Lycans & Roses

Chapter. 19

We had been walking through the forest for a while in silence. My chest between his shoulders, my chin resting on the top part of his head. My foot was killing me, more so annoying type of pain, but I didn't want to stop him. I didn't want to interrupt this peaceful moment with him. He paused, scaling down a small hill carefully, I'm sure he took his time because of me, he was so big he could scale a mountain in seconds, but no, he was careful, slow, and then I heard it. The sounds of pounding water.

"Is that...a waterfall?"

Kind of redundant, I knew that. Still wanting to break the silence. He seemed to catch that. Huffing instead of speaking. He rounded a makeshift dirt path, indicating this path was used a lot. The sound growing closer until a clearing came into view. My eyes widened, leaning back on him, covering my mouth with my hands, while keeping my balance. The view was completely breath taking. It seemed straight out of a fairytale. A water fall that poured from the top of a landing, it was so high up it looked as if it came from the clouds, and the base, circled by greenery and wildflowers, different shades of pink, purples and blues. a few willow trees providing perfect privacy with their long vines. I had no idea why he decided to bring me here after what just happened. Maybe he knew I needed the break, either way I was grateful...confused but grateful. How was such a beautiful place real? And so close to home.

"This is the closest I can bring you to pack homelands without breaking tradition."

He spoke low, in that split voice that was hard to tell if it was Leo or Malakai speaking. I had gotten used to it, they were one, so it seemed normal for them to speak at the same time. As if they molded together made just right, for me.

"Break tradition."

I spoke just as low as they did. Coming out more of a statement than a question. We grew closer to the edge of the waterfall, the smell was so clean, not quite like ocean water, but not something man made. True spring water, fresh, crisp and warm.

"I'm sure a cursed human born with a demon, being a mate to a Lycan isn't tradition either."

He hunched down, lowering his right shoulder, leaving my last statement unanswered. I slid down him. My butt hit the soft grass before anything else. I winced as I shifted my hurt foot. Bringing my left foot up to my right thigh. Pulling out the shards of glass. As I did, I could see him moving out of my peripheral. The pain wasn't horrible, the glass didn't go too far in. He lowered his big furry head, his large pink tongue ran across the broken soft flesh of the bottom of my foot. My nose wrinkled as he licked without a care. Weirdo, I couldn't help but think, with a smirk to my unspoken word. There was a joined chuckle in his large wolf chest, leaving past those black lips.

"tolʹko stranno dlya vas. moy tsvetok"
(Only weird for you, my flower)

My eyes widened, and then narrowed, pulling my foot away from him. He pulled further back, sitting on his haunches; he spoke singular this time. Leo, speaking through Malakai as Malakai had spoken through Leo before. I knew he could read my thoughts, I just didn't know he could do it without me feeling him in my mind, like I could with Nero.

"No, I cannot hear your thoughts, Mika. Neither of us can. Merely sense them, plus you are not that hard for us to read, your faces give you thoughts away more than you think."

I narrowed my eyes again, he seemed to mock me. Those golden eyes almost glowed with amusement as he narrowed them back at me. He walked around my back, keeping close enough I felt his warm chest against me. I looked down to my foot. The bleeding had stopped, the skin was slowly mending together, healing faster than it would on its own.