Lycans Of The Woods

Chapter 25

My eyes found Hannes' again. He watched silently, arms folded behind his back, expression carefully vacant of any emotion as he refused to allow me to comprehend what he thought of my hesitance to answer.

My choice….

I felt Athena's skirt brush my pants as she walked by me to stand at her son's side, squaring her shoulders and inhaling deeply as she looked at me.

My mind swirled as I quietly contemplated. Leaving this pack and venturing more into the deep woods could leave me vulnerable to danger. But I was still very much wary of staying in Wildeland.

I could feel the Elders' penetrating stares on me as my lips parted and closed as I eventually made my decision. An ache began to form on my head, and I lifted a hand, to rub at my temple, but jolted at the sound of Hannes' speaking.

"Perhaps we should give her another day to t-"

"No." I cut him off, shaking my head sharply as I averted my gaze to his once more. His blank expression had slipped, and I could see the concern for me on his face. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his thick eyebrows furrowed as he watched me.

"No?" He echoed, voice gruff.
I nodded, exhaling quietly and faced Bronwyn. "I don't need another day to make a decision. I will stay here in this pack."

Bronwyn's face tightened and she straightened on her tree stump. "Then you accept Hannes as your mate then?" She demanded, her fingers grasping the staff tightly.

The side of my face burned as I felt his stare. My tongue ran over my lower lip, and I shifted on my feet, toes curling and uncurling in my socks and boots as I finally shrugged a shoulder and murmured,

"Mhm."

Amusement flickered in Declan's orange eyes, and he clasped his hands together as he stood. My eyes briefly lowered to the flames near his feet, and I inwardly cringed at his nearness to it. I was expecting his cloak to catch on fire from how close he was to the strong flames.

"Tonight we shall view this footage you speak of, Athena." Declan said, nodding his head at the woman. "Perhaps after dinner in Hannes' home?"

Declan's gaze moved behind me as he inquired, and I too turned to look, only to stumble forward slightly at the Alpha's close proximity. His piercing eyes skirted up and down my face, as he lowered his head briefly in agreement with the Elder.

Hannes' nostrils flared, eyes dipping to stare upon my lips before he addressed Bronwyn, who I hadn't realized had stood and begun to shuffle towards the cave's mouth.

"Will you be joining us, Bron?"
She scoffed as if it were a stupid question. "I will." She patted a hand against her stomach. "I have never been one to turn away the possibility of consuming food."

Hannes' lips curled in a half smile, and his warm fingers completely encircled my wrist, and I felt them drift back and forth over the skin there as he began asking Athena if she would be needing any help with the preparation of food.

"Of course. Some of your lovely cooks could help me with that," Athena said, her voice light and airy, almost whimsical. "And maybe you too, Olivia?"

I jerked my gaze to her, finally pulling my attention away from Hannes' slow touches against my skin. "I'm not very good at cooking." I admitted, and she laughed softly.

"I will guide you." Athena said, her smile blinding. "You may find that I will be guiding you a lot in this pack."

I tilted my head, but she turned before I could say anything else, walking steadily towards the mouth of the cave and for a short while, Hannes and I were the only ones left inside of it.