25: She’s ours.
**Khan pov**
I stood on the cliff above the camp, hands crossed over my chest, eyes scanning the perimeter. The mountains were silent enough that I could hear the smallest shift of the wind. I didn’t trust silence at all, it meant something could sneak up on us any moment.
Our cub’s belly was still small, but that didn’t matter. I refused to take the risk - not with her, and definitely not with the unborn.
Enzo stood a few steps behind me, his hands tucked in his pockets, face calm, but I could sense the tension radiating off him in waves.
“They’re moving again,” Enzo muttered and I tensed even worse as he stepped closer to point at something towards the trail that led up from the village.
He didn’t need to say what I already knew - the villagers were out. We knew how they were, hunting and feasting on anything weaker than themselves. Worst of all, pregnant women made them greedy and blinded their ability to stop and think, and they knew there was one hiding in the mountains now.
They didn’t know about our cub, but the cat woman that carried the child had been there, so now, we had to up the defences even more.
“They’re not exactly human anymore, my love, they can smell weakness,” I muttered as I kept looking in the direction as I dropped my arms at my sides and pulled my hands into tight fists.
Enzo stepped closer, nudging my shoulder lightly. “Khan, love, focus. The beast and Aife are fine, we made sure of it. Right now, we need to focus on the camp.”
I let out a sharp breath, aware that my claws were flexing under my sleeves. Enzo was right - the beast and Aife were in the healer’s tent, he had taken samples of the venom and was working on finding solutions.
After a brief pause, I started walking along the cliff, Enzo hot on my heels. My eyes never left the clear trail that led up to our camp in the forest.
The anxiety hit me in endless waves, prickling at my skin, forcing cold sweat to break out on my palms and I didn’t try to hide it. I was shit scared and it showed.
“They’ll stick to the paths,” I muttered and pointed at the few trails we had to keep an eye on. “Most of them are old hunters who never wander off-track unless they’re desperate. I worry-” I cut myself off and swallowed hard.
My thoughts wanted to race ahead to the worst-case scenario, but I forced the thoughts to back off, refusing that anything like that could happen.
I closed my eyes and stood frozen, hands clenched tightly, breathing heavily. Enzo placed his hand on my shoulder and whispered, “you’re not thinking about letting your cub go, are you?”
The tone of his voice was almost teasing, but I knew him. Enzo could see through me, read me like an open book, so this was his attempt to remind me to keep my priorities in check.
“No, I’m not. She’s ours, Enzo. Ours. And you know that better than anyone. No one gets to touch her, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.” I growled.
Enzo chuckled softly, but the sound didn’t sound humorous at all. “I know, Khan, I know.” He whispered and squeezed my shoulder just a little tighter. “But we also have to let her breathe and live a little. She’s strong, my love, just like her mother.”
I shot him a look that could have burned steel, but he just smiled. “We’ll make sure she’s safe, that’s all we can do right now. The rest is up to her, but until she decides, we guard her. You can trust me on that, my savage.”
I nodded as the tension finally slowly left my shoulder. Enzo’s confidence always had that effect on me, even if I hated to admit it sometimes.
Soon, we started walking along the cliff again, scanning the treeline. When the silence became too much, I spoke up again. “Have you seen her lately?”
Enzo glanced at me. “You mean the cub?”
At first, I didn’t react to his question, my eyes stayed glued on the treeline. I really wanted to see her and check if she truly was okay with that beast around, although it couldn’t have been more than a few hours since the last time I saw her. “Yeah, I know she’s with the beast, but still..”
“She’s fine,” Enzo hummed softly. “She got the beast, my love. And yes, maybe he’s not the best company, but he’s the only one who can keep her truly safe while the healer works.”
I snorted out a bitter laugh. “The only one? The beast is terrifying, and I don’t mean appearance alone. He’s too strong and unpredictable,” I said and added in a whisper, “she trusts him, everyone can see it, but I can’t bring myself to trust him just yet.”
Enzo stopped and turned to me to press his hand against my chest. “You don’t have to trust him, especially after the attack. What matters is that you’re here, watching and protecting. You know the rules: no one touches our cub without your say-so.”
And again, Enzo was right. The beast couldn’t hurt Aife for as long as I was there to put my own life at line for her. And I would, in a heartbeat, I would guard her until the end of the world if that’s what it took.
We started moving back to the camp soon after. As we did, I glanced over my shoulder and noticed smoke, instantly knowing it was from the camp the villagers must have set up.
“They’re getting closer,” I told Enzo, still looking back.
Enzo’s hand found mine and intertwined our fingers. “We’ll double the patrol and cut them off before they get near to the camp.”
I finally looked back at Enzo and nodded sharply. The cub was our responsibility and if I had to reinforce the camp to the point no one could fart without my approval, I would do it.
As we stepped back into the camp, still holding hands, I gave myself a moment to glance toward the healer’s tent. Aife and the beast were there, hidden behind the flap, safe for now. My muscles relaxed a little after I realized there was no screaming or arguing coming from the tent.
She was fine, alive and aware of her surroundings. For now, that was all that really mattered to me.
Enzo nudged my side, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Don’t lose your focus, love.”
I nodded again and glanced at the treeline behind us. Every movement in the forest made me suspicious, but I justified that with nothing but protective instinct.
As Enzo dragged me towards our own tent, where he was planning to call a meeting with the patrol, I silently promised myself that no matter what happened, I wouldn’t rest until the danger was truly gone.
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