Page 45 of Never Tamed
He side-eyes me. “Don’t push it.”
I give him a tired smirk and keep slogging downhill. The sky pales by the time we stumble into camp.
Torin and I lower Dax beside what’s left of our fire. He slumps sideways, bare-assed, and half sunken in the snow.
“I’ll get more wood,” Torin mutters and lurches off into the trees.
Noble follows, determined to be useful, to make up for his limp. For a moment it’s just me and Ren and the soft hiss of snow landing on hot embers.
She kneels opposite the fire with her hands hovering over the flames, shaking from cold and whatever’s rattling around in her mind.
I nudge a half-burned log into the embers and watch the sparks flare. “Do you want to tell me where you ran off to?”
Please, tell me. I have to feel useful.
“You’re not going to scold me, are you?” she says, which surprises me.
I hadn’t intended to come off condescending, but I guess my tone did come off a little harsh. “I—”
She lets out a breath fogging the air between us, then finally lifts her gaze. The haunted look there makes my stomach twist. “Don’t apologize. I know you have a lot on your mind.”
Although it’s never explicitly mentioned, she’s talking about Flora.
“So do you.”
She nods.
“You first,” I prompt gently and crouch beside her. “I’m here. I’m listening.”
Glancing over at Dax’s still unconscious frame, she hesitates.
“He’s fine,” I say. “He’ll have one hell of a bruised jaw, but he’s been through worse.”
Hell, we all have. This is one of those times where a little beatdown isn’t so bad in the grand scheme of every other fucking thing happening.
Ren stares at me for a long moment before sighing. She scratches her head, her eyes dark and round. “It started as a dream. I was running through the trees faster than I’ve ever run before,” she whispers. “Then suddenly, I was a wolf. That’s when I realized it wasn’t a dream at all. I was really running in wolf form up the mountain with some kind of super speed.”
I hold her gaze. “Wolves can run pretty fast.”
“No, you don’t understand, Mathis. This was different. It was like I was flying over the snow, unable to even feel the ground.” She shifts in discomfort.
My brain spirals, pulling pieces from my memory and the stories I’ve heard to make sense of what she’s saying. I come up empty and offer a ridiculous, “Oh.”
The look on her face says whatever had happened had both terrified and amazed her.
“Before I knew it, I was at the temple. I started talking to the Moon Goddess’s statue and she just kinda…appeared.” Ren lets out a short laugh. “I know it sounds crazy—”
“It does.” Torin appears with a bunch of sticks in hand.
Noble’s not far behind him, clutching more.
Ren scrunches up her nose at her newest mate. “I’m not lying! She was there. I’ve actually seen her a couple of times. She came to me, looking like a sweet single mother, and called herself Anna. She helped me out.”
My blood freezes in my veins. “You’ve seen her before?” I ask in a combination of intrigue and nameless dread.
“Yes. She picked me up when I was stranded after escaping from your territory. And I saw her again at Rudy’s before Andras’s men attacked us. Me, Carrigan, Dax, and…” Ren trails off and shakes her head violently.
“Flora.” Even saying her name makes my throat tight.
