6- The Weight of Heat
POV Lunara Grimwald:
But… everything felt so much like ours. It was our first refuge in months, where we managed to share small moments of joy.
We didn’t miss our parents. And I couldn’t say how terrible that made me as a daughter. But it was hard to miss someone who had always made sure they meant nothing.
Our father did little to be anything more than a despicable alpha, who forced us to obey his will. And our mother, well… she was no one and nothing without him, always eager to gain her husband’s approval, no matter the opinion, nor the feelings of her daughters.
And our pack was equally useless. The alphas did not respect females. If any went into heat without having a mate, she was violated. Only Elowen and I were untouchable. After all, both of us could be used in a political game, as bargaining chips.
I didn’t miss anything that tied me to my former life. The only thing that still mattered to me was my sister, and she was by my side. I just wanted to forget what I was and live among humans, lead a normal life.
If it weren’t for the damned heat, that would have been very possible.
"We will find the inhibitor, Sel. And we will live a peaceful and happy life. I know we will," I affirmed resolutely, trying to keep my hopes alive.
She agreed with a nod and pulled me into a tight hug. I inhaled deeply, memorizing her scent. It would be through that scent that I would find her again.
I would track her wherever she was, or I would die trying.
I freed myself from her embrace and panted, feeling my insides contract with such an absolute heat that it made me dizzy.
"I need to go. Now," I warned through clenched teeth.
"Go where, exactly?"
"I’ll wander through the forest. Trying to throw them off."
"Don’t get caught, please," she begged, caressing my arm.
"I’ll kill Alessio before he puts his hands on me."
She narrowed her eyes, her expression turning grim.
"We’ll both kill him before that happens. Don’t forget that I’m also in line to gut that bastard—your ex."
I snorted.
"We could split him in half and each of us dismember one side," I offered seriously.
"Works perfectly for me." She winked.
I gripped the strap of my backpack and moved through the small cabin. I opened the door, greeted by the icy wind. The crescent moon was high in the sky, illuminating the treetops of the forest.
I cast one last glance at my sister.
"Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone."
She laughed.
"I promise I’ll behave."
I arched a brow.
"The last time you told me that, Elowen, you threw a beer glass at a male’s head."
She pursed her lips in a grimace, looking offended.
"He said I had a nice ass, Lunara. I thought that was incredibly disrespectful," she retorted. "And besides, the glass sort of… slipped from my hand."
"And flew into his head?"
"Exactly," she agreed with a straight face.
She hadn’t gone through her first transformation yet, but she was nearing the age, and her body was already showing signs of it. Like abnormal strength for a girl her size, an explosive temper, and the ability to distinguish scents more sharply.
"Just… keep glasses away from old perverts’ heads, please," I begged.
She had knocked the male out last time. She had been so quick and strong that no one even saw where the glass came from, nor who had thrown it. That was the only reason she hadn’t been discovered.
"I promise I’ll try."
I let out a low growl.
"Please, Elowen. I can’t worry about hiding from Alessio’s males and about you at the same time."
She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.
"Fine. I promise."
I exhaled a sigh.
"I love you, Sel. See you soon."
"I love you too, Lunara."
Smiling, I turned toward the forest and walked away from the cabin, leaving my sister behind.
The backpack felt light against my shoulders. I carried a few changes of clothes, some food I had taken from the bakery where I worked, and a single book I had stolen from a bookstore in one of the cities we stopped in along the months. It was my greatest source of entertainment. I had already lost count of how many times I had read it.
I quickened my pace, moving deeper into the forest.
I needed to find a safe place to spend the night while my heat advanced and my body exhaled pheromones. The farther I went, the less they would sense me.
I heard the rustling of small animals moving around, circling the place as I did, and the chirping of birds. The forest was wrapped in shadows and silver as the moon shone above.
I tightened my grip around the strap of the worn backpack when a gust of wind hit me, blowing my hair to the side.
I shivered as my footsteps crushed dry branches.
If things got too bad, I would transform and remain in my wolf form for the next few days. It wouldn’t lessen the intensity of the heat, but it would be easier to survive alone in the forest that way.
I still hadn’t transformed, not since we fled. I didn’t trust the place enough to do it. I could become an easy target for hunters. And the cabin we lived in, which had belonged to one of them, was proof enough they were nearby.
And that was another point I needed to add to my list of concerns: Elowen’s first transformation.
I looked around, observing the long trunks of the trees. The forest was old; I could feel it deep in my bones. It exhaled a kind of power, an ancient energy that pulsed all around me.
I believed there could be packs nearby, since the herb was native to the region, but I wasn’t sure. Since we had arrived, we hadn’t run into any other wolves.
A wave of heat hit me so strongly that I lost my breath and staggered on the next step. I held the air in my lungs.
I inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly. And repeated the motion several times before continuing my path.
My body was at its limit. But I was still too close to my sister. It would be far too easy for them to find me by my scent and reach her.
I started running without a clear path. I just… ran, following a blind direction, letting myself be guided by my instincts. And, in a very strange way, it seemed like they were leading me somewhere. Or to someone.
I don’t know how long I kept running, following that odd direction without deviation. I didn’t stop, not even when my throat grew dry or when drops of sweat formed on my forehead, though the air was freezing.