*Nemesia's POV*

The freedom of the open road was a cold comfort. Each step took me further from Evar, from the possibility of betrayal, but deep down, a small part of me regretted the harsh words, the severed ties even if it was better for me... for him...

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely noticed the wagon rolling up beside me on the road into the mountains until the driver called out.

"Need a lift, miss? Heading up into the mountains myself," he offered, his smile friendly, but his eyes too sharp, too calculating.

Wary but weary, I accepted, climbing aboard.

The wagon creaked and groaned as it rolled along the uneven path leading into the heart of the mountains. The driver, a grizzled man with keen eyes that missed nothing, seemed friendly enough, offering stories of the paths we traversed. But there was an edge to him, a sharpness that kept me alert. Despite my efforts to hide my true nature, I felt the weight of his gaze, probing, calculating.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?" he remarked casually, gesturing to the sprawling forests that flanked our route.

I nodded, keeping my answers short, my mind racing with strategies should this turn sour.

"It is. Is it always this quiet?"

He chuckled, a sound that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. These woods have more secrets than peace."

The conversation drifted, with the driver skillfully weaving tales of many funny and interesting adventures they often had on this road. His stories were designed to enchant, to mesmerize, and I found myself momentarily caught up in the lore of the land. But every story served a dual purpose, lulling my senses, pulling the wool further over my eyes.

As the wagon rolled deeper into the forest, a false sense of security began to settle over me. The trees whispered ancient secrets, their leaves rustling with the wind, and for a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to relax. That was my mistake.

Without warning, the wagon jerked violently to a stop, throwing me against the wooden bench.

"What's happening?" I demanded, my voice sharp as I regained my footing.

"Just a little trouble with the wheel," the driver said, his tone too calm, his smile a little too fixed.

I stepped down from the wagon to inspect the supposed damage, my instincts screaming that something was amiss. That's when they struck. From the shadows of the trees, figures emerged—silent, swift, and menacing. I was surrounded before I could call upon my lycan strength.

The first bandit lunged at me, his dagger gleaming under the dappled sunlight. I dodged, my reflexes honed from years of training, but I was not fast enough to avoid the second assailant who managed to bind my arms with a rope soaked in wolfsbane. The coarse fibres bit into my skin, their grip tightening as I struggled.

"This one's fierce," one of the bandits chuckled, a burly man with scars crisscrossing his face. "But not fierce enough."

Anger surged through me, hot and blinding. I summoned all my strength, my body shifting, muscles bulging as I prepared to transform. But before I could complete the change, a sharp pain exploded at the base of my neck.

My vision blurred, the edges of the world darkening as I fought against the creeping numbness.

"Cowards!" I spat, my voice growing weaker.

As I slumped to the ground, the last thing I saw was the driver's face, not an ounce of regret in his eyes.

"Easy now, lady. Best you take a little nap."

The world went dark.

*

I awoke to the cold dampness of the forest floor, my head throbbing, my limbs heavy as lead. Night had fallen, and the air was thick with the musk of pine and the imminent threat of rain. Groggily, I assessed my situation—still bound, the ropes now tied securely around a thick tree trunk. The bandits were scattered around a nearby fire, their laughter grating against my ears.

I could take care of the rope as it wasn't very well prepared. It could stop a wolf, but a lycan? Only for a short moment. But the problem was that they expected trouble from me, watched me carefully when I moved.

"Athena, you ok?" I asked and felt her presence in my mind.

"Yes. And angry..."

If we could distract them somehow...

The forest was eerily silent as the night deepened, a stark contrast to the chaos that erupted moments later. Evar, in his wolf form, appeared as if he materialised from the darkness itself, jumping out of the forest, his powerful body cutting through the dim light like a shadow of vengeance. He lunged at the nearest bandit, a swift, silent attack that took the man down before he could scream. His teeth sank deep, and the sickening sound of tearing flesh filled the air.

Bound and determined, I thrashed against my restraints seeing my chance in the chaos that erupted, feeling the ropes bite into my skin as I shifted between human and lycan forms, each transformation a painful but necessary realignment of muscle and bone. Once free, I caught one of the assailants off-guard, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him effortlessly. My human form's strength, fueled by fury, was enough to snap his neck with a harsh twist.

Next, I fully transformed into my lycan form where I towered over the remaining bandits, my eyes burning with a ferocious light. The traitorous driver who had led us into the trap stumbled backwards in terror.

"N..no.. wait" he started begging.

Before he could regain his footing, I was upon him. My claws, extended and deadly, sliced through his chest, rending fabric and flesh alike in a brutal display of my power. His blood sprayed warm and wet into the air, his cries lost to the howling wind.

The battle escalated as several bandits shifted into their own beast forms, a chaotic mix of wolves and a massive, grizzled bear. The bear, with its imposing size and strength, posed a new threat, its roars reverberating through the forest. Evar, ever the tactician, engaged both wolf and bear, weaving through the trees with lethal precision. Yet, despite his agility, the bear landed a devastating blow, its massive paw raking deep wounds across Evar's side. His pained yelp cut through the tumult, igniting a fierce protectiveness within me.

"No one touches what's ours!" Athena's yell in my head sharp and angry.

Fuelled by rage and concern for Evar, I threw myself at the bear with unbridled fury. Our clash was titanic, the bear's brute force against my lycan agility and wrath. I dodged its swiping paws, finding openings to retaliate with vicious bites and claws that tore through fur and flesh. The bear's roars mingled with my growls, a savage symphony that underscored the brutality of our duel.

The fight was a blur of motion, primal and ruthless. I finally gained the upper hand, grappling with the bear and using my superior weight as a lycan to force it to the ground. With a final, powerful bite, I clamped down on its neck, the crunch of bone sounding its defeat. The bear's body went limp beneath me, and I stood, breath heaving, blood coating my fur in a grim testament to the battle's ferocity.

As silence descended once more, broken only by the laboured breathing of the survivors—myself and a gravely injured Evar—I approached him. He lay in his naked human form, his body battered and bleeding, a weak smile playing on his lips despite his obvious pain.

"Why do you have to be such an idiot, Evar?" I muttered, my voice a mix of exasperation and concern as I knelt beside him.

His chuckle was weak, his eyes meeting mine with a hint of his usual mischievous glint.

"And miss all the fun? Never."

As he slipped into unconsciousness, a heavy sense of responsibility settled over me. Gently cradling his head, I prepared to move him to safety. I knew his wolf would try to heal him but... Only lycans possessed strong healing abilities... and alphas. And he was neither...

The rain began to fall harder, mingling with the blood and mud to create a slick veneer that clung to us both.

"Stay with me, Evar," I whispered, more to myself than to him. I quickly gathered my things and some of the bandits' stuff to take with me for Evar as I couldn't find his own pack. Then with no struggle, I took him into my arms. He might've looked as if he was slightly bigger than me, but I was a lycan. I was strong.

As I carried him deeper into the woods, seeking refuge from the storm and the aftermath of our battle, I realized how deeply our fates were intertwined. Bound by blood and battle, our journey was far from over, and whatever lay ahead, we would face it together.

But as the thunder rolled above us, another storm closing in and mirroring the turmoil in my heart, I started to wonder where to find shelter and how to save this stubborn wolf.