Finally, in my arms
Kael
Her scent gets closer and closer. I can taste it. My legs barely touched the ground because Wind didn't slow down, not caring about anything. Since he smelled Brid, the intensity has not diminished. She is near.
He glanced at Matthew on the left side, and Christopher on the right. They no longer lead the way. Now we do. Wind will be the first to get to where she is. It won't be long. Brid is within my grasp. That made Wind give it his all. His willingness to get to where our mate was, was overwhelming. He understood at the end that Brid was not guilty of losing Leaf, and that she needed us more than ever.
We approached a rock that had her essence. She must have sat down to rest. We passed that place without wasting time, while the branches of the bushes were hitting Wind’s face. That didn't bother him. It was not long before we reached the mountain. Just a little more. We crossed that part of the path at speed until we got to the top. I took a closer look at the site and sniffed for Brid and the other familiar smells until my gaze stopped at three silhouettes. One of them was Brid. My heart started to bite faster. She had her back to me and the man and the little girl were crouching down picking mushrooms.
I don't know who they are, but I won't take chances. I told Matthew and Christopher to approach from the sides, while I was going through the centre. Wind gave way to me. I walked slowly until I was a few steps from where Brid was. The immense weight on my shoulders lifted the moment I saw her standing. She was alive and fine.
No one had detected our presence, making me think that they were all easy prey. The danger my mate had been in all this time distressed me. There is no doubt that I did not fulfill my obligations. But finally, a few inches from her, I whispered in her ear, “Mate.”
Brid stood still, petrified, in the same place. Then I managed to hear, “Kael,” like a sigh that couldn't get out of her chest.
“Get away from her.”
The man who was gathering the mushrooms stood up, and in his hand, he had a stick. Brid turned to look everywhere, she seemed misplaced. The man was protecting the little girl who hid behind him, with my wolves surrounding them.
The man watched them in terror. His eyes were visibly alert to danger. Then he held the rod high, trying to scare us.
“Look out, Brid, wolves.” He warned my mate. That made her react at least. She turned, looking in all directions. Like she was looking for something.
“Han, where are you? Is Mary with you?” She knew it was me, but she still was distressed.
Brid stretched her arms in front of her. I had no idea what she was doing. I put my hand on her shoulder and repeated her name, “Brid.” She went still again. But I saw how slowly, and hesitating, as if it was taking a lot of work for her to move, she put her hand on mine. Her touch was what I wanted all these weeks I was without her. My mate lightly squeezed me, and she suddenly removed her hand from mine, as if my skin had burned hers'.
“Han, Han.”
The man slowly approached us. He has the little girl protecting her behind his back, without taking his eyes from me.
He managed to get past my wolves, which just growled at him. But for nothing in the world are they allowed to harm humans. Han, as Brid called him, was taking small steps toward her. He kept his eyes on me, looking me up and down. I was naked.
When he was finally inches from my mate, he said aloud, “Brid, come on.”
He took her by the hand and pulled her behind him, along with the girl. Seeing her move away from us, Wind growled, making the surrounding birds fly. That man was taking our mate away from us. We will not allow it.
Brid puts both of her hands on Han's shoulder, and the little girl held on to my mate's pants.
“Mate,” I said again, but now out loud. However, Brid stayed behind the man, making me grit my teeth and harden my gaze.
“Mate,” I called her again, but this time with my Alpha tone. Yet, Brid was still behind the man. At that moment, I remembered that Leaf was no longer with her. My Alpha authority ended there. I couldn't force her because she was human now. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what to do. The only thing that came to mind, would take away more points from me in my mate’s eyes. However, there was no way out. She will have to forgive me later.
“Matthew, Christopher. Take the human and the girl.”
“NOOO,” her reaction was immediate.
“Don't hurt them,” Brid yelled, her words intertwined with despair. It hurt to see her suffering; however, this would be for her safety, and it will save her life too. The little girl clung closer to Brid and the human.
“No, don’t come close,” the man fanned the stick. Although it was useless, I admired his bravery. Matthew was the first to make his move. He grabbed the stick and tossed it aside. The man lunged towards him; however, a werewolf is incomparable to that of a human. Matthew subdued him instantly, bringing him to the ground. The man tried to throw kicks and punches. However, Matthew managed to turn him, face down, and pinned both arms behind his back.
Brid would not stop screaming, and the little girl was crying inconsolably. It broke my heart to see them like this.
“Stay down,” Matthew ordered, and finally, after a few seconds of fighting, he saw how useless this was. Christopher went to the girl, who was tightly attached to Brid. He grabbed her, and carefully peeled her off Brid's clothes. But Brid didn't let her go either, making his task harder. Finally, Christopher took her in his arms and walked towards me.
“Mary, Mary,” Brid screamed hysterically. Wind lets out a whimper, but did not intervene. Like me, he knew what was at stake. The life of my mate was the only thing that mattered to us.
“You two are going to do what I tell you. Nothing will happen to any of you if you cooperate.” I looked at Brid, and her face was completely wet with tears. I swallowed hard, which was difficult to pass, nonetheless, I continued, “All of you will come with me without causing a problem. I give you my word that if you obey in everything, nothing will happen to the little girl.” With my head, I motioned for Matthew to let go of Han. He did so by slowly getting up and taking a few steps back, not letting his guard down. The man got up shortly after, also slowly. He never took his eyes off the little girl who was in Christopher's arms.
Finally, I turned to Brid, extending my arm, “Come to me, mate.”
