Greykin Valley

| 85 | Shrieker

⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐

| Damon |

The sun was setting.

Damon stuck close to his mate as his pack followed Raphael and Sebastien through the sequoia forest. After cutting through a system of caves filled with bioluminescent butterflies and winged lizards, they were finally above ground again; but the tree line was nowhere in sight, and Damon was beginning to feel impatient.

However, his skepticism outweighed his desperation to reach their location faster than possible. His sights shifted to Wilson every now and then; he was waiting for the muto to slip up—his distancing act wasn't going to fool him; the second he thought Damon wasn't looking, he'd shoot Jackson a glance or try to speak to him, and the Alpha was waiting for that moment. He trusted Jackson, but he didn't trust Wilson. Someone like him wouldn't give up so easily, and Damon wasn't going to let his guard down.

Knowing that Jackson had imprinted on him gave him not only a sense of relief and sheer joy but also a feeling of victory. Jackson was his through and through; Wilson wasn't going to come between them. He was curious to know what demon imprints did other than mark a person as a demon's property and mate, but now wasn't the time to ask.

He was also worried about Remus. His son was missing his brother, and as despondent as that made him feel, there wasn't much he could do until the mission was over. And even then, there were no guarantees that Romulus would choose to stay with them; he might want to be with his mother, whom Damon highly suspected wouldn't want to merge packs and try to get along for the sake of their sons. He wouldn't be so naïve as to let himself hope that things would turn out any different, either.

A subtle, disquieting rustle echoed through the air, sending a shiver down Damon's spine. His head snapped sharply in the direction of the sound, yet his gaze captured only the unsettling sight of an otherworldly magenta and lime green funnel-shaped plant. The colours seemed to glow with an eerie luminescence, casting an unnatural pallor over the forest around him.

Damon frowned, fixating on the bizarre flora that now enveloped the spaces between the towering trees. As he continued to scrutinize the surroundings, a creeping sense of unease settled in. The once unnoticed plants had multiplied, weaving their unnatural tendrils into the very fabric of the forest. Glancing over his shoulder, Damon traced the origins of this peculiar invasion, realizing with a chill that they had emerged insidiously, lurking in the periphery while he remained lost in his thoughts.

"What the heck are these things?" Julian asked, breaking the silence. They stopped walking and reached their paw towards one of the plants.

"Don't—" Amos grabbed their paw— "touch that."

The pack stopped moving.

"Why not?" Jackson asked confusedly as he stood beside Julian.

Julian pulled their paw out of Amos' grip.

"They're shrieker plants," Sebastien said, escorting Julian away from it using his wing. "They react to touch and make the most disgusting sound; the last thing we need is you setting one off and calling every predator in the woods over here."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Julian said, shivering.

"Keep moving," Raphael called and resumed leading the way. "And don't touch anything."

The pack shot unsettled frowns at Damon, but when he nodded, they started following Raphael.

Jackson glanced at Damon, walking beside him. "So, screaming plants, huh?"