Author’s POV
As Lily ran away as fast as she could into the nearest forest, she had no idea that Tobias was following after her. Steadily, he raced as fast as his legs could take him. He could easily sniff out Lily, but he could not yet figure out why he was able to do that. He rushed as quickly as his legs could carry him. He was not going to take his job as a joke because he didn't want anything to happen to Lily. If anything should go wrong for him, all his generations would suffer because he had made a vow to protect Lily from every harm.
As he got closer and closer to the forest, he became even more worried because he knew how dangerous this particular forest she entered was.
“Lily!” he yelled in anticipation, hoping she would answer, but no sound came from her. He continued to call out her name repeatedly, but yet she did not reply, making him even more anxious as he quickened his pace. He soon entered the forest and realized he didn't know where else to go. The forest had one disadvantage: the minute you enter, you won't be able to sniff out another wolf. That was why it was very easy for rogues to hide in this forest. Otherwise, they would not be able to smell them, allowing them to do whatever sneaky or bad things they wanted to do.
It made him so worried as he ran his hand through his hair in concern, looking left and right, hoping that he would have at least an idea or even a little sniff of Lily. But he got nothing. He continued to walk slowly down the path he had come from. Maybe he would be able to find her. If she was running in distress, then she wouldn't have gone far. She would be somewhere around.
Just then, his phone began to ring, and he picked it up since it was the Alpha.
“Yes, Alpha?” he said, as the Alpha yelled, “Where did Lily go? Where could she have gone? Find her! She's not in the palace!”
“And where did you go?” the Alpha said.
“I went to find her. She ran away—not just anywhere in the palace, but into the forest.”
“Which forest?”
“The Dirking Forest,” Tobias said to the Alpha as he gasped.
“Oh my God. I don't know what to do with Lily anymore. It's as if Lily does not even listen. What is taking her there? Does she know how dangerous that place is? Please, Tobias. Her life is in your hands. Please help me and make sure to find her. It is more than important that she comes back home alive. I don't think I will be able to breathe well if I don't see my sister again,” he said to Tobias, who knew that even though the Alpha could not sing.
“Do not worry. I won't come back until I have her with me,” he replied before the Alpha ended the call.
Now he was even more determined. He had to find her. He had just made another promise yet again with the Alpha, and he had to keep it, for his life was at stake. If he didn't go back with Lily, he was as good as dead. He continued to navigate through the forest in hopes that he would find her. But yet he had no clue where she had entered or where she had gone. So he had to stop for a while and meditate, looking around.
“Where could she have possibly entered?” he muttered to himself. Just then, he heard a loud scream coming from his left. Without even waiting for a second, he followed that voice as fast as he could. He never thought he could race this fast, but he did it because of how much fear he had, thinking that anything could happen to Lily.
As he got closer to where the scream was coming from, he heard it multiple times along with other people murmuring. He soon arrived at the scene. But when he knew he had already reached the location, he slowed down his pace and instead slowly walked towards them, intending to deal with each and every one of them. He hid behind a nearby tree and watched them gather around Lily. Some of them had tied her up while others poured beer on her.
“Why? How can you, a young and virgin wolf, enter into this forest? Do you know what we do with girls like you? We sleep with them and then kill them to be served as food for the forest!” they said to her as she began to shake.
But it made Tobias even angrier as he clenched his fists, watching them threaten her. He counted them: just four of them. It made him laugh. A warrior like him could easily handle four people. They were not the class of rogues who had enough strength to stand against him. He wasted no time; he raced toward them, and the first thing he did was punch one of them in the gut.
As they all tried to run away, he ensured he caught each one of them, making sure that none of them would see the break of dawn. He killed each and every one of them, dragging them to the bushes and spitting on them just as they had done to Lily.
“You two will be food for the forest,” he muttered.
He turned back to Lily, who was now quiet because she knew that Tobias had come for her. Tobias slowly unfolded the cloth covering her eyes.
“Why did you have to run away? I told you to stay where I can find you so I can watch you. You are walking into dangerous quarters, and I don’t know how else to deal with you. You are becoming too stubborn,” Tobias said to her.
She looked at him with teary eyes as her cheeks were stained with tears. She quickly hugged him tightly without saying a word—so tight that he could hardly breathe. He hugged her back, unable to stop himself, using that as an excuse to appreciate her.
She slowly let go of him and stared directly into his eyes. He tried to look away, but she held his chin.
“I don't know what I would do without you. I knew you would come for me. That was why I continued to shout. Even if I could not shout, I would find a way. Because I know you will never leave my side. I don't know how else to thank you,” she said to Tobias as he felt his wolf threatening to make things worse. He tried to push his wolf away, but it wanted Lily more than anything, which frustrated him.
“Please do not ever do something like this. Do you know that if I could not go back home with you, I am as good as dead? All my generations of family are as good as dead because they swore their lives to take care of you and your brother. Please don't ever do something as reckless as this again,” he pleaded with her as she smiled and hugged him again.
She let him go quicker than before. Just as he assisted her to stand up, he noticed that her body was dirty. He held her hand and looked around until he spotted a stream not too far away.
“Why don't you wash away all their dirty touch from your body? It won't be good if your brother finds out,” he said to her as she nodded, and they both walked towards the stream.
They soon arrived at the stream, and he surveyed the surroundings to ensure that no one would threaten her. After confirming that nobody would come to harm her and that the water was clean, he stepped back.
“Have your shower quickly so we can leave this place. This forest is still dangerous,” he said to her. She nodded without saying a word, but even Tobias could feel her vibes. It felt like she wanted more than what he was giving. Tobias was holding it in—his fists were so tight that he was already using his nails to dig into his palms.
That was how much he was holding back. Lily's scent and the way she aroused him made it hard for him to maintain his distance. He stepped back, standing there for a while without hearing a sound. He had no choice but to turn around, only to see that Lily was not there.
He quickly rushed to the stream, yelling out, “Lily!” But he did not hear anything, only to see a bubble come up from the far end of the stream. He wasted no time as he jumped into the water and swam quickly toward the spot, trying to find Lily, who popped her head out with a loud laugh.
She slowly swam toward him as he looked at her, annoyed. “Don't ever do something like that!” he scolded. He was about to swim away, but she stopped him halfway and kissed him passionately, holding both his cheeks.
She kissed him in such a way that Tobias was unable to control himself. He slowly used his hand to trace her waist as he pulled her close to him, not caring that she was naked. The kiss was so passionate and intense that neither of them wanted to let go. Even though Tobias knew that this was a huge mistake, he was making.