Caitlyn's POV
With Zed escorting us, Kaisa and I reached the edge of the forest with little hindrance.
After all, Naafiri's downfall was still fresh in their minds, and no one would dare risk that to offend such a fearsome foe.
"Now, will you tell me why you're in this boring match?" Zed asked lazily as he walked beside me.
"What the hell are you up to, and why are you always prying into things concerning me?" I frowned and couldn't help but blank Zed.
"I'm just a little curious, and it's nothing." Zed didn't take offense and, with a gentle smile, walked ahead.
After a period of recuperation, Kaisa had improved a lot, and she could walk slowly herself, only needing to rest again after walking for a while.
"I always feel that this Zed isn't that simple; you better be careful," Kaisa said as she leaned against a tree trunk and looked at Zed, who was scouting a short distance away.
"What is that Fullmoon pack you're talking about? It seems like he doesn't even care about the king." Suddenly, I thought of what Kaisa said just now, and the hint of disdain that Zed exuded when he spoke of the king at that time was still fresh in my mind.
"I don't really know much about it, but..." Hearing me ask this question, Kaisa also froze for a moment before revealing a hint of contemplation, pausing slightly before continuing. "The pack that Zed is in should be an ancient race; their bloodline is inherently purer than the other werewolves, and their strength is naturally very powerful."
"Ancient race?" I asked suspiciously.
"Right, that's why they pay extra attention to their bloodline. Except that their pack is spread out in the towering bitter cold land, and they don't seem to be that obsessed with power, so the number of people in the pack has never been too large. Otherwise, with their strength, it wouldn't be out of the question to shake the rule of the Lycan King."
Kaisa whispered, looking up at Zed, who sat not far away, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes.
"Then why would someone like that come to a match like this?" I responded without a smile, scoffing a bit at the his pack's rule that only recognized bloodlines.
"I've heard that because their pack is rather thinly staffed, there seems to be a rule circulating in their pack that they regularly send out their young and strong clansmen in search of equally strong mates to replenish their fresh blood. I'm afraid..."
Kaisa was about to speak further when she suddenly realized that Zed had turned his head in our direction, prompting her to subconsciously close her mouth.
"Zed is the one who came out to find a mate?"
I was momentarily flabbergasted because in our brief contact, I realized that he seemed extraordinarily kind to me, a warmth I had never felt in other people's bodies, almost described as pampering.
"Well, I've just surveyed the area. We should be able to walk out in less than half a day. You can now think about the wish you made to the king."
Zed had a kind smile on his face and looked at me with tenderness in his eyes.
"Okay," I nodded with a weird feeling before assisting Kaisa towards the exit.
As we got farther away from the forest, the little white fox slowly let down its guard and climbed onto my shoulder, curiously looking around.
This was also noticed by the other hunters returning around us. They looked at the little white fox greedily, and a few of them were already a little excited. However, when they realized that Zed was behind us, they slowly gave up the idea of robbery.
"Here it is," Zed spoke softly.
I jerked my head up just in time to see the outline of the royal palace slowly appearing above the horizon. What made me even more delighted was that not far away stood hordes of werewolf warriors.
In front of them, a makeshift raised platform was erected, and at the moment, Talon and the king were sitting on the high ground.
"Caitlyn!"
Talon was the first to spot me and impatiently leaped off the high platform, running straight towards me.
For a moment, my heart raced as I ran uncontrollably to meet Talon's embrace.
"Welcome back, Caitlyn."
Feeling Talon's solid chest again, the worry and fear I had endured along the way didn't fully dissipate until this moment.
As I smelled the familiar scent of Talon, a warm surge of relief welled up in my heart. Rolling tears trickled down my face and onto Talon's neck.
"I heard you guys went through a siege, and I thought... Kaisa, what the hell! How are you doing?"
Talon wrapped me tightly in his arms, gently stroking my hair. When he noticed the pale Kaisa, his body tensed, and he broke away from my embrace, rushing towards Kaisa.
I could understand Talon's nervousness; after all, such incidents occurred even at heavily guarded hunting sites. Although Kaisa's injuries looked more severe than mine, I couldn't bear the coldness of the moment and froze as I watched Talon's actions.
"I... I'm fine, thanks to Caitlyn, I survived. Oh yeah, and Zed."
Kaisa didn't expect Talon's reaction, freezing for a moment before her face turned red. She introduced Zed somewhat shyly.
Hearing Kaisa's words, Talon followed her eyes and looked at Zed, who met his gaze. Time seemed to stand still.
Talon narrowed his eyes, his aura rising as he scrutinized Zed warily. Zed put away his smile, realizing that the man in front of him was a bit uncompromising.
I stood behind them, vaguely hearing a few intimidating wolf howls, but they were brief.
Talon and Zed faced each other, nodding with feigned politeness.
"Where are they? The King's group is around and will soon surround this place."
Talon quickly shook himself and looked around warily.
"No need for that; I've taken care of that bunch of bedbugs. You might as well take your mate and get to the clinic early. I'll ensure Ms. Caitlyn gets back safely."
Zed, with his trademark smile, made a gentle inviting gesture, slowly approaching me.
"Who the hell are you?"
Talon lowered his voice, eyeing Zed with hostility as the wolf inside him let out an intimidating bark.
"You're not qualified to know my name."
Zed gave a contemptuous smile and prepared to lead me out.
"What a surprise to see someone from the Fullmoon pack here!"
At that moment, a loud and cheerful laugh echoed. Everyone turned to see the King's figure slowly appearing in front of us.
And I wondered why Talon didn't retort that Kaisa wasn't his Mate in the first place.