Dark clouds fill the night sky, and it begins to rain heavily on us.
I look down the slope of rocks and frown, ‘Be careful when you climb down, Micah. It’s slippery,’ I caution him.
‘I’ll be fine,’ he smiles. ‘Can you see anywhere we can take cover?’ he asks.
I look around, but the moonlight is shrouded by the dark clouds blocking any light. As a result, it’s pitch black all around me.
‘I can’t see anything, no wolf remember?’
‘Oh, yeah. Sorry, I sometimes forget you can’t see like the rest of us in the darkness.’
Micah takes my hand, leading me to the ledge. He slides down onto the first boulder and reaches out to lift me down. Once we reach the third boulder, he sets me down. A loud crack of thunder strikes nearby. I scream, slip and fall.
‘Lylah!’ Micah yells and reaches out to grab my arm, but it’s too late. I fall into darkness, slamming into boulders on my way down. When I’m finally still, I feel my entire body ache, stinging with pain.
I groan in agony. A warm liquid trickles down my face, and there is a metallic taste in my mouth.
‘Lylah, oh Goddess, Lylah!’ Micah says, falling to his knees beside me.
The rain becomes more ferocious. Each drop feels like a prick of a needle. Micah hovers over me to help protect me from the weather. I groan in pain again as he carefully lifts me and holds me against his chest. He then runs towards an alcove in the trunk of a gigantic tree.
It only provides some protection, but it’s the only form of shelter that is nearby. Micah faces me. His back is taking the brunt of the weather, shielding me from the rain and strong wind.
‘Lylah, is anything broken?’ he asks as he scans my body for injuries.
The wind is howling ferociously. I can barely hear what Micah is saying. It’s times like this I’m annoyed that I don’t have a wolf. I’d be able to hear what he is saying. My head is pounding, and although I can’t see anything, everything is becoming darker. I black out, falling limp against Micah.
As I wake, I feel something slimy tracing along my forehead. My hands instinctively try to push whatever it is away. I feel fur between my fingers and heavy breathing as drops of slime dribble down my face. Finally, my eyes open to see Micah in his wolf form licking my face with his huge slobbery tongue. The storm has passed, and the sun is shining on us.
‘Argh! Gross Micah, stop!’ I say, shoving him away. He whimpers and sits like a good obedient dog. I look down to find I’m only wearing a bra and undies. I blush and quickly cross my arms to cover myself. ‘Micah! Where are my clothes, and why am I covered in drool?’ I growl.
He whimpers again and shifts into his human form. I glare at Micah for the first time in history.
‘Lylah, don’t look at me like that,’ he sulks. ‘I’m sorry, but I had to remove your clothes to help mend all your wounds,’ he says.
In saying that, I realise I’m nowhere near as much in pain as I was during the storm. My eyes scan my arms and legs, and then I feel my head to find most of the wounds have healed or at least half healed. I give Micah a confused look.
‘Werewolf saliva is meant to help heal wounds,’ he shrugs. ‘Now, let me shift back into my wolf and finish licking those wounds for you,’ he says as he is about to shift.
‘No!’ I shout, ‘I mean, no, thank you. I think I’m at my limit of your saliva for the day,’ I say, flicking a handful of it from my face onto the ground.
Micah grins, shuffles over to me, pulls me onto his lap, saliva and all and begins to stroke his fingers through my hair.
‘You had me so worried. As soon as you blacked out, you wouldn’t wake up no matter what I tried. So, I stayed awake all night until the storm passed. Which, of course, was right before the sun started to rise.’
My body stiffens, ‘We’ve been out all night! My parents will be so worried!’ I panic.
‘I would have mind-linked them, but I couldn't because I’m not part of this pack.’
‘It’s okay. My parents will understand. The main thing is we are both okay,’ I smile.
Micah cups my face, placing the most delicate sweet kiss on my lips.
‘Lylah,’ he says.
‘Micah,’ I reply.
We share a moment of silence, holding each other.
‘I better get you back home to your parents,’ Micah says.
‘You’re right. We better get going now.’
Micah helps me to stand, but my knees buckle with pain. He catches me before I fall.
‘If you let me finish licking the rest of those wounds, you’d be able to walk by yourself,’ he says.
I roll my eyes, ‘And what, drown in dog slobber?’ I huff. ’I think not!’ I smirk.
Micah gives me a look of shock and horror, ‘Dog slobber? I’m not a domesticated dog. I’m a werewolf,’ he says, puffing his chest out. We both burst into laughter, and Micah begins to carry me home.
Halfway home in the middle of the woods, a search party finds us.
‘Lylah!’ Amara shouts, racing towards me. I can see her parents, Sally and Nathan, following behind her. ‘Are you okay? What happened? Your parents are beside themselves with worry. They half the whole pack searching everywhere for you,’ she says.
‘I’ll mind-link them and let them know we have found you,’ Nathan says.
Micah nods.
‘I slipped and fell off a small cliff during the storm. So, we had to stay put until the storm passed,’ I explain.
‘That storm was pretty crazy. I couldn’t sleep, so Billy stayed with me by the fire, and we drank hot chocolate all night. Until your frantic parents made everyone start searching for you,’ she laughs.
‘Sorry,’ I say, feeling bad I interrupted her night with Billy.
‘It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe,’ Amara smiles and leans in to hug me.
Theo and Billy come running towards us.
‘Lylah, you’re okay?’ Theo says, relieved to see me.
‘Yeah, I’m okay. I slipped, fell, and we were stuck in the storm.’
‘Let’s get you home then,’ he says.
We are almost home, and Amara begins to twirl around in circles, humming to herself. She suddenly slips and yelps in pain.
‘Amara!’ Billy says and drops to his knees in front of her. Sally and Nathan also run to her aid.
‘My ankle,’ she says.
Billy holds her foot up to see her swollen ankle and frowns, ‘I think it’s sprained, but since you’re a werewolf, it should be fully healed by tonight,’ he says and lifts Amara to carry her home.
‘Oh, thank you, Billy,’ she grins, all giddy and happily wraps her arms around Billy’s neck.
Everyone around tries not to smirk. The chemistry between Amara and Billy is just as obvious as the chemistry between Micah and me.
As we arrive home, my father barges out the front door, sending it flying across the nearby garden bed. My mother steps out behind him with her hands on her hips, looking at the heavy door in her garden. But when she sees me, the door is no longer a problem. They run towards me, and my Dad takes me from Micah’s arms and hugs me very tight.
‘My baby girl! We were so worried!’ he says, squeezing me.
‘Dad, I can’t breathe, and I’m not a baby,’ I say,
‘Even when you are forty, you will still be my baby girl,’ he says, lessening his grip. ‘What happened? Were you hurt? Is that why your clothes are covered in blood? And why are you so slimy?’ my dad asks.
Micah scratches the back of his head nervously. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to help me answer these questions. I don’t blame him, though. My Dad is a Lycan, after all.