"Aami ..."
As they traveled a short distance forward, it was a voice filled with anxiety and panic that echoed through that forest—a voice all four of them recognized instantly.
"Alex..."
Aami whispered...
"Aami ..."
Jerin was in a state of questioning...
"It's me... Aami is my nickname. Amika Jagannath... that is Alex..."
As she spoke to Jerin, her voice was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief.
"Aami ... Where are u...??"
Again, Alex's call echoed...
"Alex..."
Aami called back to him loudly, as if in response. For a moment, his voice was not heard...
"Aami"
But in the very next moment, she heard his voice, now reflecting a sense of relief...
"I... I am here..."
Even as she reacted, she could feel someone running towards her through the mist. With that, Aami dragged her aching leg and hurried forward. The moment she reached him, Alex pulled her into a tight embrace. She hugged him back.
Alex was in no mental state to notice her appearance or condition; he was simply overwhelmed with the joy of having found her. He had been under that much tension during this time.
When he had woken up and didn't see Aami in the tent, he waited, thinking she must be somewhere nearby. But then, it occurred to him that if she had gone outside...
The thought of her encountering the hyenas known to inhabit this forest during unfortunate times haunted him. It was because of this fear that he had set out searching for her, calling her name; yet, her lack of response made his heart whisper a hundred times that she had met with some danger. It was only when he saw her right before his eyes that Alex finally felt a sense of peace.
"I was so scared, Aami ..."
As he spoke with deep sorrow and kissed her forehead, his heart was racing faster than ever before. In that moment, was he realizing what she truly meant to him? Was he beginning to realize that he had started loving her as more than just a friend?
But in truth, it wasn't quite like that. Alex had been interested in Aami from the very beginning... it's just that he hadn't told her until now.
Meanwhile, David stood there with a peculiar expression, watching Aami and Alex, who was still holding her close. Veins began to bulge across his tense body. Despite his efforts to control himself, he didn't have even a shred of patience left. By then, Alex had gently pulled Aami away from his embrace and looked her over with a suspicious gaze.
"What happened to you, Aami ...?"
He asked, his hands moving over the bandages on her forehead and arms. At the same time, he looked at Aadham, Jerin, and David, who stood behind her. After Aami explained what had happened, Alex ran a hand over his forehead in exhaustion.
"I didn't know any of this... Sorry... Really sorry..."
He offered a sincere apology and then turned toward the other three.
"Thank you... If you hadn't seen her... Her family sent her with me because they trusted me... and yet I... Really thank you..."
He said, looking at them.
"We didn't come here to hear your thanks..."
It was David who gave that sharp reply. Everyone was equally shocked. Alex felt a slight sense of humiliation.
"Sorry... I didn't mean it like that... for saving Aami ..." Alex tried to say.
"Even if it were anyone else in that position, we would have tried to save them..."
Again, it was David. There was an immense arrogance in his words, without even a hint of softness.
"Isn't the business we came for over? Now let's mind our own business and go..." David told the others.
They nodded quickly without saying anything.
"All sorts of things happen. Wasting a man's time first thing in the morning..." he muttered as he turned away.
Aami and Alex heard him clearly. Jerin and Aadham tried to force a smile as they bid them both farewell. Aami's eyes filled with tears at that moment. The reason was certainly David's reaction... what an arrogant man.
Her face tightened with sorrow; she bit her lip to hold back a heavy sob. As she watched the way he left, David looked back once.
In his blue eyes, Aami could instantly recognize a glimmering anger and a cruel expression. When his gaze shifted to Alex, the intensity increased, and his face tightened completely. Then, he turned away and walked forward... quickly... as if in a hurry to get away from them.
At the end of that walk, he vanished from her sight. His movements became lightning-fast. As the changes brewing inside him reached completion, he transformed into a werewolf.
The sound of his howling, which shook the forest as he disappeared into the distance, was heard by Aami and Alex alike. Both of them stood there, caught in the echo of that wolf's cry.
Though they turned to look, they could see only the now-silent forest.
"Who is he, Aami ? Such a character... as if he doesn't interact with humans..." Alex asked as they walked back.
"Aris David... he's a doctor. That's all I know. He's the one who bandaged my wounds..."
Aami said, looking ahead.
"Oh, a doctor? You wouldn't know it from his behavior. But he is hot and handsome... and his companions aren't far behind. They don't seem like locals; he's taller and has a body built like an African's, but with local coloring...".
Alex noted his striking blue eyes, something he'd never seen before.
Aami felt a strange familiarity with those eyes, perhaps from a dream. After some time, they reached the tent. Aami sat on the bed and stretched out her leg, which was now swollen and throbbing with pain despite the bandage.
Seeing this, Alex asked with concern and doubt:
"Do we really need to continue this trip, Aami? Can you even walk on this leg...???"
Ami looked up at him quickly....