It's already nightfall by the time the buzzing bees finally stop yapping and I'm released from my involuntary confinement. The moon is shining brightly in the dense sky, asserting itself even amidst the heavy clouds, but the stars don't follow suit and are cowering behind the mist. Lina reminds me of the moon, I realise—until it occurs to me just how long I've been standing here, obsessing over the sky like a love-sick puppy.
I march over to the cabin where Lina is and throw open the door—except all I get is the handle in my hand. It's locked. Great. I bang on the windows, trying to peer through any crevice in the curtains to see Lina as my anxiety shoots up. As hurting as it was, her locking herself in voluntarily was alright, and the alternative was something I didn't want to think about.
My palms grow sweaty, and I rub them on my pant sleeve as I step back and assess which point of entry I could use. Kicking the door down was an option, but Lina would be startled. The windows have metal railings, so that's out too—it's not that I can't bend them, but my superhuman strength is already an issue to begin with. I glance up at the roof. Bingo.
Crouching down, I prepare to jump up onto the roof and use the door to the attic to enter the cabin—my jump has to be as light as possible so I won't land with a bang and startle my precious Lina again—except when I flex my legs to gain control, I see a dark figure rushing past the side of the cabin.
It's too dark to make the figure out, so I run behind it blindly and catch up almost instantly. The second I reach out my hand to pull off the mask, I'm blinded by… mace? Who the hell has mace around here?
Cursing, I pause to rub at my burning eyes and face, letting the figure gain the upper hand at my expense and rush off into the woods. The same dreaded woods.
I take off after them as soon as I recover. Surely they wouldn't have gone too far? By the time I reach the edge of the woods, I hear quiet footsteps and realise the shadow has decided to hide in wait for me to leave.
This is getting boring as hell, and it's keeping me from Lina longer than I like.
So I focus my instincts and bring out my trump card—my wolf form, but only partially. That's enough for me to see the darkened woods as if the sun had just come down from the sky and placed itself directly ahead. My hearing sharpens to an uncomfortable level where I can hear even the sneeze of a councilman sitting on the other side of the village.
The figure I'm trying to catch is no match for those senses, and the instant they make the slightest move, I'm onto them and tackle them to the ground.
The moment I make contact with the figure and bring them down, I realise two shocking facts: first, it's not a him—it's clearly a her. The second fact is confirmed just as I pull off the mask and find Lina's bewildered face staring back at me.
Just as my shock wears off, I suppress the urge to laugh at her attempts to escape. I actually do let out a chuckle despite my best efforts and watch her lovely features, pulled into a tight, tense frown, morph into a glare.
I always did love her feisty side.
I pull myself away from her—regretfully so, because I'm concerned about my heavy weight on her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hisses.
"I can't let you leave, darling."
"Don't call me that. You have no right to stop me."
Yes, I do. Is what I want to say. Instead, I modulate my tone. "It's for your protection."
"I will not be locked up for your stupid excuses."
The stress of the day gets to me, and I decide that even if I have to strong-arm her into it, I'll be damned if she's anything less than protected.
"Believe me or not, I don't care. But I will keep you safe, so you're coming with me." I grab her arm and yank her to her feet, but she struggles just as hard. The commotion we're making starts to attract some attention, and I realise the need to get her out of here as fast as possible.
Even if she hates me for it.
Ignoring her protests, I bend down, grab her by the waist, and put her over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes before making the walk toward my office. As expected, she begins banging her fists into my back—which I ignore and keep on my path.
Sure, I did what I did for her protection.
But I'd be damned if I lied about it not feeling nice to carry her away like that.