The werewolves knew exactly what they were doing. To avoid detection, they had chosen the most treacherous route—the dense woods.
However, this strategy proved challenging for the vampires, who struggled to keep up.
Florian remained unconscious but was clearly just asleep since he occasionally winced and groaned.
Riona, on the other hand, was slowly recovering. She could feel the sunlight turning her skin into a crispy, burnt offering with every passing minute.
Her efforts to hide under the sparse shade of the trees were about as effective as using a piece of paper as an umbrella in a hurricane. The leaves rustled relentlessly as if mocking her desperate attempts at sun avoidance.
"Co here," Thorin called, spreading his coat like a human parasol.
In a perfect world, Riona would have told him where to shove that coat. But given that this was more of a "survival of the fittest" scenario, she had to swallow her pride.
She ntally cursed her lack of foresight. She had known about the escape plan, so why hadn’t she thought to ask Sir Orlo to bring so sun-protective gear just in case?
Grumbling but left with no choice, Riona crawled towards Thorin. She curled up under his coat like a reluctant cat in a too-small box, hoping that the sun would lose interest in her soon.
Zane gave up his coat and transford into a wolf to avoid freezing. Puck wrapped Zane’s coat around Florian, covering the boy’s body as he lay on the grass, which was dotted with patches of snow.
"Do you think he’ll be alright?" Puck asked, referring to Sir Kai who was absent, sitting by Florian’s side and lending his thigh as the boy’s pillow.
"He should be. He’s the ace of the Nightwatch. Why worry about him?" Thorin responded quickly, clearly irked by the re ntion of Sir Kai.
While the werewolves, Riona, and Florian continued their journey to Wintertooth, Sir Kai didn’t accompany them. He had turned back before sunrise to return to the royal palace.
Even though he had helped Riona escape, and he might face serious consequences in the Nightwarden, his heart and soul still belonged to the organization.
Thorin was relieved Sir Kai wasn’t joining them in Wintertooth. Partly because Sir Kai’s presence irritated him, especially when he got too close to Riona. And partly because there wasn’t much Sir Kai could contribute to Wintertooth.
Unlike the Kingdom of Eira, Wintertooth didn’t have a formal defense organization. The Alpha and the Howl were responsible for protecting the pack and maintaining order.
Riona squinted her eyes and retorted, "Why do you hate Sir Kai so much?"
"What? Don’t tell you didn’t notice! It’s obvious—" Puck began.
"BECAUSE!" Thorin cut him off, raising his voice to drown out Puck’s next words. "Because he’s too upright. It’s annoying to see."
Riona wasn’t stupid. She knew there was another reason Thorin didn’t want her to know. Maybe it had sothing to do with his delicate male ego or sothing else equally petty.
Given Thorin’s boastful personality, that explanation made the most sense. Pitying him for his vanity, Riona could only shake her head.
"What? Don’t you believe ?" Thorin snarled, catching her gesture.
"No, I understand," Riona said with a hint of pity as if consoling a child who felt inferior to another.
Despite her seemingly agreeable response, Thorin knew she must have been thinking sothing else.
He grumbled, trying to justify himself without revealing the truth. His words tumbled out awkwardly, creating more confusion than clarity.
"It’s alright," Riona added. Her gaze softened with sympathy.
Thorin was about to argue further when Florian stirred. Everyone’s attention shifted to him.
At this point, no one was overly hopeful; Florian had moved from ti to ti, and he had talked in his sleep too. However, it had been days since he lost consciousness, and this ti felt different.
Florian groaned and winced as if in pain. Concerned, Riona tried to reach out, but the sun turned her hand into a sizzling skillet.
"Ouch!" she exclaid, recoiling.
"Hey, kid! Are you awake?" Puck touched the boy’s sweaty temple.
Florian didn’t respond, just kept wriggling. The coat around his body shifted, exposing his legs to the sun. Even the severe burning didn’t wake him.
Everyone grew increasingly worried. Puck quickly grabbed Florian’s legs and wrapped them in Zane’s coat to prevent further burning. "Hey, what’s going on? Florian!"
"He’s having a nightmare!" Thorin shouted his deduction.
"Nonsense! I never had nightmares when I was unconscious," retorted Riona.
Florian’s unconsciousness was due to the sudden, excessive use of his power. Like Riona, his body had been overwheld.
Normally, Riona lost consciousness after using too much of her power because her body needed ti to heal itself. It was like sleep but with a side of extre recovery mode.
That’s why she never dread. But if Florian was indeed dreaming, sothing must be different. What was it?
Riona glanced upward, contemplating calling on the ancestor, whose na she still hadn’t asked. That flimsy ancestor was the one who had mistakenly unlocked Florian’s power.
As she dwelled on the thought, Florian stopped moving. His rapid breathing returned to normal, and he went quiet again.
"What’s with the atmosphere? Did Thorin say sothing wrong again?" Zane broke the tense air, transforming back into his human form, carrying several small animals in his hands.
He threw the ga on the ground and said, "Dinner ti."
Riona had been surviving on animal blood, while the werewolves sustained themselves with small animals and fruits they found in the woods.
Thorin grabbed a small animal and handed it to Riona, who quickly drained its blood. As she sucked on the blood of another animal, she stared at her brother, watching his chest rise and fall.
Florian hadn’t had anything since leaving the royal palace since he had been in a deep slumber.
Vampires could manage without blood for months, especially when they didn’t need to use their energy.
But Riona was simply worried for her brother.
Her grand plan had been to leave the palace dramatically, preferably to a fanfare and a formal farewell, not this perilous departure featuring disgusting animal blood and hard ground as a bed.
When night fell, Riona finally got so ti alone. She walked away from the group, excusing herself to the nearest water source, saying she needed to wash her face before continuing the journey.
In truth, she was planning to summon the ancestor.
Furrowing her eyebrows in anger, she called out to him. Surprisingly, he appeared readily this ti.
"Did you call for ?" His voice sounded normal, almost casual.
"Yes. I need you to tell sothing, and you must be honest. Can you promise that? Your title as an ancestor is on the line here. I swear, if you lie, I will bad-mouth you to anyone who will listen," Riona threatened.
"Whoa, kid! You don’t talk to your ancestor like that," he shot back.
"Just promise !"
"Fine, fine," the ancestor conceded. "What is it?"
"Did you accidentally give Florian so of the Blood Moon child’s power?"
There was an excruciatingly long pause as he mulled over how to weasel out of this one.
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