55. Hurt

Marley caressed the forehead of her mate's wolf, making him let out a content purr. Her back was rested against a tree, and Werewolf was lying with his head on her lap and eyes closed. They were in the same meadow where Eden had first changed into his wolf for her, and also where they had first kissed.

These days the couple hardly spent time together. The current situation demanded their attention and energy in more pressing matters. So copping few moments in only each other's company felt rewarding to both of them.

"Shouldn't you be more active instead of lying here like this?" Marley said, tickling Eden's snout. "Maybe, I should throw you a stick or something." She grinned as the wolf side-eyed her.

Eden closed back his eyes, getting more comfortable in his mate's lap and ignoring her playful attempts to provoke him by tickling his ears.

"Lazy dog." Marley slumped defeated before going back to stroking his head.

*Beep! Beep!*

Eden internally groaned at the despicable sound coming from the watch on Marley's wrist, telling them their time together was over. He didn't want to leave his mate so early to go for the run. *Didn't they just get here?!*

"Didn't we just get here?" Marley repeated his thought with the same groan. She looked at the wolf's downcast face, and gave his head another pat. "C'mon, let's go."

Eden very slowly and reluctantly complied and got off her. Marley too stood up and turned around so he could shift and put on trousers, making the wolf roll his eyes. After all the things she had done with him, this prudish behaviour seemed very unnecessary, especially now when Eden knew the girl was quite a temptress in the bed.

After shifting back and putting on the shorts, he walked up to her and playfully rubbed her head from behind, messing her hair with his fingers.

"Eden!" Marley cried, twirling back. She swatted his hands away but they kept coming back, continuing their mischief. "Eden!"

"What were you saying? Throw me a stick." Werewolf taunted, throwing back her words and laughing as she made futile attempts to get rid of his hold.

"You jerk." Marley couldn't hold back her own chuckle as Eden kept ruining her hair.

Soon, his fingers' rapid movements calm down to gentle caresses, and his hands slipped down to cup her cheeks. Marley grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down, connecting their lips. The werewolf responded with the same eagerness, and not even a second later the human found herself pushed against the tree and his body all over her. The memory of their first kiss in the same position made it even more savoring.

"I don't want to leave," she said as Eden broke away the kiss, moving down to target her neck.

"Neither do I," Eden murmured between the kisses. Marley moaned, her fingers sensually tugging at his locks, encouraging him to continue.

But a few minutes later they stopped, reminding themselves of the responsibilities that waited outside their little bubble. They headed out of the woods hand in hand. Eden kissed his mate on cheek before jogging to the other side of the territory. Marley went back to the pack house, greeting several pack members on her way who were heading for their weekly run.

As she reached upstairs she saw Jared standing just outside her room. He looked impatient and in a hurry.

"Hey," Jared said, meeting Marley's confused face which made him come straight to the point. "I needed to talk to you. Alone."

"Okay." She nodded. "Let's go inside."

"No." He immediately refused. "Believe me, you don't want your mate to find my scent in your room. It's going to be catastrophic. In fact, standing here is risky. I just hope my scent dims before he returns."

Marley sighed understandingly. Eden still had to let go of his hostility toward lycans, and finding one in her room wasn't exactly going to make him any less agitated about them.

"Marley, I never really got the chance to thank you for saving me that night," Jared said sincerely. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you, I would miss out on lot of things that I have now."

Marley smiled, knowing he was talking about Thea. "I wasn't exactly a hero. When I was watching that knight strangling you, I actually thought of not doing anything and running away."

"But you still did a lot and saved my life. And I'll always be grateful for that." The lycan looked at her with admiration before his face fell into a frown. "That's why, I'm telling you to tell Eden."

Marley knitted her brows. "Tell him what?"

"You know exactly what," he replied, giving her a stern look. "Tell him everything about your eerily similar appearance with Dimitri's dead mate."

"It's not that easy."

"No, it's not. But it's still wrong. From little what I gathered after seeing you risking your life to save me, I'm pretty sure you're going to do a lot more for your pack and mate. And Eden should know about it. The last person he should be betrayed by is you."

Marley glared at the lycan. His last statement felt like a bitter stung. "I'm not betraying him. I'm choosing not to tell him because we both know he'll try to stop me, and most probably succeed. He thinks of me as someone who needs to be protected... and maybe I do need to be protected, but not at the cost of others."

"Marley, he's Alpha and your mate. You should have better faith in his judgement, at least more than you have on Iosif's." Jared gave out an exasperated sigh before turning to leave.

"Jared," Marley called out, stopping him. His eyes softened looking at her desperate face. "You're not going to tell him. Are you?" She asked timidly.

His conflicted look didn't give any clear answer. The lycan didn't want to become an accomplice in this lie, but then again what guarantee was there that telling the truth wouldn't harm their cause.

"Don't tell him." Marley requested. "Please."

"Okay, I won't."

*******

Hunter raised his eyebrows at the brown-haired mouthy human. He then turned to the knight standing beside him. "Is he allowed to join us?" Oakheart's Beta asked.

"Of course, I'm allowed," Theo answered at once. "She's in the freaking prison. What do you think she's going to do?!"

Hunter looked at Iosif who silently nodded. "Okay, just confirming."

The trio set off for the prison where Sounia was being held. Oliver and Eden had questioned her themselves, but all they got were sadistic chuckles and frivolous replies. Hunter, along with Iosif and Theo, was going to try his luck.

Marshville's jailhouse very much represented that of Oakheart. Similar dingy hallways and dim bulbs guided their way. Hunter still hoped that the Alphas would at least consider renovating these ugly buildings. Werewolves hardly captured or caged someone but whenever they did, coming here was such a downer.

When they reached outside the cells, the men standing guard threw a confused look at Theo, who responded with his own glare. "Is he allowed?" One of them asked Hunter, looking at the human.

"For fuck's sake." Theo groaned out. *This was the third time!* First Iosif, then Hunter, and now this jacked-up werewolf.

"Yes." Hunter signalled the guards to open the doors. As they were about to enter, he turned to Theo and gave him a hard look. "You'll stay quiet and stand in a corner. No blabbering, and definitely no cussing at her. Break one rule and I'll throw you out."

"Are these rules only for me?! What about him?" Theo pointed at Iosif.

"For now you're the emotional one." Iosif spoke up. "And rightfully so. But your vulnerability is the last thing to show the enemy."

Theo glared at the two supernaturals but nodded nevertheless. He really wanted to see that wretched knight himself to fantasize about strangling her to death, or probably burning her alive. Like they did with his people. His obsession to kill them was increasing day by day.

"Also you'll just disturb us," Hunter added, earning another round of dagger eyes from the human.

They stepped inside and found the blonde lazily sitting on the concrete floor of the middle cell, her head rested against the wall and eyes closed.

"You look comfortable," Hunter said. Sounia looked at him. Her eyes wandered at the other two, pausing slightly longer on Theo, who was looking at her with intense hatred as much possible.

She shrugged, turning back to Hunter.

"Why are you with Dimitri?" Oakheart's beta asked. "You can think for yourself, unlike the ones he turned. Why the hell are you working for him?"

"He's family," Sounia answered simply, "and it's not in me to betray my friends and family." She glared at Iosif, who kept mum.

"I expected more from you-"

"So if your family burn hundreds of people, kill them or turn them into his mute army, you'll still be with him!" Theo burst out, forgetting all about Hunter's rules. "You knights believe that you all are some superior hive mind who own the rights to rule us all. But you're the lowest of the filth, only causing death and pain. Pest rats!" He glowered at their prisoner, who looked taken aback by him. "You're nothing but a bitch to go along with his fucking disgusting acts in the name of being family."

Hunter breathed out heavily. "You're out." He grabbed Theo's collar and dragged him out.

As the werewolf hauled out the human, Iosif caught a foreign emotion on Sounia's face. *Hurt.*

*******