Chapter 104: The Chase through the woods

The way Annelise was dragging her behind made Della stumble more times than she could count. If she didn’t stop them, she might just end up face-first on the floor very soon.

"Anne—slow down!"

"No."

"But—"

"No talking. Just run."

Della’s mouth snapped shut. They cut between two cottages, ducked behind a wooden fence and crossed a narrow stretch of farmland before Annelise dragged her into a thicket of bushes.

The branches scratched against Della’s arms and caught against her dress, but she didn’t complain.

She was too busy trying to breathe.

Her lungs were burning, and her legs felt heavier with every step, and there was a strange ache beginning to settle across her lower abdomen that made her instinctively place one hand over it.

The baby.

"Keep moving," Annelise whispered.

"I’m trying."

"Focus your energy on your legs. We have to move faster."

Della almost shot her a look.

Suddenly, a distant howl tore through their ears, and both women froze. Another answered from somewhere farther behind them - which only meant one thing.

"They found us." Della’s blood turned cold.

"Run!"

They burst from the bushes, and this time Della didn’t bother trying to keep quiet. Her feet pounded against the dirt as they raced toward the forest, Annelise dragging her whenever she slowed.

Branches whipped against Della’s face, and her breath came out in ragged gasps.

She could hear nothing except her own heartbeat and the occasional snap of branches somewhere behind them.

They were coming, and they were closing in fast.

"Anne!"

"What is it?!" She whispered.

"There’s a road!"

Annelise glanced ahead and saw a narrow, abandoned road stretched between the trees, "Good."

They ran onto it and kept moving. For perhaps twenty seconds, Della thought they might actually make it. Then a howl erupted from the forest behind them, and she looked back just to catch three figures burst through the trees.

Werewolves.

The ones in dark cloaks.

The trackers.

"Faster!" Annelise shouted.

"I’m trying!"

"You gotta push yourself, Della. If you get caught, it’ll get way worse!"

"There!" A ragged growl yelled from behind.

Annelise grabbed Della’s wrist and pulled her sharply toward the opposite side of the road. They barely made it into the trees before something flew through the air, and a glistening, sharp object buried itself into the tree beside Della’s head.

"That was a knife." Della breathed, "They threw a knife at me!"

"Della."

"What?"

"Run."

They disappeared deeper into the forest again, and soon enough, the ground became uneven, forcing Della to slow down once more .

Roots twisted beneath her feet, rocks bruised her soles through her shoes, and the branches seemed determined to tear her dress apart.

She couldn’t keep doing this.

Her chest was burning, and her stomach felt heavy.

Her entire body was screaming for rest.

And the worst part? Asteria was silent. The wolf inside her hadn’t stirred once.

"Anne..." Della cried.

"Not yet."

"I can’t."

She was so exhausted that her body finally stopped on its own, her hand pressed against a tree while she struggled to breathe, "Just give me a second."

"No."

"Anne!"

"Every second you stand here is a second they gain."

"I know!" Della’s voice cracked.

Annelise’s expression changed as she looked at Della properly this time.

At the sweat running down her temples.

At the trembling legs.

At the paleness of her face.

Something wasn’t adding up.

Della hadn’t been pregnant for that long and shouldn’t be this tired already.

Annelise sighed and stepped toward her, "Thirty seconds."

"Thank you." Della sagged against the tree.

"Don’t thank me yet." Annelise said as she stood there, listening.

There was nothing at first, then she heard the sound of dried leaves being crushed under someone’s foot.

"They’re close." She whispered, whipping her head again

Della’s eyes widened.

"Thirty seconds is over."

"That was barely five!"

"Exactly."

Annelise grabbed her again, and they ran. They had barely reached another clearing when the first tracker appeared out of nowhere.

Annelise immediately pushed Della behind her, but the man followed her movements anyway.

"Rotblood." He growled.

"Keep walking." Annelise warned, her fingers curling.

The tracker smiled, then he pointed at the woman behind her, "You’re not going anywhere."

A second man appeared behind them.

Then a third.

Della’s heart sank as she realised they were now surrounded.

The first tracker stepped forward, hair growing out of his face and hands as he began to transform partially, "Alpha Beckham wants her alive,,"

Annelise’s eyes narrowed.

"But he told us dead works best for him!" The tracker grinned wickedly, claws stretching out of his nails.

Della’s fingers tightened around Annelise’s arm as she began looking around again for another stake. She might as well try to kill more than one werewolf in a span of twenty-four hours!

Suddenly, a blur came out of nowhere, and the first tracker was suddenly thrown sideways. He slammed into a tree so hard the trunk shook, and the other two behind him froze.

Another wolf came flying out of the darkness, then another.

These ones were in their wolf form.

The trackers barely had time to shift before the forest exploded into chaos with werewolves crashing into one another. Growls tore through the trees, and claws flashed in between the gathering darkness.

Della stared in confusion, "Who—"

"Don’t ask!"

Annelise grabbed her, "Go!"

They ran again, and this time Della didn’t need to be told twice. They plunged deeper into the forest while the sounds of fighting faded behind them.

Neither bothered to look back and just kept moving. They ran till the trees became thicker and the forest swallowed the road completely.

Until neither woman could hear the trackers anymore.

They found a cave nearly three hours later, a little close to midnight. It was a narrow opening beneath a large formation of rocks, hidden behind thick vines and thorny bushes.

Della didn’t argue when Annelise tugged her inside. She stumbled through the opening and collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

Annelise slipped inside after her and immediately pulled the vines back over the entrance.

Then she stood there and listened.

Nothing.

No footsteps.

No howls.

No voices.

Just the distant sound of wind moving through the trees.

Annelise finally sank onto the floor too, and took another look at Della.

She was lying on her back, one hand over her stomach, the other pressed against her chest.

Her entire body was trembling.

"I hate running." Della murmured.

She’s never found running this exhausting before.

Annelise suddenly burst into laughter.

"What?" Della asked, looking offended.

"You just killed a rogue with a piece of wood yesterday."

"That doesn’t mean I enjoy things that make my heart beat twenty times faster."

Annelise covered her mouth, about to let another laugh escape her when she remembered something she was supposed to do.

Her amusement vanished, and she immediately crawled closer, "Are you hurting?"

"Just my waist and legs...and chest,"

"Let me feel your belly," Annelise said.

Della pulled up her gown, and the healer gently pressed around her stomach. The moment she applied pressure for the first time, she paused and looked down at Della’s stomach.

She looked even more stunned.

"You’re about seven weeks pregnant, right?" Annelise inquired again just to be sure.

Della nodded.

Annelise pressed again, this time around the entire belly, "Oh God," She murmured.

"What is it?"

"It’s either you got pregnant way earlier than we thought, or that baby of yours is growing faster than usual,"

"What?" Della felt scared, so she also brought her hand to her belly.

"This baby feels three months pregnant at most,"

"Three?!" Della exclaimed, "But that’s impossible!"

"You sure you aren’t feeling any pain apart from the one that came from running?"

"That means you and the baby are doing just fine," Annelise said, covering Della back up.

"What about the child growing too fast?"

"I wouldn’t panic just yet. Let’s just keep observing both of you for the time being,"

Annelise sounded sure of herself, which had Della relax a bit. If only Della had her wolf right now, she would have heard the way Annelise’s heart was beating erratically.

"Come here." Annelise said, patting her shoulder.

Della hesitated. Then she shifted closer until her head rested against Annelise’s shoulder.

Neither of them spoke for a while. Annelise started rubbing Della’s back at some point during the silence, and Della’s breathing gradually slowed.

"We can’t stay here long," Annelise whispered, "We need to get farther north before dawn."

"Do you think they lost us?" Della opened her eyes.

Annelise looked toward the covered entrance, "I think someone made sure they lost us."

"The wolves that interfered. Who are they?"

"Guards from Eclipse Crown,"

Della’s fingers slowly moved over her stomach, and she thought about everything again.

She thought about the rushed goodbye.

She thought about Malachi and how he was only doing this because she was pregnant.

"Sleep, Della. Stop thinking," Annelise whispered.

"Okay," She whispered back.