Chapter 243 The silent journey

Chapter 243: Chapter 243 The silent journey

Talia’s POV

The silence of the cave had wrapped around us like a blanket, and I had stayed in Kaelen’s arms for what felt like hours. The nightmare was still fresh in my mind, but the shaking had stopped, and the tears had dried on my cheeks.

I did not know how much time had passed when Cain walked to the entrance and looked back at us. His face was serious, and his voice was low.

"Alpha," he said. "We need to move. The sun is up, and we have already lost too much time."

Kaelen nodded. He looked down at me, and his gray eyes were soft. "Are you ready?"

I took a breath. "I am ready."

He helped me to my feet, and I felt the stiffness in my muscles. My body was still heavy, but I forced myself to stand.

Piper was there, with her hand reaching for mine. She did not speak, she just took my hand and held it tightly.

We walked to the horses together, and Kaelen helped me onto my horse. His hands were steady on my waist, and I felt the warmth of his touch through my clothes.

Piper moved to mount her own horse, but her foot slipped on the stirrup. She stumbled, and I heard her gasp.

I turned around in time to see that Jax was there in an instant, and he caught her before she fell, with his arms steady around her waist.

"Careful," he said. His voice was softer than usual.

Piper looked up at him, and I saw the surprise in her eyes. "Thank you, Jax."

He helped her onto her horse, and he lingered for just a moment longer than necessary. Then he stepped back.

I looked at Kaelen, and I saw the ghost of a smile on his face.

After everyone was steady on their horses, we rode out of the cave, and the forest swallowed us again.

The morning light filtered through the trees, pale and thin. I rode in silence, but my body still heavy with exhaustion, and my mind was still stuck in the nightmare. I could not shake the image of my mother’s face, with her hands reaching through the bars.

I could still hear her voice, weak and desperate, calling my name over and over. It echoed in my mind, and I could not make it stop. I wanted to scream, to cry, and to do something to drown out the sound, but I could not. So I just rode in silence.

Kaelen rode beside me. He did not speak, but I could feel his eyes on me, checking on me without words.

I glanced at him, and I saw the worry in his eyes. He was trying to be strong for me, but I knew him too well. He was scared too, but he just did not want me to see it.

His presence was steady and warm, and I leaned into it.

Piper tried to lighten the mood. "At least the sun is out," she said. "That is something, right?"

I did not answer, because I could not find the words.

Jax shook his head. "Piper, I do not think she is in the mood for small talk."

Piper looked at me, and her face softened. "I am sorry, Talia. I just wanted to..."

"I know," I said. "Thank you."

Jax cleared his throat. "So, what do you think is ahead? More caves? More rivers? Or maybe a nice inn with warm beds and hot food?"

Piper laughed softly. "A nice inn, Jax? We are in the middle of nowhere."

Jax shrugged. "A wolf can dream, Piper. A wolf can dream."

Silas shook his head. "Jax, we are in unclaimed territory. There are no inns."

Jax sighed. "A wolf can dream, Silas. A wolf can dream."

I almost smiled. just almost through.

"I know you are all trying to keep my spirits up," I said, with my voice still heavy but softer now. "And I want you to know that I see it, and I appreciate it more than I can say. But right now, I do not need jokes or distractions. I just need to keep moving forward, because every moment we spend talking, slows us down, and it is another moment my mother spends alone in that dark place, and I cannot bear the thought of her waiting any longer than she already has."

No one spoke or even coughed after that, and we all continued on, in a long stretched silence.

We rode for a while longer, and the forest was quiet, and the only sounds were the soft footfalls of the horses and the whisper of the wind.

Then Piper called out. "Talia! Kaelen! Look at this!"

She had stopped her horse, and was pointing at a tree. I looked at what she was pointing at, then I dismounted from the horse before anyone could say anything, and I walked closer. The tree was old and gnarled, with its bark rough and weathered, and carved into the trees, were symbols.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the markings. They were faded and worn, but I could still make out the shape of them. They were familiar, like something I had seen in a dream.

Suddenly, I felt a shiver down my spine, and my heart stopped.

I reached out and touched the bark.