No Werewolves Allowed

Chapter sixteen

"It's hard to find the kind of love that's hard to let go of, so if you have found it, hold on to it"

-- writingislife211

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For the whole day we ran, I made sure to keep an eye on Tyler. If anything happened to him, Ava would never forgive me. We hopped over shrubs, weaved around trees and branches in the forests and stopped for some rest at a river we'd passed.

If anyone died I wouldn't forgive myself. But death was as expected, and everyone here knew that. I wanted to personally kill the one who taken Ashton away. I couldn't remember it vividly, and I was confident I cohoe recognize the hunter's face like he was my best friend.

By nightfall, we had set up a camp in the woods near the hunter's domain — they're scent was so strong, it burned my nostrils every time I took a breath in. The plan was that we'd attack at midnight, enough time for us to rest up and hopefully catch them off guard somehow.

According to reports from The Werewolf Council hunters usually slept early and woke up around three in the morning to train — sort of like me. If we attacked before they awoke, hypothetically we would have an advantage. I glanced around camp, only to see the volunteers huddled around a small fire, talking and laughing with each other. Some were old, some were young.

A pang of guilt shot through my body as I broke through a strip of large, evergreen trees. I walked into a clearing, where the river was.

The water glistened in the moonlight, clear enough that I could see my own reflection. I sat down on the riverbank and sighed, treasuring the silence.

I stared intently into the water, meeting the eyes of another girl. My age, her hair tangled on the top of her head, eyes hollow and rid of any emotions. Her cheeks were colorless and pale.

I frowned when I realized that I was the girl.

All my life I'd wanted happiness and love. I'd strived to prove people who'd wronged be before that I had changed. But now I realized that I'd achieved none of that, and just when I almost had it all with Ashton it was ripped away from me again.

My own mate rejected me, and I could see why. I was plain and mediocre. Not particularly pretty or curvy like Cassie. I wouldn't choose me either.

Great, even alone I would wallow in self pity.

I'd honestly though Ashton was the one, but he was gone now. I pressed my back onto the grass, the sharp blades prickling my skin as I wrapped my arms around myself. I willed myself to think of Ashton and an image of him flitted over my mind.

His smile, his voice, his face, and how it felt when he was with me. The giddiness and the butterflies that swarmed inside of me as I fell. I imagined our future — maybe we would've had kids, or moved out of the pack house with our own little place — everything that we could've had, but now would never be.

The rustling of the leaves that sounded from behind me snapped me away from my thoughts. I sprung up from the ground, unsheathing a dagger from my belt. A dark figure emerged from the bushes and I gripped the knife tighter in my hand, prepared to throw it if necessary.

The figure stepped into the moonlight and I released a heavy breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. It was a familiar dark haired boy, and I rolled my eyes, tucking the dagger back into my belt. An unfamiliar feeling of warmth and giddiness washed over me.

"What's up?" Cael's voice penetrated through the thick silence, almost echoing beyond the trees. He plopped down beside me on the grass and my wolf to lightened up, howling. My shoulders slackened and my heart rate decreased slightly. I was becoming less tense with Cael around.