03~A Part of her

May braced herself and held on to her dress to avoid it getting soiled as they finally made their way out of the tunnel.

The tunnel led to the forest, but just as they were about to pick up their running they halted.

Martin becomes alert. He directed May and Audrey to stand behind him, but before he could bring down Hercules from his back, a wolf came into view. They stared at it, trying to identify who it was, but the wolf went behind a tree to change, and stepped out, putting on shorts.

It was Alexandros. “What are you all doing in the forest by this time of the night?” Alex asked.

They were hesitant to reply to him but Martin finally gave him a reply. “We couldn’t help it. What are you doing in the woods all by yourself?” He asked. Alex shrugged simply then glanced from May to Audrey. His eyes linger on Audrey for a while before he looked back at Martin. “I came out to train. I always go for a run in my wolf's form at night. It helps with my vision, although I was not expecting company tonight. You still haven’t answered me.” Alex replied with a raised brow.

Martin carefully brought down Hercules from his back and gently laid him on the grass.

“The Alpha has been poisoned. We think Anna did it, but we need to get him to safety first before searching for a healer.” Martin explained.

“Get the Alpha to safety? Where else would be safer for him if not for the castle?” Alex asked, his gaze moving to Audrey.

“The castle is not safe for him. It’s not even safe for us. That’s why we are in the forest. We are seeking shelter.” Martin replied with a plea in his voice.

Audrey noticed the way Alex would occasionally look at her, but she shrugged it off. She had always thought him to be weird, so it wasn’t a problem. If anything, she prayed that he would help them.

Alex cleared his throat after listening to what Martin had to say. He was deep in thoughts but the pleas in the eyes of the trio told him that he doesn’t need to think too much about it.

“Okay fine. I will take you all to my place. You can hide out there for a while, at least until the Alpha has gotten the help he needs. No one would suspect a thing.” He finally agreed. The excitement from the trio could be felt easily, as they all looked more relaxed.

Martin walked up to him and shook him in a manly way. “Thank you so much, Alex. We really appreciate.” He said in gratitude.

“It’s nothing really, and besides, Anna once blackmailed me. To tell you the truth, it was not a nice experience. I finally got tired of her insistent demands but she doesn’t know that yet.” He explains. 

Audrey furrowed her brows but couldn’t keep the question to herself. “What does she have in you?” She asked.

Alex shrugged again, “Enough to make me her errand boy.” his tune became serious, “But not again. I’m done with that.” He said.

Audrey nodded. She knew he wouldn’t tell whatever it was, and she didn’t want to press further. He was the only one to have offered them help.

Alex offered to carry Hercules so that Martin could rest his back. 

They all walked to Alex's place, with him leading the way. After a few minutes of walking south of the forest, they finally arrived in a cabin. It looked big, but small enough to be hidden in the woods. Audrey wondered why Alex would live in the forest instead of the pack house like other unmated wolves.

He inserted a key into the keyhole and opened the door. The rest of the troop followed silently behind him. The door led them to an open living area with chairs and a center table. There was a mini kitchen in the far left if the Living room and an empty bed on the far right if the living room. Alex laid Hercules gently on the bed and opened the window just about the bed for ventilation.

They walked into a corridor and saw four other closed doors. Alex dusted his hands off and led them to the doors. He opened one gently and revealed a small room. “Audrey, you can stay here with May. Martin, you and I will have to share my room. This other door serves as the bathroom and toilet. I’m sorry, but we all have to share that.” He directed.

They all nodded. “Thank you so much Alex. I’m grateful ,i mean we all are.” May replied. Alex nodded in response. “But do you mind if I ask? Where does that door lead to?” May asked.

Something flashed in Alex's eyes, but he managed to hide it. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with that. You all should go rest now.” He replied.

They nodded and went into their various rooms. May got up and went to the living room where Hercules laid. She stood at a distance and looked at him for a moment before she felt a presence behind her. It was Audrey. “You do know you can go close to him, don’t you?” Audrey asked. Mia shook her head. “I still don’t believe that is my big brother there, I still can’t believe that Hercules is laying helpless on that bed. Audrey, how did- “ her voice broke.

Audrey came closer and embraced her as she cried. She ran her hands through Mia’s hair in a way to calm her down. “May, I know one thing and that’s the fact that Hercules is a fighter. He will definitely pull through.” Audrey coerced. It took some time, but eventually she calmed down. She excused herself and went into the room, leaving Audrey alone with Hercules.

Audrey walked up to the bed and sat on it. She was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say to him. And one would think otherwise, since she had a lot to say just a few hours ago.

She looked at him and smiled dryly to herself, then adjusted his blanket before retiring into her room.

====

The following morning, after settling in at Alex's cabin, Martin knew he had to find a way to stabilize Hercules’s condition. He had been pondering on it all night, but so far; he had been unable to find a solution. As he prepared to set out, May approached him. “I would like to come with you. I would like to do anything to save my brother.” She offered.

Martins shook his head. “No May. Please, just stay with Hercules till I return.” He replied softly.

“Audrey is with Hercules.” She protested.

“Please, just stay with them.” He pressed.

It surprised May and a little hurt at being turned down, and she wanted to protest, but before she could say anything, Martin blurted out his reason. “I wouldn’t bear it if you got hurt, And I need to focus on getting help for him.” the intensity with which he said it caused May to blush. She couldn’t think of a rebuttal and watched as Martin quickly left the cabin.

As she watched him go, May realized how much she cared about Martin and how much she respected his dedication to their Alpha. She also knew that he was right - she was not as experienced as him, and the dangers in the forest could be deadly. She resolved to do what she could to support Hercules from the cabin and to prove that she was a valuable member of the pack in her own way, and not just the Alpha’s sister.

May went back to the cabin, where Audrey was looking after Hercules. Audrey was dabbing Hercules’ forehead with a warm towel. “Martin just left, he says he’s looking for a cure for Hercules.” Mia stated, asking Audrey to look up. 

“That’s great because he’s beginning to have a fever.” She replied and went back to what she was doing m

“How can I help?” May asked. Audrey was grateful for the assistance and assigned May to gather some additional herbs and supplies they would need for the water. At least they can manage his fever.

As May set out on her task, she thought about Martin and the way he had looked at her when he turned her down. She smiled sheepishly to her self.

As Audrey and May tended to Hercules, dabbing his body with cool water to keep his fever at bay, Alex entered the cabin with a deer he had hunted. He quickly got to work preparing it for breakfast, his sharp knife slicing through the meat with ease.

“Looks like we’re having venison for breakfast,” Alex said with a grin, looking up at Audrey and May.

Audrey nodded. “That’s great news. Thank you for being so thoughtful we forgot about breakfast.”

May added, “Especially since Hercules needs all the strength he can get to recover from his illness.”

Alex finished cutting the meat and placed it on a large rock over the fireplace. The smell of roasting meat filled the air, making everyone stomach’s growl in anticipation.

As they waited for the deer to cook, May looked list in thoughts which Audrey notices so she expressed her confidence in Martin, saying, “He’s one of the best hunters and trackers in the pack. He’ll find what he’s looking for.”

May agreed. “And we’ll be ready to assist him when he returns.”

As they talked, the smell of the venison filled the air, reminding them all the need for sustenance.

Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes. Everyone tensed. Audrey wondered if Anna and her cohorts had managed to find them. She looked up at Alex, who motioned for them to keep quiet while he picked up the knife from the table and slowly walked to the door.

May was trembling. She shut her eyes just as her brother had advised her to do anything. She’s in danger. Even if she was no longer twelve anymore, it had become a part of her.