chill. Goose bumps rose on my skin, but not from the cold, but from fear. The hour was drawing closer and closer, and there, alone, in that room, the fear sunk in.

I tried my best to put it out of my mind and remain strong. I reached under my bed and grabbed a hold of the folding combat knife that Connor had given everyone. I flipped it open and cut slits in the back of the camisole for my wings to slip through. I stretched my wings in the room, the tips hitting the walls and curling inward. I wrapped them about myself and crouched in my feathery white tent. I breathed deep and clenched my jaw, trembling. I held onto the knife, gripping the hilt until my knuckles flushed white. I flipped it closed and clipped it to my side, hiding it under the tight fabric.

I took one last look at my room, and shut the door behind me.

* * *

Everyone was out in the courtyard, gathering for what might be their final march.  The girls were all dressed like me, and all the guys had the same shorts, but were without a shirt. We were all dressed in the same tight, black fabric, as if we were in our own funeral procession. Andrew stood beside me, dressed in the same black veil, his hand clutched in mine.

“We leave in twenty minutes!” A messenger carried Connors orders around the pack. The Betas of the packs had each been assigned to their own company. They spoke to them in soft tones, going over positions and strategies.