Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
They had left Winter at first light. It would take most of the day to reach the Moonguard territory. Once they arrived, they would hike a few miles into the forest and find a spot to camp for the night before starting the trek up the mountain in the morning.
Myka knew that Selene wanted to get going as soon as possible. He had surprised her with his plan to bring the troop and delayed their departure by another day. But today was also Bell’s last day in Winter. He was sure that Selene would have wanted to see her off.
“The sooner, the better,” Selene replied, focusing on the road ahead.
Myka nodded. Perhaps it wasn’t that strange. Eventually, Selene would return to Summer as well. They would see each other again every day.
He looked into the back seat. Stefan was asleep with his head on Sadie’s shoulder. Sadie was reading a book, but she felt Myka’s eyes on her and looked up. She smiled before returning to her story.
Myka smiled to himself at the gentle acknowledgment. He then glanced over at the others. They had followed Stefan’s example and were sleeping peacefully.
All the children in the car, save for Stefan, had been from the lab. When Myka had first mentioned the trip, they hesitated, but hearing that Selene would be going with them, they quickly agreed.
Sadie had told Peter and Myka that many of the others saw Selene as a hero. Though Alice had been a part of the rescue and the reason for the mission, it was Selene who had guided them out of the building. In the children’s eyes, she was the one responsible for their freedom.
Even Stefan had developed a bit of hero worship for Selene. As he heard the story of how she had saved not only the children but how she had gone back in and saved Alice from Holden, he saw her in a new and golden light.
At dinner the night before, Stefan had been filled with excitement. He and two other boys on the trip had discussed, in detail, every moment of the rescue in the lab. Stefan had then heard from one of the other adults about some other heroics Selene had participated in. Again, his eyes had sparkled with delight.
Myka let out a soft chuckle.
He had wanted to take the kids out for some practical application. To let them learn by doing. But he hadn’t planned on doing it now or any time soon. The only reason that Myka had thought to bring his little troop along on this mission was because of Selene.
It was clear to everyone that Selene was struggling, and no one could blame her, least of all Myka. Were Peter missing, he would have done anything to get him back. Held to any hope and gone to any length. So, he understood that Selene couldn’t take a break or let go even for a moment.
But Myka also knew that the chances that they would find the answers she sought in Moonguard were slim. He thought bringing the children along might give her something else to consider. She had the knowledge to share, and they were eager to learn.
Perhaps this trip would give Selene an opportunity to find a new purpose. Not to let go of her hope or give up on her goal. But to allow for something bright to live in the darkness that clouded her thoughts.
It had taken a little convincing, and she wasn’t thrilled by the idea of bringing the children along. But after some back and forth, she finally agreed, though hesitantly. Myka decided to take that as a glimmer of hope that he might be able to get through to her.
The rest of the drive was fairly quiet. The children woke up, and they talked amongst themselves. Several times, Stefan had tried to engage Selene in conversation. Still, she told him that she needed to focus on her driving.
Myka reassured Stefan that they would be spending the next week together, and there would be plenty of time to chat and get to know each other. Stefan was relieved and returned to talking with the others.
“Is everything all right?” Myka asked quietly, leaning closer to Selene to keep his words from the ears of the children.
“Yea,” she said. “Just focused on the road.”
He glanced at her hands on the wheel gripped tightly. Her eyes darted back and forth ahead as she searched the trees they drove through as though she expected an attack.
Myka swallowed. He glanced back at the kids once again. They laughed and told jokes together. Then, he turned back to Selene.
“It is safe, right?” he whispered.
Selene didn’t answer right away. Instead, she breathed and turned to Myka with a gentle smile.
“Of course,” she said. “There’s nothing to worry about, Myka.”
Myka felt a strange jerk in his stomach. Her words were reassuring, but there was something off about them.
“Even if something happened,” Selene continued, returning to face the road. “You’ve got me. I’ll protect all of you.”
This time, Myka didn’t feel entirely reassured.
“Selene–“
“Selene’s right!” Stefan called out happily. “She’s a hero, Myka. If something happens, she’ll definitely protect us!”
Behind him, the other kids agreed enthusiastically. Myka smiled, took a deep breath, and let it out with a shake of his head.
“Of course she would,” he sighed with a gentle smile. “I just worry too much.”
“You get it from Peter,” Sadie laughed.
“You’re right,” Myka laughed.
“Don’t worry, Myka,” Selene said. She looked over at him and smiled. “I got this all under control.”
Myka nodded and returned her smile. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was still there. But he reassured himself that he was just nervous since it was the first time he was directly responsible for so many people.
He turned and sat back in his seat.
‘There is nothing to worry about,’ he told himself. ‘Axel approved this trip. He wouldn’t have done that if there was any danger.’
With another deep breath, he felt a bit more relaxed. He closed his eyes, deciding he would rest for a while. Since there was nothing to worry about.
By the time the group arrived at the mountains of Moonguard, the sun had already gone. Leaving behind only the golden and purple hues of its descent. Myka and the children worked quickly to set up the tents and arrange a fire. At the same time, Selene walked the perimeter and gathered the firewood.
Stefan had requested to join her, but she quickly told him it would be best for everyone to stay within the campsite as the night was closing in on them.
Once the camp had been properly arranged and the fire held steady, Myka set about cooking their first meal.
“This and breakfast tomorrow will be the only meals we have using just the ingredients we brought from Winter,” he said with a bright smile as he set the pot over the fire and prepared the ingredients. “Every meal after, starting with lunch tomorrow, must be foraged or caught from these mountains.”
“I want to catch a fish!” one of the boys said.
“I’m going to find berries,” said another.
“I want to find a lemon berry,” Sadie said softly.
“What’s a lemon berry?” asked the only other girl who had come with them.
“It’s a special kind of fruit that only grows in these mountains,” Sadie replied. “It came from a lemon tree and a blackberry bush being spliced together. It is supposed to grow on a tree and has the rind of a plump, darkened lemon. But when you cut it open, it looks more like a pomegranate with black kernels.”
“What does it taste like? A lemon or a blackberry?” Stefan asked.
“Both!” Sadie smiled. “It has a tart sweetness.”
“I want to find one too!” said the other girl.
“Well, I’m going to catch a rabbit!” Stefan said proudly. “Sadie, you can get us some fruit, but I’ll make sure we get some meat!”
The others immediately added what they would catch, and it quickly became a competition.
“Where did you hear about the lemon berry, Sadie?” Selene asked. She had only been partially listening as the children talked. Most of her attention was on the sounds and movements in the forest around them.
“Well, I—” Sadie began.
“Wait…” Selene interrupted, sitting up straight and looking into the trees. After a moment, she relaxed and then stood up. “Myka, I’m going on patrol.”
“Is everything ok?” he asked, glancing back in the direction Selene had been looking.
“Yea, it was just a small animal,” she replied. “But it would be safer to make sure there are no larger ones in the area before we go to sleep.”
“All right,” he nodded.
Selene walked away without another word.
Myka looked up at Sadie. She had not joined the conversation of the other kids, who were now heading toward the tents to play a game while they waited for dinner. Instead, Sadie was just looking into the fire with a disappointed look on her face. Myka smiled to himself. He had seen the look before.
Sadie was an intelligent girl with a strong interest in learning about new things. And whenever she discovered something that she found truly interesting, she wanted to share it. But it wasn’t as easy for her to express that interest to the other people around her.
“So, Sayds, where did you learn about the lemon berry?” Myka smiled. “I don’t know that I have ever heard of it before.”
Sadie grinned and reached down to her backpack. She pulled out the book she had been reading in the car and held it up.
“I read about it in here,” she said. “It’s a book about all kinds of plants and flowers unique to the werewolf territories.”
Myka hadn’t paid close attention to it in the car, but as he looked at it now, he saw it wasn’t an ordinary book. Instead, it was leather bound with a string and looked more like a journal.
“Can I see that?” he asked, setting down the knife and the carrot he had been chopping up.
Sadie handed him the book. As he looked inside, he saw immediately that he had been right. It was a journal. From the notes he was glancing at and a few other pages he skimmed, it had clearly belonged to a nomad.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, still looking through the pages.
“Peter gave it to me,” she said.
Myka looked up.
“Peter?” he asked, looking back at the journal. “When?”
Sadie smiled and nodded.
“Last night,” she said. “He came to my room and gave it to me. He said it belonged to his mother and was very special to him. But he thought I might find useful information for our trip.”
Myka swallowed and looked at the journal again. This belonged to Peter’s mother? Peter never talked about his parents. It was still a painful wound in his heart, but he had given Sadie this treasured memento. Myka smiled and closed the journal. He tied the string carefully before handing it back to Sadie.
“That’s a very special gift,” he said softly.
“I know,” Sadie said, hugging the journal to her chest. “Peter said that he had never shared it with anyone before. But that he thought….”
Sadie paused and looked away as she chewed her lower lip. Myka tilted his head to see her better. The light of the fire was enough to see the soft blush on her cheeks and the ghost of a smile on her lips. He smiled as he read the embarrassment and happiness in her expression.
“He thought… what, Sadie?” he asked gently as he moved to sit down beside her. “What did Peter say?”
After a moment, Sadie took a deep breath.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?