Bonded

Chapter 48

Rebecca trudged behind Fenrir through the backwoods of New Brunswick. Looking back the way they came, she hoped the older werewolf knew where he was going. More importantly, she hoped he knew how to get back. Every few minutes, she would glance behind them, seeing nothing but tree after tree.

"Best to keep your eyes front, that is the way you are going."

Rebecca's head whipped around at Fenrir's voice. "I was just..." She wasn't sure how to finish without sounding insulting.

"Are you more worried about where we are going or about how we are going to get back?" Fenrir came to a stop next to a large boulder.

Stopping a few feet from him, Rebecca breathed heavily. "Both, I suppose."

"But that isn't where you are," Fenrir rested his hip on the boulder. "If you spend all of your time worrying about the past and the future, your journey never begins. You must accept your path and follow where it leads. Mother Moon has a Way for all of us. Your job is to be present during your journey so that you are ready for the end."

"But what is the end? How will I know if I am ready for it?"

Fenrir chuckled to himself. "Humans." He shook his head. "You lot tend to worry about things that aren't yours to worry over." He pushed himself off the rock and pulled a bottle of water out of one of his pockets. "Right now, your job is to follow me until we get to where we are going. You agreed to trust me. That trust comes at a cost. I will get you to our destination, Little One, that is my job. Your job is to pay attention to the journey." He offered the water bottle to her.

Rebecca resigned herself to having to wait until they got there to know what she had actually gotten herself into. "Fine." She said the word, but it didn't feel fine. She figured the faster they got to where they were going, the faster they would be done and she could go home. A small part of her, that she stubbornly ignored, missed Greyson. Taking the water bottle she took a long drink. Handing it back to Fenrir, it disappeared into a pocket and they set off once again.

The pair came to a stop when the land did. Rebecca looked down from her position on the edge of an embankment. About twenty feet below was a dried up riverbed. The opposite side was a much taller cliff face, stretching up fifteen feet or so. The scene was fairly unremarkable. Rebecca didn't think it was particularly pretty or special. She turned to her companion and self-appointed protector with questions in her eyes.

Fenrir settled himself down at the foot of a tree and pulled a small pocketknife from deep within a pocket. She watched as he took his time to find a nice stick to whittle. Sensing Rebecca's eyes on him, he jutted his chin in the direction of a pile of rocks. "Throw those."

Turning her attention to the pile, Rebecca scoffed. "You brought me out here to throw rocks?"

"Trust, Little One. Trust."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Rebecca walked to the small pyramid of rocks. They were all vaguely the size of a baseball and obviously placed here on purpose by a person. She picked up one at random and felt its weight in her hand before chucking it halfheartedly into the riverbed below.

"I said throw the rocks, not toss. Put some strength behind it."

Reaching down to the pile for the next rock, Rebecca planted her feet, rolled her shoulders, and flung the rock at the stoneface across from her. It cracked against the wall before bouncing down to the ground with a thud. It was strangely satisfying. Quickly, she grabbed another rock from the pile and threw it with everything she had. It exploded against the cliffside, shrapnel clattering down, echoing within the small canyon.

It was a small act of destruction. There was no real harm, but the simple act unlocked something inside of her. Rage. A white-hot rage filled her so completely that her vision blurred. Hastily, she bent to grab the next victim, hurling it against the wall. Not waiting for the mini landslide she created to settle, Rebecca grabbed the next and the next. She threw stone after stone.

She threw a stone for every time she was forced to run or to hide in the middle of the night from a foster brother or foster father who wanted more from a little girl than should ever be asked.

She threw a stone for every time an adult in her life, failed to live up to their promise to protect and nurture her when she was a child.

She threw a stone for every time she allowed herself to be belittled, ignored, or had her entire existence dismissed as an annoyance.

She threw rock after rock, until her fingers bled, and her shoulder burned.

Exhausted, she collapsed to her knees and screamed. A deep, primal scream ripped from her soul. It seared her throat and rang in her ears. She screamed until her voice gave out. She pounded her fists against the earth until she could barely move, and she crumpled to the ground.

After the tidal wave of anger depleted, she felt empty. Drained. Hollowed. She wondered how the soft breeze didn't cause her body to shatter into a million pieces.

"Got it all out now?" Fenrir's voice startled her. She had forgotten there was an audience to her meltdown. Suddenly, all of her anger was replaced with humiliation. She couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to be seen having such an outburst. He was practically a stranger. She felt her face heat knowing that she must look as crazy as she had just acted. Would he tell Greyson that she acted so foolishly? Would he tell Imara that the new girl in the pack had a temper tantrum in the middle of the woods? Would the entire pack know and think her as childish and crazy as she felt? Shame coursed through her body until she was numb with it.

Fenrir held out a callused hand for her to grab. Daze by the events of the afternoon, all she could do was nod her head and put her hand in his. Once she was on her feet, he looked her up and down.

"Right then. Let's go." He pivoted in place and began walking in the direction that they came. Rebecca had no choice but to follow.

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