Claimed

Chapter 28

Author's Note

Thank you so much for your patience. I got home on Friday, slept all day Saturday, but I made it my mission today to get this chapter out, so enjoy. Continue to leave me comments and votes. Love you guys.

I sigh before falling backwards onto the plush grass staring up at the sky becoming dark and cloudy.

Xael: "I found it. The healing paste."

"I could sew it up Xael. We might need the paste for a more serious injury."

Xael: "This was made special. It should heal the wound by tomorrow. Infection is setting, I can tell."

Kneeling in front of me he unwraps the bandage slowly, as I wince in pain.

Xael: "Hold still."

A burning sensation is felt before a slight pleasant tingle creeps up my leg. Xael rewraps my leg in a dressing cloth made to keep infection away. Wiping the remaining blood off of my knee he rips the pants leg above the knee, placing the fabric beside my shoe.

Xael: "There. Your wound won't rub up against the pants leg while you are healing. Just relax. I will get us dinner. I saw fish in that brook."

Turning to my side I watch as Xael kneels by the side of the water before reaching his hand swiftly into it searching around.

"I condemn eating animals, you know this."

Xael rolls his eyes at me continuing his task. He grins big when he has something pulling it out and laying it on the grass as it flops around.

Xael: "It's fish, I hardly consider them animals. Be glad I have no energy or I would be killing a deer or rabbit for meat."

"I won't eat that poor creature."

Xael: "Winnie why do you have to be so difficult. Food is food. I only packed a loaf of bread and some dried meat in my bag. It isn't enough to last us our trip."

"Fine then I'll eat bread."

Xael: "Your stubbornness irritates me. You will eat what I give you. Now be quiet."

I continue to pout not happy with the food situation as I look around to see if I can spot any berry bushes. After a couple of minutes of searching I give up hope relaxing onto my back.

Xael: "Winnie sit up I need you to gut and clean these fish for me while I set up our tent underneath that canopy tree."

"I refuse. I won't clean them."

In a flash Xael is in my face gripping my chin forcing me to stare into his eyes.

Xael: "You may be the love of my life but I won't hesitate to turn you over and spank you for not listening to me. We have about two hours before it rains so help me out. I can't do everything by myself Win."

"Fine, but I won't eat them."

Xael: "Good girl."

He kisses me deeply on the lips before bringing over the fish he has caught all stacked up on top of each other on a large leaf. Handing me a dagger from his pack I begin to clean the fish in a way I've seen my mother do on occasion for dinner guests. I try not to cry when some of the creatures are still trying to breath as I cut their organs out. Once the task is complete I feel disgusted in my self as a sickness starts to arise. Finishing the shelter Xael comes back just in time to see me spew in the grassy patch next to me. He holds my hair back while rubbing soothing circles on my back.

Xael: "I'm sorry Princess, I didn't think cleaning the fish would upset you so much."

Taking the handkerchief he gives me I wipe my face before turning to address him.

"It does. Now I smell of the poor creature."

Xael: "You can wash in the brook once your leg is healed. "

"Okay."

Xael: "Do you want me to put you in the shelter? While I eat outside in my wolf form. I was going to cook it, but I still feel like we aren't a great distance from the people. Smoke would give up our location."

I nod silently as he scoops me up into his arms. Pulling open the tent inside it is dim. In the center of the place is Xael's favorite fur rug, made of black bear.

Xael: "I put it down so we wouldn't feel the ground as much. I thought it was a better option then to sleep on the tarp of the tent floor."

Laying me down gently Xael pulls out two blankets and one large pillow from his bag as well as the loaf of bread wrapped and a jar of some sort of jam. Placing the pillow behind me he covers me in blankets before handing the food over.

Xael: "I will be outside if you need me Winnie. After I eat I will patrol the perimeter once more and put more leaves and bushes and stuff over the tent to help camouflage it.

With a small kiss to my forehead he exits out of the tent closing it behind him. After nibbling on a piece of bread I roll to my side before drifting off to sleep. The next morning the wild life of the forest awakens me softly as I bury myself more into Xael's embrace. Out of instinct he immediately pulls me closer wrapping his arm around my waist. Staring at him, his face is tense, but he remains sleeping as I start to hear weird noises approaching closer to us.

"Xael wake up."

I whisper shaking his shoulders roughly. His eyes shoot open as he looks around disoriented before perking up. My lips part to speak, but his hand covers my mouth.

"I can smell her blood. She was here. Search around men. They can't have gotten far."

"Sir what if we don't find them?"

"Do you want to tell Master after years of searching for his bride she is lost again?"

My heartbeat quickens as I continue to stare into Xael's eyes. He strokes my hair with his free hand, conflicted on what to do.

"It's not his fault he lost her, it's her mother. She was the one who hid the child. All this time she had master think she was dead."

"Can't believe her own husband after all these years finally told the truth. He must really need the money selling out his own daughter's location."

"I heard that he didn't know of his daughter's location, until he found a tracker his wife had hid from him.

"If that is true then why are we still searching for her. If he has the tracker then why haven't we found her yet."

"Good point. It's because it broke recently, well that's what her father told master."

"If it broke then how do we have a location at all?"

"All he knows is that before the thing broke it showed she was in werewolf territory."

"It is a good day to use our silver weaponry."

"That it is my friend."

Tears fall out of my eyes as Xael continues to try to calm me.

She wanted me, he didn't. She was trying to protect me.