In Love Through War - Book 3

Part 69

"Are you the last ones here?"

"Yes, Alpha. We are here as a warning in case we get attacked from behind."

"Fine. Stay on your toes!"

"Yes, Sir! Excuse me, I assume we are to expect your return?"

"We'll be back in about two hours. Walking, Running or not at all. I assume you get the meaning?"

"All clear, being pursued, captured or dead?"

"Very good. We passed a narrowing a while back. Get more people and prepare to block it if needed so the convoy can push forward and escape."

"Of course, Alpha! Should we inform..."

"Definitely inform the other two Alphas."

"Understood."

As Al'Aeen and Aaron move on, the big man keeps looking over to the sides and edges of the canyon.

"You keep looking to those rocky walls. Were your eyes locked on a certain Alpha beauty as you came in and you missed the sights or what?"

"Staring is rude and I'm pretty sure she'd know if I stared at her."

"And like it."

"What's that?"

"Was just agreeing with you. Like you agree with me of her being a beauty. If I wasn't mated, I'd definitely..."

Al'Aeen snarls at him before he even realizes what's happening.

"Whoa there! I was joking!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"It's only natural, don't worry about it. Guess spending that time with her got you more in tune with your animal side."

"I do not have an animal side."

"So you keep saying. But you don't shift into a different human. You said yourself that is an ancient extinct animal where you come from. Maybe your inner animal is just dormant. Or you are not in proper sync with it."

"Maybe. Anyway, these walls seem like a perfect opportunity for an ambush."

"How? Besides the fact we can't go up, it's not like they can attack us down the walls."

"Yeah, maybe. They could gather rocks and boulder to drop on our heads."

"Yeah, but those would roll to a stop long before reaching the middle of the canyon's bottom, so what's the point?"

"There are no points where it would be dangerous?"

"Only the narrowing we passed, but the entire convoy has already passed that, so they missed their opportunity. You mind going animal and picking up the pace?"

"Sure, no problem!"

"Can you hold the run? I mean if we need to? Cause I don't think we can take on more than six or seven warhogs safely, even together."

"You might be surprised. But since I'm recovered now, I think I can run for about three days at a decent speed, and maybe several hours flat out."

"Really now? Have you been training with Conall for endurance then?"

"Umani mostly. Conall's training has been mostly combat-oriented."

"Guess he focuses on what he deems necessary. We're exiting the canyon, be on your guard!" Aaron switches to the open mind link, after shifting.

As they run further along, the wind changes direction making them both freeze in their tracks.

"Can you smell that?"

"Warhogs. Everywhere."

"Except behind us. We need to go back."

"We still don't know how many. Shouldn't we find out?"

"Too many to fight. And your mate will kill me if I don't get you safely back."

"I'd like to make a joke about you being afraid of a woman, but I'm scared of her as well."

"I don't think for the same reasons though. Let's go."

"Agreed. How come we didn't notice them before?"

"The wind. And did you detect the other scent?"

"Coyotes?"

"Yeah. They must have been helping the warhogs mask their scent, or at least reduce it, because damn! Nothing can mask that stench!"