Of Wolves and Potions: A Short Story

F I V E: Ropes and travels

We woke up to the sunlight hitting our face. My body hurt and I felt like my energy was mostly drained from last night, but at least I could walk.With no time to lose, we decided to get going, keeping our heads down and keeping an eye on our surroundings in case the guards were still looking for us.

"I'm gonna have to leave my house, don't I?"

Lewis wouldn't look at me, but I noticed him wincing at my question. I knew he felt bad for bringing me with him, now we were both entangled in this mess.

"Yeah... I- I think so, Hannah", he said with an apologetic voice. "We can stop by, grab a few things and then we'll have to leave. Well... I could- We could part ways or maybe you want to come to my house? At least for some time, while you settle down again or something?"

"What? Now you want to get rid of me?", I said feigning hurt. It was disappointing having to leave my little cabin, I had put so much work into it to make it seem like home, but at the same time I wouldn't mind having to start over now that I was almost in my mid 20s. This time, maybe I didn't need to be alone. The authorities were going to look for us, maybe even send word to other surrounding towns and villages, so it was naive to think I would be able to stay, even more so when I lived so close to that place.

"Wha- no! I mean, I'm just giving you options, I didn't want to assume that you wanted to go with me. I-", he said, widening his eyes and shaking his head furiously.

"You look cute when you panic", I said smirking, getting only an eye roll in response. "Sure, I would love to see where you live, and then we'll see what happens", I shrugged.

Our walk was slow, our wounds made it more difficult to move around the forest quickly and we had to take more breaks than last time. I was happy at least that we didn't encounter anyone else, the memory of Eleonor still lingered and I was worried she might've been lurking again near our path.

"So Sam bit you?", he said with slight bitterness.

"Yes, it hurt like a motherfucker", I replied, rubbing the crook of my neck. I could've sworn I heard him growling under his breath.

"That piece of shit...", he said bitterly, closing his hands into a fist.

"They're dead, Lewis, and your mark on my skin is the only one that matters. It's the only visible one too, and I will display it proudly so that everyone knows I'm yours", I winked at him.

That seemed to do the trick, as I saw him half smile and glancing over at me.

"Thank you, Hannah, I would be dead if you hadn't followed me, and I'm sorry you got hurt. I should've done a better job at protecting you... I'll make it up to you, somehow, I promise."

"You had your hands busy enough dealing with Jaime, and I'm no fighter, but I managed just fine against that witch and then the other werewolf."

A few hours later, we were finally at my house. The familiarity of my surroundings made me feel at ease, albeit momentarily. I wasn't going to be here long after all.

Lewis grabbed a glass of water while he waited for me to pack a few things. I had to pack light since his house was several hours away up North, and with my wounds carrying a suitcase was not really a thing I could do.

"We should stay the night, and leave early tomorrow," I said, raising my voice slightly so that Lewis could hear me from the other room. Which was probably unnecessary with his wolf hearing. "I need some rest, change my bandages, maybe take a shower..."

"Yeah, you reek", he snickered while entering my room.

"Well, I'm not the one who smells like a wet dog", I deadpanned.