27 - Run, Rabbit, Run

Rowan

Eager to escape the cage of the Ferreus home, River, Lachlan and I decide to wait outside for the hunters to pack. The second the front door closes behind us, and a cool breeze tugs at our hair and clothes, relief shoves the burdens off our shoulders. I feel I can finally breathe again. In the back of my head, my wolf shakes and flicks his ears, glad we all made it out of that nightmare alive.

I can't help myself and slip my arms around River, holding him close. I'm desperate to feel him against me, alive and breathing, desperate to convince myself he's okay.

It seems, as his arms snake around me with fierce dedication, as his form shudders with a deep sigh of relief, he's just as eager for this shade of peace.

"It's alright," I murmur. "You've done the hardest part. I'm so proud of you."

He nods against me. "I hate it here," he manages, his voice holding the slightest tremor as he emerges from behind that mask of stoic indifference he shoved up to survive in there.

I hated seeing him like that. River is the strongest person I know. He rushed towards the fight with the lycanthropes without hesitation; he took out a group of hunters and braved two bullets like they were nothing but splinters; he is a storm at sea, a force to be reckoned with.

But the mere thought of coming back here, of facing the Ferreus hunters head-on instead of taking them out from the shadows... I know it hurt him. It terrified him. I could see it in his eyes, feel it in his tense form, smell it in the air around him. Fear. It only grew as we got closer and closer to this reunion. And in the house, he put on a brave front even as his terror lurked.

Now, with the threat at a distance instead of breathing down his neck, some of that fear melts away. Even in the heart of this terrible place, he lets me hold him close, smoothing out the jagged edges of his emotions. In that house, he was our strength as he pushed for a truce. Now, I will be his strength as he gathers himself.

Lachlan, who fetched Imogen's books from the lounge on our hasty way out, idly flicks through the top one as he wanders a few steps ahead. Eager to be close but give us a little space at the same time.

He glances up at me and I see my own horror reflected in his eyes as they spark golden. River lived here. This was his family, his home, his entire life. They have weapons and fallen wolves on display on their walls— not photographs. Not memories. Not a shred of comfort, only suspicion and wariness and prowling danger.

If I could, I would claw my way back through time and take him away from this horrible place. Instead, all I can do is hold my fated close and thank the Goddess that he managed to get out and find his way to me. They won't hurt him. Not anymore. I won't let them.

"Shall I get the car?" Lachlan asks softly as he scans the woodland and trails for any hint of movement.

River stiffens against me. "If they see the plates, they'll try and find out where we've come from. That... that's how Orion, Liliana and my mother found me before."

Lachlan curses beneath his breath. "Alright," he says, tugging his free hand through his hair. "New plan. I can call Matteo and see if he can help. He sorted it before, I'm sure he can do it again. Besides, they need to know we're okay, and at this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm not stuck in a car with any of them."

I soften my hold on River to a light embrace; here if he needs me, but easily broken if he wants to pull away. When he raises no issue with Lachlan's plan, I give my gamma a nod of assent and he wanders a few steps off the trail to make the call, shuffling the pile of books into the crook of one arm as he goes.

My fated takes deep, steeling breaths against me, his embrace just as fierce, as though I'm a life jacket in a harsh ocean.

As I hold him close, I idly scan the woodland for any movement. Just like River, the other Ferreus hunters are silent. I only noticed Cassian behind us earlier when he spoke, and I'd devoted almost all of my attention to listening out for approaching footsteps. This time, I want to be ready if anyone else shows up unannounced before the others emerge.

My paranoia is rewarded; flickers of figures emerge amidst the swaying bushes and ferns, heading down the trail which leads to those arenas for training.

"Riv," I warn.

He sharply pulls away from me, ready and willing to face whatever threat I've picked up on. He sees the people emerging from the emerald foliage and his defence builds up. Every brick he took down in those few blissful moments is built straight back up, taller than before and reinforced with titanium.

Two women stalk down the trail like lionesses returning from a successful hunt, brows pinched, features wound tight with tension, and following along leisurely are three children; an elder boy and younger twins. Max, Leo, and Hazel.

Without a word, River and I join Lachlan a few paces away from the front door. Though his phone is pressed to his ear, and though I hear Matteo's voice on the other end of the call, most of the gamma's attention is locked on the Ferreus hunters.

Just as their attention is locked onto us.

"What...?" one of the women manages, her eyes going wide as she notices my fated. Her pace falters, shock dancing like a silver flame behind her piercing gaze.

"River!" the boy who must be Leo shouts joyously, racing forwards. Almost instantly, his progress is abruptly cut short when the second woman grabs hold of his arm to keep him with her. She hisses a warning to him; his excitement wilts towards wariness.

Their approach is hesitant. The women have belts of weapons strapped around their waist and they look sorely tempted to reach for a knife hilt. Lachlan ends the call with a brief yet certain 'we'll see you soon'. Pocketing the phone, his eyes stay locked on the hunters.

Just as River steels himself to break the tense quiet between us, the door opens and Cassian wanders outside with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"I was just on my way to you," he says to the others before gesturing to my fated. "So— River's alive, he's here, and he's brought some werewolves and bad news with him. Surprise."

He joins their group a few paces away where they've faltered to gawk at us. The twins rush to his side but stay quiet, picking up on the fog of tension encompassing the adults.

River grudgingly plays host and introduces the women to us, and us to them. Blanche and Iris; the former crossing her arms with dark brows pinched, the latter keeping a secure hand on Max's shoulder. They look nearly identical, with perhaps only a few years separating them. Dark hair cut short, piercing eyes fixed upon us, angular features reminiscent of the sharp blades kept at their waists, markings woven through their skin amidst pale strikes of lightning.

"Did you feel that energy, too?" Cassian asks them both.

"We felt... something," Blanche admits, frowning at River as though she can't quite believe he's in front of her.

"Yeah, that something was an oath River made with Ivar. We don't touch his wolves, and they don't touch us," Cassian explains, crossing his arms. Either side of him, his daughter and son echo his posture, their expressions crumpling in an attempt to match his frown. He notices and a little smile twitches at his lips as he ruffles their hair despite their protests.

"An oath?" Iris asks, pulling his wandering focus.

"Oh, yeah. An oath. Didn't even know we could do that, but here we are," he tells her. "You need to speak with Ivar. I think he wants us all to go and deal with a... a lycanthrope situation."

Iris and Blanche's frowns deepen with confusion, but neither of them ask. Instead, they obediently head inside to find Ivar and some answers, though their gazes keep flickering to us until they disappear.

"A lycanthrope?" Max tests the word, looking lost as his focus darts between me, Lach, River, and Cassian. "What's that?"

"A monster," River retorts when Max's gaze lands on him.

The boy's eyes go wide and he glances at me and Lach as he asks, "Like them?"

I cannot grudge him. He's been raised to see us as threats, just as we were raised to see hunters as threats.

In the instant River bristles, Cassian swiftly answers, "No, it's worse. Go and pack your things, kids, or River's going to set the wolves on you."

As they race inside, and as River rolls his eyes, I can't quite stop myself from asking, "You're bringing them with you?"

Cassian shrugs. "It's a learning experience," he allows grudgingly.

"These lycanthropes are dangerous," I remind him, a stern edge to my voice. Bringing kids into this mess isn't something I wanted. "They've torn the pack to pieces."

"They won't be fighting," River assures me, laying a hand on my arm. "He means they'll be spending time with werewolves. It's new for all of them."

Hesitantly, I settle. Cassian peers at us both curiously before saying, "You know, I'm glad Orion didn't kill you, River."

"Really?" he says with a scowl, not at all convinced.

Cassian forges on, "And... for what it's worth... I'm sorry about Esme."

River actually flinches, as though Cassian's words are knives slicing at him. He backs up half a step and I see pain flicker across his expression. Instinctively, I step forwards to cover him.

Before he can say anything, the front door clicks open and the moment of timid progress dissipates as hunters start to emerge. Cassian backs up, too, the shutters slamming down behind his eyes.

They all have backpacks over their shoulders and belts of weapons around their waists. The sharp scent of silver rises like a fog around them. I wrestle with my features to keep from grimacing at the thick, choking haze.

"What about the pack?" Elias is demanding as he shadows Ivar. "We're close to a breakthrough with the timings."

Horror, like a shock of ice, jolts down my spine and my wolf whines in the back of my head. He's talking about their plans to take out another pack— a defenceless, clueless pack who have no idea of the threat looming over them.

Ivar waves him off impatiently. "That can wait," he dismisses before turning to Riv. "You drove here, I assume? Where's your car?"

"I'll get it," Lachlan volunteers himself. When I hand over the keys, he makes sure to catch my gaze meaningfully. I gather he's trying to say something along the lines of, 'I've sorted the plates with Teo, don't get killed before I come back', and I give a subtle nod in return.

Hesitantly, and not at all keen on leaving us alone here, Lachlan turns his back on us all and strides for the woods. The Ferreus hunters watch him keenly until the dark foliage swallows him whole.

The last to filter outside are the children. Max is wrestling with a bulging backpack of clothes and the twins follow empty-handed at his back, mumbling complaints about all the books they wanted to take. Not toys, I note, but books. Max is only eleven, but he carries himself sombrely, as though responsibility is a burden on his shoulders.

"There's no room," he dismisses, handing the bag off to Cassian when he offers his hand for it.

As the other older man, who must be Louis, locks the front door, Elias frowns distastefully at me and asks sharply, "Well? Where are we going?"

"You can follow me," River says, a hard edge to his tone as he dares them to argue.

They raise no complaints, mercifully, and Ivar orders Elias, Louis and Constance to fetch a few cars. Once they pull up, like a motorcade straight from hell, the rest of the hunters distribute themselves and their bags amongst the cars.

It's rather scary how quickly they call themselves to order. Not even half an hour ago, they were hearing about lycanthropes for the first time, and now they're ready and waiting on us.

Lachlan pulls down the drive before long. He lets River take the driver's seat and disappears into the back as I take the passenger's side. I cast one last look over the roof towards the tinted windows of the three cars, engines idling in low purrs, before getting into the car.

River sets off back down the long driveway and the Ferreus hunters file in behind us. Time slides by without sticking as the forest shoots past in a blur of umber and emerald. The sky melts towards dusk; a hazy collision of grey and lilac and coral dotted by dark clouds. We're all quiet, savouring the peace after the close call. The next few days won't be easy. We'll have to somehow keep the peace between werewolves and hunters whilst also grappling with two lycanthropes. What could possibly go wrong?

Not wanting to think too hard on that particular question, I send Beau a quick text to let him know we're alive and well. He responds before I even have time to lock my phone; a message dripping with relief that says 'thank fuck for that'.

I'm inclined to agree with him there. Thank fuck we made it out of that nightmare.

As the shadows lengthen, and as darkness descends, River flicks on the headlights, the twin beams casting the road before us in a silvery hue.

He takes a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling like unruly ocean waves. "Thank you," he says, glancing my way and then at Lach through the rear view mirror. "For coming with me, I mean. And I... I'm sorry. About the wolves."

I know what he's talking about. He'd tried to warn us, after all, but the sight of those wolves on display like that... it's an image that won't quite leave my head. "You don't have to apologise, Riv," I assure him.

His features tighten and his shoulders go rigid. "Yes, I do. I was just like them. I killed more innocent werewolves than I can count, and I can't take that back. I can't make those mistakes right. I never want to be that person again. I'm sorry I couldn't get out before I became a monster like them. I'm sorry I couldn't get out back when it still mattered."

I swallow against an uncomfortable lump in my throat and settle my hand atop his on the gear shift. His eyes flicker to me; a flash of silver. "It matters now," I tell him firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Look at you, River. Look at what you're doing. You saved us from a rivalry with Duskland, you protected us from Orion, Liliana and your mother. You've controlled your Haze, you're helping a pack with lycanthropes, and now you've convinced the Ferreus hunters to look past their hatred and help as well. You got out and you found us, and it matters. What you're doing matters."

His focus bounces between me and the road ahead, and every time his eyes settle on me, I see heartache and longing, grief and hope. A whirlpool is locked in his stormy gaze. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. I can only hope he recognises the sincerity in my voice, the assurance in my eyes. You're doing the right thing.

He sighs softly, glancing up into the rear view mirror once more, but this time, it's clear he's watching the car behind us. The headlights are just as piercing as the silver glares of the Ferreus hunters contained within.