My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 189: The Horde

I didn’t return to the spot until the sun was already climbing higher up in the sky.

My body slightly ached from sitting against that tree all night, but I walked the stiffness in my muscles off as I made my way back.

But the slight discomfort was nothing compared to the exhaustion weighing on my mind.

Rowan was still there when I emerged into the clearing. He was crouched by his bag, but his head snapped up the moment he heard me approaching.

Our eyes met for a brief second before I looked away.

There was absolutely no way I could hold his gaze after having that nonsense dream. I frowned, shaking away the mental image and the way his voice had sounded.

He sounded a lot different—

No...

I ignored the heat slowly crawling up my neck and made my way to my things.

"Violet."

His voice was quiet, careful.

I busied myself with organising my things with more focus than necessary.

"I need to... apologize for what happened. I pushed too hard. You don’t owe me anything and I have no right to demand any answers from you... Sorry about that."

I paused, my fingers stilling on the strap of my pack. His apology should have made me feel better, but it only made the knot in my chest tighten.

"It’s fine," was all I said.

Silence stretched between us until he spoke up again, "It’s not fine. You don’t look fine... I will respect whatever boundaries you need. And I’ll keep what you said to mind."

My chest tightened. "Thank you..."

I appreciated him giving me my space but it made me feel strange. I shook my head to clear the mess of thoughts tangling in my mind.

I had more important things to worry about, I didn’t come here for this.

"I need to move," I said, pulling out the maps from my bag.

I spread the papers out on, studying the lines and markings that showed the terrain ahead.

Rowan moved closer to look. Even though he was careful to keep some distance between us, I still stiffened.

He studied the map for a moment and after asking what direction I felt the pull, along with how it coincided with the route on the map, we were set to move.

It was at this point, I had to practise control over my abilities, even if it was in small ways. I decided not to carry my bag on my back like I had always done, but let it hover in the air beside me.

And from there, we moved through the forest in silence.

[ - ]

By late afternoon, the forest had grown less dense, but was still heavy, and I could smell something new in the air.

It was a strange disgusting smell that slightly made me uncomfortable, and I was so focused on trying to figure out the source of it that I almost didn’t notice when Rowan’s hand shot out toward me.

Almost.

My body reacted on pure instinct.

I twisted away from his reach, putting a little distance between us in the span of a heartbeat.

Rowan’s eyes widened slightly at my reaction and surprise flashed across his face.

But then his expression shifted, his hand rising to press one finger against his lips.

I stiffened on the spot. He wanted me to be quiet.

I froze.

There was movement in the near distance, hidden beyond a thick wall of trees and bushes. I sensed multiple presences along with large movements. The smell was also coming from that direction.

My heart began to pound as I extended my senses carefully, trying to gauge what we were dealing with.

A horde of something moved through the trees ahead, their movements creating a low rustling sound that would have been easy to miss if I hadn’t been listening for it.

Rowan’s hand found my wrist and he pulled me down into the thick underbrush with him.

We crouched low behind a dense wall of bushes and tangled roots.

I opened my mouth to ask what we were hiding from, but the look on his face stopped me.

There was a tightness in his jaw. A stillness in his body that I hadn’t seen before. He wasn’t even looking at me but towards that direction.

He was cautious.

And it was as if every trace of him had vanished beside me, like he had subdued his presence to the extent that it was no longer present. I immediately followed his lead and tried to hide myself more.

Whatever was out there, it was dangerous enough to make even him wary.

The rustling grew louder.

And then from the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of them.

They emerged from the trees in a slow, heavy procession.

They were massive, and enormous and their bodies were covered in thick, leathery grey hide that looked almost like armour plating. It creased and folded in layers across their backs and sides as hey walked. Their legs were stocky and thick like that of a tree, and long ridged tails dragged behind them, sweeping the ground with each heavy step.

Their heads were wrong.

Long flat snouts stretched forward, lined with rows of jagged teeth that interlocked even when their mouths were closed. Their eyes were small and cold, set on either side of their skulls. And from their foreheads, curved tusks jutted outward, stained yellow and brown.

One of them turned its head slowly, its hazy eyes sweeping across the undergrowth.

I stopped breathing.

It looked like it was blind, but its nostrils flared in the air.

Rowan’s arm wrapped around me, pulling me flush against his side. His grip was tight, almost painful, and his body was deathly still.

I could feel his heartbeat against my shoulder. Slow. Controlled. But his muscles were coiled beneath his skin, ready to move at any moment.

The creature’s gaze passed over our hiding spot, letting out a low rumbling grunt as it turned away and continued its slow march through the forest.

More followed in a loose herd, their massive bodies brushing against trees and crushing smaller plants beneath their feet.

We stayed frozen in the bushes, pressed together, barely breathing.

The last of them finally disappeared into the trees ahead and I let out a shaky breath long after they were gone.

Rowan’s grip on me loosened slightly, but he didn’t let go entirely.

"What were those things?" I whispered.

And why had he been so wary of them?

"Later," he murmured. "We need to—"

He stopped, and I felt it at the same moment he did.

There were wolves fast approaching ahead of us.