For the entire journey after that Iona didn't speak. The path was covered with soft snow and moss that cushioned the hooves of the horse and helped them descend the treacherous slopes better. Occasionally she heard the sound of squirrels or an owl hooting from deep inside. Wind gusted around them carrying dense mist. However, as they descended, the temperature rose a little. Snow gave way to thick moss and they could see more green leaves jutting out of the frost. Iona was still wearing the cloak that Rolfe had made her wear. She tugged the hood of the cloak over her head, thanking him silently.

The sun started fading and the path became darker as the blanket of mist thickened. The fog should have receded but it became dense and swirled around the legs of the horses. As they went down the slope, it was only the animal instinct that guided the horse through it. Several hours later in the evening, Iona noticed towers of a fortress that were covered with mist in the far distance. They looked like a toy from this height. 

Suddenly, the General lifted his hand up in the air and they all stopped. Dense fog swirled around them as if whipping cream on a cake.

Iona came to a halt. "Is there something wrong?" asked Iona in a low voice. She looked at Rolfe who was glancing around as if there was something hiding. She also scanned the thick mist around them but there was nothing. 

"The fortress is compromised," Ara grunted, her breath forming white clouds. 

"Compromised?" Iona asked as shock flitted through her body. Somehow all she could think of was Rolfe's safety. Panic exploded in her chest and she had this urge to shift, to protect him. She found it crazy but her skin tingled uncomfortably. The familiar panic, the discomfort and anger seemed to simmer in her heart. Her gaze darted to Rolfe who she found was moving in her direction, staring at her. The mist stirred around him as his horse moved. Did he come to know that she was a werewolf? Was he suspecting her? She couldn't peel her eyes off him as her chest thudded so hard that she could hear the sound of her blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to stand steadily, but she could feel that her wolf wanted to come out. It wanted to hunt or kill or… oh god… fuck! 

She wanted to turn her horse and start running in the opposite direction, but she felt arrested by his gaze, but those deep pine-colored eyes. If she were wise, she would stay the hell away from her. But was she thinking with her brain? His pine and mist scent were so near to her. She gulped. How could a demon be so attractive? How could she be so distracted? Her lips parted and a shaky breath left her. She held the leash of her horse tightly as his scent hit her hard, bringing on the prickle of the first shift. She could feel as if her vision was changing. Damn it! Was her eye color changing? 

Rolfe came to stand right next to her and said, "No matter what, you are going to stay right here." A muscle in his jaw flexed. He looked at Ara who nodded and Iona found herself surrounded by three more horsemen. Was he taking her as his prisoner? Iona nodded, feeling scared, not because she was surrounded by these demons, but because she could feel her wolf and it wanted an out. 

Rolfe turned back and rushed to his General. They spoke in hushed voices and then along with five more men, Rolfe disappeared in the thick mist, leaving an extremely panicky Iona. 

Iona just couldn't decipher her feelings. For a stranger whom she met only four days back, she had developed this inexplicable bond that ran deep in her… veins? The need to protect him was nigh overwhelming. She didn't even want to talk about her need to possess him because that… that was utterly ridiculous. 

--- 

"I can feel movement in the forest, Ileus," Kaizan said, looking out of his window. It was late evening and after roasting rabbit meat, Ileus had ensured that Anastasia ate it. Since she was feeling tired, he stroked her back and head until she had fallen off to sleep. And now he was standing along with Kaizan. 

"Is there a way up to the roof?" asked Ileus as he stared through the thick mist. 

"Yes!" Kaizan said. He walked out of the room, through a corridor, up a winding staircase to the roof. The floor was covered with thick moss and small plants sprouted everywhere. Mist swirled till their waists. Kaizan pointed up north. "There. Can you see it?" 

Ileus focused his werewolf vision and there it was—mist over there had stirred heavily. 

"Do you think there is something out there?" asked Ileus, suspecting that there was a herd of animals. It was impossible to have other Loreans in the Mountain of Tibris. The fortress itself seemed hundreds of years old, as if once inhabited by a race that was now extinct. 

"Should I go and inspect?" Kaizan offered. 

"No." Ileus refused. "Even if you can see well with your werewolf vision, there is no guarantee that the herd of animals out there is small."

"We just can't sit here and wait for them to come and attack us!" Kaizan countered. "They have seen the fire burning and, in all probability, they are going to come as fast as they can." 

"I will still not allow you to go there," Ileus said in a mulish way. "However, we need to be ready. We have to make spears and get large rocks to throw at the animals in order to scare them off." 

Night descended earlier than usual because of the dense clouds. The temperature went down further as thunder sounded in the distance with occasional lightning. Ileus found a sharp stone and cut down branches. Along with Kaizan, they whittled down the branches to make rudimentary spears out of them. Most of them were too short, but that was better than having nothing. Ileus gave Kaizan his dagger. 

"What about you?" Kaizan asked. The animals had come nearer and the attack was going to happen any time sooner. 

"I have Anastasia's dagger with me," he replied. "And my sword." 

The thunder clapped loud and lightning illuminated the area. Ileus was hoping that it didn't rain and that Anastasia slept through all this peacefully. In the afternoon after he had massaged her, he had made her sleep in his lap, keeping her face close to his chest. He just wanted to feel her so close all the time. Without her, his life was unimaginable and with each passing minute, he had grown extremely possessive about her. He didn't want her to do anything, just be with him. He had failed to protect her last time, but not anymore. 

Once they had gathered a large number of spears, they sat on the edge of the wall and waited. As if nature was conspiring against them, it started raining heavily.. The movement was much nearer now. 

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.