Chapter 55

I

took off into the forest, my paws pounding against the ground as I ran. The morning air was cool, refreshing against my fur, and I let out a howl of exhilaration as I felt the rush of wind against my face. The trees around were tall and thick, their branches swaying in the wind as I ran past them. It began raining soon, but the water didn't slow me down.

Nothing did.

I felt the thrill of the chase as I ran, my muscles flexing and contracting with each powerful stride. It was addictive, powerful. I ran faster and faster, covering miles. My mind became clear and focused on the run. As soon as I saw similar surroundings, I began slowing down before stopping at the clearing in front of the house.

Malik stood a small distance away. He drew the phone from his ear and took a few seconds to calculate the time.

"Four minutes twenty seconds," He said while looking up at me. "You're a minute faster now."

My heart pounded hard in my chest, but I couldn't help but let out a little howl of glee. Slipping behind the tree, I began changing. The transformation still hurt. It was as painful as the first day, but I was beginning to get used to the pain.

Grabbing the hoodie, I wore it before returning back to Malik.

"You're getting father,"

"I'm getting better," I grinned, feeling a sense of pride swell within me. "You were on phone with someone. Who was it?" I questioned after a moment of silence.

"No, I was checking the timer." He lowered his head and said while tucking the phone back into his pocket.

I didn't believe him. Not one bit. Stepping forward, I repeated the question. "Was it Nicholas?"

Malik shook his head. "No one called, April. I was merely looking at the timer and waiting for you to return."

I didn't further question him again. It had been more than ten days, ten days since I shifted and nearly two weeks since I had been here, without Nicholas. He hadn't called me once, he hadn't called Malik to even check on me. I tried to understand him, the situation he was in, but how hard was it to just make a phone call?

It wasn't like anyone was going to find me here and kill me by a phone call.

Frustrated, I ended the day and headed inside the house. It had been hours since I had been outside, running miles and miles with Malik. The beginning few days were a torture. I didn't know what to do, where to go or to even walk in my wolf form. However, keeping to his promise, Malik trained me, he taught me everything that I needed to know.

I ran all over the wild, through the mountains and still had the energy and power to do more. It was all new, but great. Nothing stopped me.

I had never felt so alive before, so free from the constraints of human life. The thrill of hunt in my veins was growing day by day. I gained strength and speed, my senses grew sharper and more accurate.

It was the second greatest feeling—to feel all this strength.

"I think I'm in love with you." I said as Maude placed the lunch in front of me.

She let out a small laugh and stepped back. "I'm happy you're enjoying the food and the company. It must be hard for you."

"It's getting easier," I shoved the fork into the salad and took a bite, savoring the flavors as they exploded in my mouth. "A lot easier."

She smiled at me, her eyes filled with understanding. "It takes time to adjust to having a wolf within you. But I have faith that you'll come to love it just as much as we do."

I nodded, grateful for her kind words. As I ate my lunch, my mind wandered back to my training with Malik. I still had to harness the power of my wolf form, which I hadn't done entirely. She wasn't weak, she was strong, stronger than I could ever be.

A part of me was escaping from reality by shifting every day and running through the wild for hours and hours. I didn't want to wander about Nicholas and what he had been doing all these days. But at the end, when the night came, and when I was in my bed alone, I wondered deeply about him.

Nothing was going to make the distance easier.

Nothing.

Every part of my body craved for him, for my mate, to be held and to hold. My longing for Nicholas grew stronger and stronger.

I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't, not when I began to love him, even with the distance between us.

When the night came, I searched for Malik around the house to have him take me for another run, to exhaust myself so sleep could come easily. I didn't want to stay up the whole night, sobbing to myself.

Upon reaching his room, I knocked on the door, but there was no response. The door itself creaked open and I let myself inside. After hearing the sound of water, I realized he was inside the washroom, taking a shower.

Just as I decided to leave the room and wait outside, I paused on my steps and turned back around to the table on the corner of the room where Malik's phone was placed. It was turned upside down. My curiosity piqued, I approached the table and picked it up. Without giving it another thought, I turned it over and opened up the call logs.

I was sure he had been talking to someone earlier, when I reached him after finishing my run. He had been timing my runs everyday, but I hadn't seen the phone on his ear once.

My brows furrowed as I went through the call logs.

It only took a second before the hair over my skin rose and my nostrils flared. I kept going down, glancing at the dates and the names.

Nicholas had been calling and Malik had been speaking to him for days now. And not once he let me know about it.

My teeth clenched, I held the phone tighter in my hand before looking at the last call from Nicholas. It was the one early in the morning, just when I finished my run. He was talking to him then. He had been talking to him all these days and he didn't let me.

The anger boiled inside me as I realized the truth. My mind raced with questions, and I couldn't help but feel betrayed by both of them.

Why didn't Nicholas ask to speak to me? Did he just not want to?

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, my voice laced with anger as I turned around to find him. "Why didn't you tell me that Nicholas had been calling you?"

"He didn't want me to."

"Why?" I spat back, my hands shaking with rage. "What did I do?"

"He didn't want to worry you, and I had to listen to his orders," I remained quiet as he continued. "I told him you shifted, and I told him about the trainings. He would've come here in a few days more time as it all would've been over—"

"Would have?" I cocked a brow, my anger siding. "What has been happening over there? Tell me." I wanted to know everything.

Malik hesitated for a moment. I gave a death stare until the words left his mouth itself. "The alpha went head to head with his father earlier yesterday, and a battle broke out among them. I expected the call to be about the victory, but it wasn't. They are still in midst of the fight and the situation is getting worse by the minute. He didn't want to worry you, so he asked me to keep it from you."

My heart sank as I processed the information. The thought of Nicholas being in danger, fighting for his life against his own father was almost too much to bear.

"Is he hurt?" My voice lowered.

"He was, last night, but he had healed from it. There's no assurance of what's going to come next. We need to remain calm and hope for the best."

I dropped the phone the side and with dreadful thoughts racing in my head, I turned around and stepped out from the room. "I've to go."

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