His dark voice trails down her spine, lighting a path of desire that renders her breathless. "If only I were in a position of no consequence."
Alia's breath wavers when the pad of his thumb slowly glides across her bottom lip.
"Then I could give in...
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"Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." - Ovid
•
It has been twelve hours since Alia and Valen had spoken a word to each other. Alia's limbs are heavy as she walks behind him.
Bright sunlight streams through the canopy above and the sound of chirping birds suggest that it is early morning. The last time Alia can recall seeing is 7 p.m., for there was an analogue clock hung up on one of the walls in Ivanov's.
Alia's head hangs low as she walks, still in her primal form. She senses Valen's gaze on her for a short moment, but she brushes it off and keeps her eyes on the ground in front of her. Travelling without rest is affecting her muscles more than she anticipated. It's fine. I'm fine.
She wants to prove to Valen that she can endure this, all of this and if it means fighting off muscle fatigue, then so be it.
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It is currently a few hours past noon and the pair remain walking towards the border of the pack.
For the second time today, Alia feels Valen glance over at her and she ignores it, again. She presumes that he's just checking to see if she's still behind him.
Alia's legs have begun to shake with every step she takes, slowing her down considerably. She clenches her teeth, forgetting about the clothes in-between them as she tries to continue on, the fire within her muscles fighting her every move.
"Stop."
The sound causes Alia's head to shoot up, eyes alert as she spots Valen standing before her, arms crossed. His calm composure doesn't surprise her. Of course, he wouldn't be affected by their many hours of travel.
They have managed to find themselves in the middle of a very small clearing resting right in-between the trees. Two large tree trunks lie across the ground to her right, touching each other at one end to form an obtuse angle.
"You need to rest," Valen states, his icy, white eyes daring her to oppose his words.
Alia tries to shake her head, but Valen's gaze only hardens, stopping her instantly. Relief quickly floods through her and she drops to the ground. Her muscles are completely worn out.
